chicken is limping, no feeling in leg. PLEASE HELP!

[javaman661]

i noticed my red silkie rooster was limping on his right leg. I brought him in and washed his feet off in warm water. He curls and kicks with the good leg, but the other one he just leaves sticking out, and wont move it. When he walks, he tries to use it, but it just seems to give out under his weight. He just sort of hops, but still gets around pretty well. He feels good enough to protest. My dad thinks his leg is broken. Any advice as to what is wrong and how to treat? For now im going to confine in a seperate quiet coop.

 

[meriruka]

Does the leg feel cold or is there any swelling?

 

[horsejody]

Does it seem to be injured or paralyzed. If it's paralysis, you may be seeing a case of Marek's disease.

 

[pips&peeps]

I would tend to lean towards marek's.

 

[Cackling Hen]

Quote:
javaman661
My blk cochin is doing the same "AJ" just kinda hops also. He wants to walk on it but it looks like he cant put pressure on it. My hubby thinks he hurt it jumping ????? Im worried I washed its felt it looked it over and theres nothing He justd hopes on it when he is standing its fine looking its when he walks I hope there gunna be ok

 

[horsejody]

If it's Marek's, he may survive with intensive care. He will have to put into a small cage or dog crate with the food and water right in front of him. Marek's can take days, weeks or months to go into remission. Clean the cage daily and check for improvement. He will be a carrier forever. The disease doesn't get cured. It just goes into remission and can return. If it is Marek's, the whole flock is infected, and they will be carriers. The disease may never manifest itself, but their bodies will alway carry the virus. Of course, if the birds were properly vaccinated and quarantined as chicks, then Marek's is not an issue. If it is Marek's (and I hope it's not), I would strongly suggest that you only get vaccinated chicks in the future.

 

[amity3520]

This has happened with two or three of our chickens. We know one was definitely due to injury, two birds got in a sort of squabble and one fell, or something happened to her foot, but after a week or so she was much better on it, though she's still limping a tiny bit 3 weeks later. The other couple limping birds got better over time. Just make sure they can be a quiet, nonstressful place. A crowded coop is probably not the best area. We also gave ours plenty of hay in the corner she preferred, near the water and food. Some vitamins probably wouldn't go amiss.

With Marek's it's less likely that the bird will start walking normally again, or so I've heard, which leads me to believe (hope) my few limpers haven't had Marek's, since they've all recovered sufficiently within a week or so.

I hope your bird gets better soon!!

Edited to include that when our birds limped they mostly stayed laying down and didn't try to move too much, though they didn't exhibit any obvious signs of pain when we would move the foot around to see if it were broken. If the roo is trying to walk on it anyways that could be something other than injury, unless it's just a roo's nature to not be inclined to rest?

 

[jzarabs]

I have a chick doing the same thing right now! I'm so worried right now about what to do, I feel terrible for her, and hope that she might get better, but I wonder if I'm prolonging her discomfort? She will get around ok, half walking/flopping on the non-functional leg and eat and drink normally. Then she lays down again and doesn't move much unless forced to. Don't think she was a vaccinated chick, but she was quarantined and I gave them Solumet/water when I first got them. No other birds in her pen are showing any signs of illness (nor really is she, other than the limping). There has been some 'pecking order issues' as I just combined 2 sets of juviniles so I'm inclined to think it is some kind of injury related to that.
Any thoughts? I don't know how long to give her to recover, it's not possible for me to 'hospitalize' her anywhere, and she seems more content with her other chick buddy anyway (her buddy circles her and 'protects' her from the other 2).

 

[javaman661]

Thanks so much for all the responses. He still walks pretty well, hops all around the yard. I dont believe he was vaccinated for anything. I got him as a chick with another from a lady who sold from the fair. They were both roosters. I cant really put him in a seperate cage, because we live way in the middle of nowhere, and I already had a opossum chew through chicken wire and kill a rooster. I tried to keep him in the coop while the rest went out, but he refused to rest and just hobbled along the fence. None of the others pick on him, and it happened really sudden.I think he may have broken it somehow.? None of my other chickens are showing any odd behavior. I have two other roos. The senior one chases him and his brother, but they have never seriously fought. All the roos are silkies, pretty sweet. I've just been keeping an eye on him for now. He does not seem to be in pain, at least not enough to slow him down. Thinking of locking him in my smaller coop with a friend, but i am not sure whether he would rest or just stress out.