One of my hens, a Golden Laced Wyandotte, has had a limp for months. I'm not even sure I'd call it a limp, it's like her legs don't bend properly? Sometimes I can hardly tell, but if she's been running around a lot (usually after I try to catch her for something) then it's more pronounced. She kind of walks like a penguin. The pads of her feet also look swollen to me, but they aren't hot and there are no signs of bumblefoot (no scabs). When I first noticed it I thought she had sprained something, so I caged her for a few days and gave her vitamins. When I let her out she seemed better, but then the limp came back. I made the bedding much deeper and lowered the roosts (roughly 3 and a half feet off the ground). I also tried soaking her feet, but she is very flighty and hated it. Most people say their birds seem to love it but uh uh not this girl. She flapped like a banshee. Also of note, her eggs are very narrow, but she has only been laying for about a month. She lays about every other day. She also has slightly runny poops, so I have to trim and wash her butt fluff occasionally. Any suggestions?
A picture of the legs and feet may help. Does she have any dark spots on the footpads of her swollen feet which would be bumblefoot? There are some conditions of the legs and feet such as gout and mycoplasma synovitis which can cause swollen feet and legs. Another condition called osteopetrosis or marble bone disease can cause thick hard stiff legs. Rickets from mineral deficiency or tibial dyschondroplasia (a leg bone deformity) could also be considered. I would start giving a poultry vitamin that contains minerals in the feed for your chickens. Poultry Booster by Rooster Booster is a brand easy to find. Here are some links to read: http://en.engormix.com/MA-poultry-i.../avian-gout-causes-treatment-t1246/165-p0.htm http://www.avitechnutrition.com/pdf/technical-bulletin/2009/Leg Weakness Disorders in Poultry.pdf http://www.thepoultrysite.com/diseaseinfo/99/mycoplasma-synoviae-infection-ms-infectious-synovitis