Curled toes

[MrsBrenda]

We noticed a few days ago that one of our chickens, a year-old black tail hybrid, was limping. Since then, her condition has gotten worse and worse, and shows no sign of improving. When she stands, the toes on her right foot and curled under her, and her leg sticks out backwards. She can't really walk anywhere without falling over, so she just sits down. She's still eating and drinking, though she has diarrhoea. If we pick her up, she'll just about try to perch on our finger with the toes. Help please!

 

[azygous]

Currently, I have a hen with the exact same symptoms which I first noticed two months ago.

Since then, she has been treated in several different ways. First, I ruled out a bacterial arthritis by giving her a round of an antibiotic. No improvement.

Then I treated for neurological issues with selenium and vitamin E. No improvement.

Then I treated with B vitamins. No improvement.

My hen is a six-year old Speckled Sussex, and she carries the lymphotic leucosis virus which causes cancerous tumors, especially in older birds, so this is what I strongly suspect is the cause of her woes. She manages to get around in a fashion on one good foot, but the foot is useless when she tries to roost, causing her to fall off. So she's been sleeping on a pallet on the floor. She has intermittent diarrhea and poor appetite, I'm at the point where I've decided to euthanize her.

I can't really advise you with your hen. Lameness can have lots of causes. In a young bird such as yours, though, there's a better chance that one of the treatments I've tried may work with your girl.

 

[Eggcessive]

We noticed a few days ago that one of our chickens, a year-old black tail hybrid, was limping. Since then, her condition has gotten worse and worse, and shows no sign of improving. When she stands, the toes on her right foot and curled under her, and her leg sticks out backwards. She can't really walk anywhere without falling over, so she just sits down. She's still eating and drinking, though she has diarrhoea. If we pick her up, she'll just about try to perch on our finger with the toes. Help please!

I would immediately start giving her poultry vitamins including thiamine, riboflavin, E, and a little egg for selenium. Or you can use Poultry Cell 3 ml daily by mouth. Do not use nutridrench since it does not have the riboflavin. Curled toe paralysis can be a sign of riboflavin deficiency, but she may have something else going on, such as Mareks or another disease or condition with neurological symptoms. Make sure that she is drinking plenty of fluids, and it might help to place food and water right in front of her, and possibly make her a chicken sling to sit in to reach it.