Chicken limping,

[Eggcessive]

Videos need to be posted on YouTube with a link posted here. I am glad that she is stronger and continues to get better.

 

[HeidiN]

Videos need to be posted on YouTube with a link posted here. I am glad that she is stronger and continues to get better.

Thanks. I was trying to figure out how to do. I don’t have a YouTube account, so it may not be worth the effort.

 

[HeidiN]

I kept her in the cage, in the chicken run, yesterday, because when I let her out, two of the other hens were picking on her. Likely an upset in pecking order (she has been above them previously), but they weren’t backing down, even though she cowered away.

 

[HeidiN]

 

[HeidiN]

She only puts weight on that foot briefly, and sometimes uses her wings to balance when attempting to walk. But she seems stronger today. Hoping another day resting in the cage will help. If it weren’t so cold, I probably wouldn’t worry as much. (14 degrees at night, about 32 in the “heat of the day”.) even the garage gets pretty cold, so we brought her in the house one night.

 

[Shadrach]

It could just be that she's strained a tendon or muscle. It happens here from time to time.
They get a foot caught on something or land badly.
If you place the hen so her head is facing you and slide both your hands under her wings and gently grip her thighs you may be able to feel a difference between the legs. I've found that sometimes the leg with the strain feels slightly warmer than the other. You may even be able to feel the tendon if it's swollen.
If the limp is bad, i put them in a plastic pet carrier such as one might get for a medium sized dog. I put a couple of folded towels in the bottom for comfort. A carrier like this will help them rest the leg given they can't move around in it very much.
There is also a medication called METACAM. This is both an analgesic and anti inflammatory. I give 0.2grams in the morning and 0.1 grams in the evening.
I medicate for 3 or 4 days; no more.
I also give them a vitamin boost. In the USA NUTRI DRENCH is suitable but even a liquid supplement for humans can be used; a small amount poured onto a piece of bread is the way I feed it.
You can also give the gentle physiotherapy; moving the suspect leg to imitate a hens natural scratching motion is where I start. Often just gently massaging the leg helps.
Keeping her warm is important.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

She only puts weight on that foot briefly, and sometimes uses her wings to balance when attempting to walk. But she seems stronger today. Hoping another day resting in the cage will help. If it weren’t so cold, I probably wouldn’t worry as much. (14 degrees at night, about 32 in the “heat of the day”.) even the garage gets pretty cold, so we brought her in the house one night.

Glad she is seems to be getting stronger. Hopefully with the limited activity she will recover quickly.
Keep us posted.

 

[HeidiN]

I took her out to the run with the others in the dog crate after it warmed up a bit. When I checked on her a bit ago, she was up on her feet and had spilled her water. So I let her out and observed how the others would treat her, and there weren’t the same issues as yesterday. Then, after a bit, I checked and she was up on the outdoor roost, grooming.

 

[HeidiN]

She’s much better now. Put her back out with the flock today and she went to roost fine this evening. Still a slight limp, but way stronger. Hopefully it was just the leg and not reproductive issues.

 

[Eggcessive]

That is very good news. Keep us posted on her recovery and good luck.