Buff orph chick holding leg up

[nutmeg2356]

Hello (again) everyone!

Last night I noticed my buff orph chick holding her leg up. I picked her up to examine the leg, and her "ankle" seems swollen. It's just a tad pink and a lot bigger than her other ankle. I looked on the bottom other foot to see if she got bumble foot somehow, and although her main foot pad was bigger than the other foots pad, it was soft and there weren't any black spots. I think the pad was only swollen as a side effect of her ankle.

Any suggestions? I'm not sure if she did something stupid or got pecked by another chick (although, I haven't noticed any pecking), but she refuses to put weight on the foot.

Should I separate her from the rest to give her a chance to relax and recover? Should I try and brace her foot?

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Can you post some photos?
How old is she?
What type of bedding is she on?

If she is having trouble walking or is getting trampled in the brooder, place a barrier of chicken wire in the brooder to keep her separated. Provide her with her own food and water - add some poultry vitamins to her water.

 

[nutmeg2356]

They are 4 weeks old, and are on aspen bedding that I change every few days. It is not wet, due to using nipple waterers.

Here are some pictures, it looks worse today.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Can you take her to a vet?
Has she had any respiratory symptoms or been near other chickens that have been sick (coughing, sneezing, mucous from the nostrils, discharge from the eyes, etc.)?
What type of food/treats do you feed?

You can try soaking her foot in epsom salts to help relieve the swelling.

Watch to see that she is drinking well and add some poultry vitamins to her water.

 

[nutmeg2356]

They already have a vitamin and electrolyte supplement in their water. She is eating and drinking perfectly fine. I'm about to run to the store to get epsom salt

 

[nutmeg2356]

Switched them to wood pellet bedding, if this is bumble foot hopefully this will prevent the others from getting it. Just checked her foot again, and no black dot. Still very very swollen. About to do an epsom salt soak. Anyone have any ideas on what this is or how to treat it??

 

[nutmeg2356]

Update:
Definitely not bumble foot. I believe it is broken. I separated her from the rest of the chicks after my last post. I've kept her in a very clean little mini brooder. Observed her symptoms for a little bit and have come to the conclusion that it's broken, or she has some deformity thats causing her foot to swell. One of her toes "seems" broken, meaning when I poke/move it around, it seems too limp when compared to the other toes. That toe is also seems to have a VERY slight amount of blood on it, and she seems to really be curling it under. I think its bloody from her walking on it while the toe is curled...

Can someone please give me advise on what to do for this little lady? I have soaked her in Epsom salts, cleaned the foot, put her in a mini brooder with soft paper bedding (that expensive fluffy bedding) so that she has soft footing, removed the perch so she can't jump. She pretty much lays there unless she's eating or drinking.

What could have/could be causing this? Is there a disease that would cause her to curl the toe? Or is that just from her suspected broken foot

 

[Eggcessive]

Wyorp Rock has given you pretty good advice so far. She has a lot of experience in the emergency forum. The vitamins she suggested are in case of riboflavin deficiency which can caused curled under toes and later paralysis. Some causes of a single foot swelling can be a severe sprain or broken bone, a viral or bacterial infection of the joint, or mycoplasma synoviae (MS.) MS would usually be seen in both legs with swelling of the hocks or ankles. A broken bone will commonly cause bruising. Gout can cause feet to swell, but usually involves both feet again. So all we can advise is to see a vet or keep her in a pen or crate with food and water to force rest for at least a week or more. can you look and feel of her hock or knee joints for swelling? I once tried wood pellet bedding, and it was uncomfortable for the chickens to walk on. Here is some reading about MS and bacterial arthritis:
http://www.merckvetmanual.com/poultry/mycoplasmosis/mycoplasma-synoviae-infection-in-poultry
http://www.merckvetmanual.com/poult...stem/infectious-skeletal-disorders-in-poultry