Chicken won't put weight on one leg

[Kimcall]

Hi-

I am new to this forum but have been researching various chicken maladies here for three years now. I have a three year old hen who can't walk on one leg. There is no sign of Bumblefoot or mites and I found a small bruise on her bad leg thinking maybe she hurt it jumping off the roost or in the run somewhere. I have her isolated and have given her a few small doses of baby aspirin which seems to help somewhat. She occasionally will do a "pawing in the air" move for about a minute then lays back down.

I have her isolated but she is the top of the flock so I put her outside in the garden with them and they all gather round her when I bring her out. She stays pretty firmly in one place.

I am wondering if maybe this is a dislocated hip? Any other suggestions? Thank you so much!

 

[Stravager]

Does she put any weight on the leg at all? Is there a discernable difference in leg/joint position compared to the good leg?

 

[Kimcall]

When she is standing she will put the leg down gingerly but there is no discernible difference in the leg position itself.

 

[Stravager]

Can you put her in a smaller cage or pen where she can't move around much? Sometimes they sprain something; and there is not necessarily any heat or swelling in the foot or leg. We have had them do that before and keeping them confined where their movements are fairly limited; (they can't run, or jump off a perch or spend a lot of time walking around) has helped, and eventually they have been able to walk normally again. But it takes a while, we had one that took six weeks bf she healed. Feel around the hens hips to see if they feel normal and equal to each other; they will limp and or not put weight on a leg with a dislocated hip, and the rooster can dislocate the hen's hip if he is too rough.

That's from a similar sounding post. If there's no discernable difference in the bones then it could be a sprain or something similar, in which case restricted movement and aspirin seem to be the basic care.
@chicknmania might have some other suggestions or what to look for?

 

[Kimcall]

Thank you so much for your thoughtful suggestions and encouragement. I have her in a dog crate in the garage and she really doesn’t move at all when she is in there. She seemed a tiny bit better today so I’m going to hope that time will be her healer. I think the baby aspirin has helped as well.

I’ll check her hips again to see I can feel anything. I’m not entirely sure if I would notice if something was amiss. .

It’s good just having some suggestions and I’ve looked back through this forum and this seems to be something that happens a fair bit to chickens. Even so, it feels like a big deal when it’s yours!!! Thanks again!

 

[Eggcessive]

Welcome to BYC. At 3 years old, an injury might be suspected, unless you have added new birds recently. In that case we alway worry a bit about Mareks disease. Can she reach food and water? Human B complex can be helpful at times. Sprains or other injuries can be very common. The aspirin may be helpful for a couple of days.

 

[Kimcall]

Thank you so much. No new birds. I took this video this of her this afternoon. I’m not sure if you can see the file?

 

[Eggcessive]

Have you added any new birds recently who could have been a carrier of some disease?

 

[chicknmania]

Thank you so much. No new birds. I took this video this of her this afternoon. I’m not sure if you can see the file?

it looks to me like she's doing that because she's afraid to put weight on the leg. I don't THINK it's Marek's or anything like that. It appears at this time to be an injury. And, like injuries in people, they can take awhile to heal, and obviously they need some restriction. We do the same, with an injured bird, they can be in a pen where the others can socialize with them through the wire, but the injured bird is still protected by the pen and is restricted in movement. This past summer we had an older hen with what later became apparent was a hip injury, a sprain possibly. It took her six weeks before she was well enough to go out, and even then for another week I put her in a pen at night and only let her out during the day. She did make a full recovery. I made sure to give her lots of attention, a few extra treats or occasionally some scrambled egg or similar special food, just to keep her cheerful. And she did OK. Just keep an eye on yours, make sure you keep looking for unusual or new symptoms.

 

[Kimcall]

Have you added any new birds recently who could have been a carrier of some disease?

No new birds. The same group for three years.