Displayed leg??

[Mountain Peeps]

Hello all!

I just went out to find one of my favorite hens sprawled out on the coop floor. Her legs were stretched out directly behind her. She couldn't stand when I first picked her up. When I brought her inside I propped her up on her feet. It's almost like her legs are props that are holding her body. She can't move them but they support her enough so she can stand. Her comb is kind of purple and a bit droopy. She has made a few sounds. Now as I look over at her, she is trying to move a bit so she is getting better already.

But what could this be? How should I help her? Should I keep her standing up to keep the blood flowing or lay her down in a position as she would be in a nest box?

Thanks for any help!

 

[poult]

Well here this is what I do in emergencies:
1. Seperated her immediately if she is sick not injured you don't want it spreading & she could get further injuries from being picked on.
2.Keep her in a warm(preferably with a small lamp) & draft free place.
3. Make sure she has water & food beside her constantly make it very easy to get to.
4.Watch her carefully breathing,movement,physical appearance,etc.
6.Lets see what happens.

 

[MacCana]

And also be sure to wash up in between handling her and the others!!!

You've already gotten the best advice possible so far.

Can you post any pictures???

Oh and I would also immediately go out and bleach the feeders and waterers she has had access to.

 

[seminolewind]

I wonder if she had access to something toxic or harboring botulism. Or maybe needs a multivitamin with B vitamins being important.

 

[Mountain Peeps]

Well I mean of her legs. If we could see what her posture is like, someone may have had similar experience with their chicken(s) and be able to chime in

Ok. Will do

 

[MrsBrooke]

How do her pupils look? Nice and round and black? Or are they irregular shaped?

Marek's can cause weird leg things and paralysis. Do you have any idea if she was vaccinated?

Other than that, if it's sudden, there must be a cause. Check her over VERY thoroughly for any bites (spider, snake, rat) or injuries/wounds. Feel her abdomen for anything odd - lumps, masses, fluid-filled.

Purple combs can be circulatory-related.

Have you wormed your flock lately??

MrsB

 

[MrsBrooke]

Her eyes are bright and her pupils are normal. She has not been vaccinated. I just checked her all over. No bite marks and other wounds. She is molting too. And no, no worming has been done. But they also don't free range and live on concrete so they don't have a high chance of getting worms.

I might worm them once a year out of an abundance of caution, even on concrete. If they snap up flying insects, it's possible they could become infected. Valbazen gets pretty much every worm known to chickens... Safeguard is good, too. Just an encouragement.

If you gently manipulate her leg at the ankle, hock and hip joint, does she show any signs of discomfort or agitation?

You could always make a chicken sling to see if she can get her feet under her. Search at the top of the forum for 323,450,578 threads on chicken slings.

MrsB

 

[mymilliefleur]

Glad we may be getting to the cause. Perhaps it's an injury. Sometimes, jumping off things can twist ankles, hocks and hips.

If she feels like standing, it may not be TOO bad of an injury. That's the beauty of the chicken sling. You can keep her in the upright position without weight on her foot allowing it to heal.

You can sprinkle turmeric over her food for nature's best anti-inflammatory. Don't worry about dosage, you can't give her too much. If you offer boiled eggs mixed with a little turmeric, she should gobble that up. Just know that if you take away the inflammation, and her ankle starts to feel better, she may walk around on it and aggravate it further... Keep her in the sling for a few days to let her repair.

Keep us updated!

MrsB

I second the tumeric. It will certainly help her. I had a young rooster once that I found with his leg twisted behind him. I never could figure out how it happened as there was nothing he could have gotten caught in.

 

[TwoCrows]

Feel each leg up to the hip joint. Is there any heat in the joints anywhere up the leg? Move them all around while holding her and see if she flinches when you move everything.

I don't like the purple comb thing. This can be heart related. Put your ear over her back where the neck meets the back and see if you hear anything. The lungs are beneath this area and the heart is right beneath the lungs. Also, listen at her beak. Any noises in her breathing?

Then feel between her legs on the outside, a bit back toward the abdomen and then forward toward the breast. Use a healthy bird for comparison, but there shouldn't be any swelling. The liver is down there and if it is enlarged, it can take up space in the breathing cavity for the heart and lungs to expand, hence causing circulation problems and the purple comb.

I would also check her for egg binding. If there is a stuck egg, it could be pinching a nerve or something. You mentioned the watery white droppings. A stuck egg will stop her from pooping much. Put on a disposable latex glove if you have one, lube up the index finger with KY-jelly or Vaseline and gently put your finger into her vent straight back. Not down but straight back. If she has a stuck egg, you should feel it within the first inch of so. If you go back 2 inches and feel an egg way back, it is in the uterus and not considered stuck. If you feel nothing, you are most likely feeling into her intestines.

 

[JJSS89]

This really doesn't sound like a leg injury to me unless I am picturing the situation wrong.

It sounds like she might be exhibiting similar symptoms to what happened to a Royal Palm Hen of mine. Her legs were just dead and she had no injury. I had to use her legs as props in the same way.

I have had a pullet do the same thing and in both cases their faces darkened to a purple color too. They never died from whatever it was but I eventually culled because after weeks and weeks, their legs stiffened up to where they couldn't even sit upright.

Sorry if that is upsetting. I only bring it up because I seriously think there is something to this. An unrecognized ailment.