Chicken right leg is messed up

[Denise Hammond]

Hi, new member here. My chicken's (or rooster) right leg is injured, it's been like this for a few weeks. She/he was walking fine one night and the next day she /he couldn't stand up, after a week she/he was able to stand and move around with the help of her/his feathers. Wondering what could be causing this. I've attached a picture of her/him.

 

[eggbert420]

Looks like a meat bird too me. They are known to get bad legs. Its a rooster.

 

[rebrascora]

Hi
How old is the chicken? It's looking like a cockerel, as is the one in the background, but age is a factor and better photos would help.... also a video of the one with the poorly leg would make it easier to diagnose, as seeing how it moves can often help to identify if it is an injury to the leg or neurological.
I'm also wondering if these are meat birds? Do you know their breed? The sparse feathering on the lame one suggest that it is a broiler and that would explain the leg issue..... broilers grow too big and too fast for their skeleton and joints to cope and if they are not butchered at a young age they often go off their legs or have heart attacks.

 

[Denise Hammond]

Thank you for your reply. My husband said it is a Leg Horn and the folks I get the feed from said it is a broiler (meat) chicken. He is roughly 4 months old, this happened when he was 3 months, when it first happened he couldn't walk, or even get around, now he can maneuver himself to get where he wants, very slowly though. Here is a video of him.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Hi @Denise Hammond Welcome To BYC

I'm sorry you are having trouble.

Do you have vet care available?

I agree with the others, it looks like you may have a meat bird. He may have a leg bone deformity like Valgus Varus or Rotated Tibia (which is a variation of Valgus Varus). This can also be seen in "non meat bird breeds" as well.

Unfortunately, there is not much that can be done to correct a leg bone deformity and it will most likely worsen over time.
It's possible it could be injury related, but without a vet to perform some xrays it would be hard to determine what's going on.

Do the best you can to make him comfortable. He may struggle to get to food/water, so make those easily accessible to him. The flock may eventually start to pick on him, so keep watch for that. Depending on your chicken keeping goals (breeding), you will not want to use him for breeding unless you do find that it is definitely an injury.

Reference: http://www.thepoultrysite.com/articles/1051/leg-health-in-large-broilers/

https://www.merckvetmanual.com/poul.../noninfectious-skeletal-disorders-in-broilers
https://www.researchgate.net/public..._of_the_intertarsal_joint_in_broiler_chickens

 

[Denise Hammond]

Hi @Denise Hammond Welcome To BYC

I'm sorry you are having trouble.

Do you have vet care available?

I agree with the others, it looks like you may be a meat bird. He may have a leg bone deformity like Valgus Varus or Rotated Tibia (which is a variation of Valgus Varus). This can also be seen in "non meat bird breeds" as well.

Unfortunately, there is not much that can be done to correct a leg bone deformity and it will most likely worsen over time.
It's possible it could be injury related, but without a vet to perform some xrays it would be hard to determine what's going on.

Do the best you can to make him comfortable. He may struggle to get to food/water, so make those easily accessible to him. The flock may eventually start to pick on him, so keep watch for that. Depending on your chicken keeping goals (breeding), you will not want to use him for breeding unless you do find that it is definitely an injury.

Reference: http://www.thepoultrysite.com/articles/1051/leg-health-in-large-broilers/

https://www.merckvetmanual.com/poul.../noninfectious-skeletal-disorders-in-broilers
https://www.researchgate.net/public..._of_the_intertarsal_joint_in_broiler_chickens

No, we do not have vet care as we can't afford it. We do make sure he is very comfortable, food and water right there at him and he is loved on. He does share space with another one (he is in the video that I posted) and the healthy one has started becoming aggressive, which I understand is normal at this stage. But yesterday the healthy one bit the injured one in the neck, is that normal?

 

[Wyorp Rock]

No, we do not have vet care as we can't afford it. We do make sure he is very comfortable, food and water right there at him and he is loved on. He does share space with another one (he is in the video that I posted) and the healthy one has started becoming aggressive, which I understand is normal at this stage. But yesterday the healthy one bit the injured one in the neck, is that normal?

Thanks for the video!
I would suspect that he has a leg bone deformity, especially after your mention that it started around a month ago and has progressed. I'm sorry.

The healthy rooster will most likely attack him again or possibly kill him, so you will want to separate them.

 

[Denise Hammond]

Thanks for the feedback. We have separated the roosters, the injured one is being taken care of. My girls and I have grown quite attached to him.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

I'm glad you have separated him. It will be less stressful on him. From what I understand meat birds can be quite sweet, I hope he gets along o.k.