Chicken Leg Problem

[5SweetChicks]

I have a Delaware pullet, 16 weeks old, who has a problem with her legs. Its not an illness as far as I can tell, maybe a bowed leg or something. But she has a limp. She can't jump on roosts very well. Past two nights (we changed the roost set up 2 days ago) I've had to carry her to her favorite spot. She eats well and does everything else normal. Although when I feed them treats she hasn't been coming up to me like she used to. But that could be just because the bigger hens are by me. She does sit down a lot, and stands on just her right leg probably to rest her left leg or something(Which I think is bowed, hard to tell). She tried to roost tonight and hit her neck on the bar and fell. I felt so bad so I carried her to her favorite spot.
I'm kinda just looking for some advice on what to do. Get her checked out by a vet? Check for certain things I haven't been looking for? Put her down?

 

[Eggcessive]

She is probably just having a hard time getting around as easily as before because she has sprained her leg. You should examine it closely for any bruises or scratches. Also look at the bottom of the foot pad for any swelling or a dark spot which may indicate bumblefoot. As long as she can get to food, water, and on a short roost she should do fine in a couple of weeks. Give her some vitamin supplements in the form of PolyViSol baby vitamins 1 or 2 drops a day on bread or straight.

 

[5SweetChicks]

Thank you, I will look at those things tomorrow. How exactly do you identify swelling? Its my first year with chickens and the first time something like this has come up so I'm not sure.

 

[chooks4life]

Swelling is identified by sight and comparison. If she can't get onto a perch she isn't able to fly down from it without hurting herself; generally it's not a good idea to put a chook that can't get up somewhere it has to get itself down.

About the bowed leg you suspect: there's a lot of bad scaling being bred on with which is linked to structural deformity that is enough to render chickens lame or nearly so. She likely has this if the bow was not received through injury. If it had been received through injury she's probably not limp once it was healed but genetically bow-legged chooks can limp for a lifetime.

Anyway, best wishes.

 

[5SweetChicks]

Theres no swelling or bumble foot. I think it must be a deformity or bowed leg. Any suggestions for roosts? I might just make them shorter and have ramps going up and down to all of them.

 

[chooks4life]

I have roosts of varying heights, the lowest is literally low enough to step onto. This helps with babies, banties, and ill or injured chooks that are well enough to stay with the flock during treatment. Ramps are ok as well but personally I think they might hide chooks needing help by virtue of the fact that if I see a chook on the low perches, I know it needs my attention, whereas if there were ramps I would not receive that indication. However a ramp in the sick pen would probably help. Generally something is fairly wrong if they're trying to jump for a perch and missing. Hope she's ok, best wishes with that.