Dislocated 'knee' joint

[slrose24]

i have a chicken (Sage) who has had a limp since we got her. (5 weeks ago) last week she would hold up her leg and not place it down. on inspection the joint of her 'knee' was swollen. i researched causes...ruled out disease and slipped tendon.
we figured it was a dislocated knee so we gently reset the knee and splinted her leg. there was not much movement in her foot before this, but now she does not move the foot at all and walks with the foot back under her leg, when she even puts it down.
the splint was on (loosely) for 2 days. we took it off today and the knee still does not feel right, the joint does not move correctly forward and back and the will jiggle to the left or right if prompted.
we've left the splint off for the night and are watching how she does (she gets into and out of the coop on her own) my biggest worry is that we have to reset and resplint the knee.
she is on a daily routine of b12, baby aspirin, black strap, apple cider vinegar, molasses, and scrambled eggs
she is eating, hopping after the other chickens and genuinely doing well aside from difficulty walking, but i was hoping someone my know a bit about poultry healing to help her

 

[TwoCrows]

Hello there and welcome to BYC!

Have you thought about taking her to a vet? They might be able to reset her leg.

As for as you putting a splint on her leg, you would need to leave it on for at least a month or more. Tissue does not stitch up that fast. Keep her immobile in a cage with food and water close so she doesn't move around much for many weeks.

Check out this article on Legs, Toes and Feet in poultry....https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/leg-foot-and-toe-issues-in-poultry-of-all-ages

Good luck and I hope you can get her healed up soon!

 

[Eggcessive]

How old is she? It sounds like she may have curled toe paralysis if her toes are curled under. Since she had been holding the leg up before, she may have injured the nerve. Riboflavin (vitamin B2 deficiency) and Mareks disease can also cause curled toe paralysis. Leg bone deformities are very common in chickens and with age, they can cause the hock tendon to rupture. I would start some poultry vitamins containing riboflavin. Here are some links to read so that you might be able to tell which of these conditions she may have:
http://www.thepoultrysite.com/publications/6/diseases-of-poultry/217/vitamin-b2-deficiency/
http://www.researchgate.net/publica..._of_the_intertarsal_joint_in_broiler_chickens
http://www.thepoultrysite.com/articles/1051/leg-health-in-large-broilers/
https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/the-great-big-giant-mareks-disease-faq

 

[slrose24]

thank you very very much.

she is about 18 weeks. not merecks i checked for other signs and other then the foot is very healthy. i

i have been giving her b12...is b2 different?

 

[Eggcessive]

Yes B12 and B2 are different. B2 is riboflavin, and is found in most poultry multivitamins and in nutritional yeast. I also wanted to mention that black strap or molasses can cause diarrhea and dehydration since they have a laxative effect on chickens. Mareks can affect one or both legs, wings, or neck.

 

[slrose24]

thank you for the info on the black strap....stopped that. checked agway for b2 riboflaven today with no luck, im going to need to go to tractor supply

thank you so so much!

 

[Eggcessive]

Most any poultry vitamins such as Rooster Booster Vitamins with Lactobacillus and other brands contain B2. The only one that doesn't is Poultry Nutri-Drench for some odd reason.

 

[slrose24]

ha! it figures...thats all the agway had and when i checked the ingrediants....no b2

ill go to tractor supply,,,im not sure if they even stock it (shoprite didnt) but would a human b2 suppliment from cvs be ok?

 

[Eggcessive]

ha! it figures...thats all the agway had and when i checked the ingrediants....no b2

ill go to tractor supply,,,im not sure if they even stock it (shoprite didnt) but would a human b2 suppliment from cvs be ok?

Oh yes any B2 or riboflavin supplement would do. In the last paragraph, it gives dosage (1mg equals 1000mcg.) Most B2 supplements start at 100mg, and plain BComplex has about 15mg, so it doesn't take much. Many foods also contain it.

RIBOFLAVIN DEFICIENCY

Many tissues may be affected by riboflavin deficiency, although the epithelium and the myelin sheaths of some of the main nerves are major targets. Changes in the sciatic nerves produce “curled-toe” paralysis in growing chickens. Egg production is affected, and riboflavin-deficient eggs do not hatch. When the diet is inadvertently devoid of the entire spectrum of vitamins, it is signs of riboflavin deficiency that first appear. When chicks are fed a diet deficient in riboflavin, their appetite is fairly good but they grow slowly, become weak and emaciated, and develop diarrhea between the first and second weeks. Deficient chicks are reluctant to move unless forced and then frequently walk on their hocks with the aid of their wings. The leg muscles are atrophied and flabby, and the skin is dry and harsh. In advanced stages of deficiency, the chicks lie prostrate with their legs extended, sometimes in opposite directions. The characteristic sign of riboflavin deficiency is a marked enlargement of the sciatic and brachial nerve sheaths; sciatic nerves usually show the most pronounced effects. Histologic examination of the affected nerves shows degenerative changes in the myelin sheaths that, when severe, pinch the nerve. This produces a permanent stimulus, which causes the curled-toe paralysis.
Signs of riboflavin deficiency in hens are decreased egg production, increased embryonic mortality, and an increase in size and fat content of the liver. Hatchability declines within 2 wk when hens are fed a riboflavin-deficient diet but returns to near normal when riboflavin is restored. Affected embryos are dwarfed and show characteristically defective “clubbed” down. The nervous system of these embryos shows degenerative changes much like those described in riboflavin-deficient chicks. Clubbed down is periodically seen in cases of poor hatchability, when the “reject” chicks or dead embryos show this condition, even though the breeder diet is apparently adequate in riboflavin. Anecdotal evidence suggests greater occurrence of this clubbed-down condition in farms that select “floor-eggs” for incubation.
Signs of riboflavin deficiency first appear at 10 days of incubation, when embryos become hypoglycemic and accumulate intermediates of fatty acid oxidation. Although flavin-dependent enzymes are depressed with riboflavin deficiency, the main effect seems to be impaired fatty acid oxidation, which is a critical function in the developing embryo. An autosomal recessive trait blocks the formation of the riboflavin-binding protein needed for transport of riboflavin to the egg. Although the adults appear normal, their eggs fail to hatch regardless of dietary riboflavin content. As eggs become deficient in riboflavin, the egg albumen loses its characteristic yellow color. In fact, albumen color score has been used to assess riboflavin status of birds.
Chicks receiving diets only partially deficient in riboflavin may recover spontaneously, indicating that the requirement rapidly decreases with age. A 100-mcg dose should be sufficient for treatment of riboflavin-deficient chicks, followed by incorporation of an adequate level in the diet. However, when the curled-toe deformity is longstanding, irreparable damage occurs in the sciatic nerve, and the administration of riboflavin is no longer curative.
Most diets contain up to 10 mg of riboflavin/kg. Treatment can be given as two sequential daily 100-mcg doses for chicks or poults, followed by an adequate amount of riboflavin in feed.

 

[slrose24]

perfect....i take b complex myself, so i will share....now i was using the black strap to help the powdered medicine stick to a peice of honeydew....i thought the iron in it would be god for her too. does honey or pure maple syrup have the same effect on birds or would that be a good swapout for the molassase?