Easter Egger limping with a darkened comb

[Marie89523]

I'm not sure what's going on and don't really want to butcher her...

She's a 7 months old Easter Egger with a bum leg. A few months ago (maybe 4?) we had a run in a dog (we fixed the fence problem) and she was fine but had a limp for about 4 days. Since then every few weeks she seems to have a bad couple of days with her leg and then is fine.

3 days ago she started limping again, this morning we found an egg in one of her snuggly spots in the yard (not in the nesting box which is up in a loft style coop where she normally lays) and her mobility was noticably worse, she keeps her leg tucked up high and her wing is dragging down. This afternoon it seems her comb is a MUCH darker shade of almost red. She still eats and drinks with the others just a lot slower to get from A to B.

Ideas?

 

[PeeperKeeper]

Does the leg/foot look as if it is swollen? I have a hen that injured herself because of her weight and jumping off the roost. She has developed arthritis like symptoms and when she gets really bad I start feeding her Glucosamine chondrotin with MSM. She gets so bad that she won't forage, is abused by the roos and stays away from the feeders. I treat her special and we make sure her eggs don't get sold with the rest when she's being medicated.

She couldn't hatch her own last summer but she took in this orphan and raised it.

 

[CHIC]

Please don't cull this unfortunate baby. Maybe whenever she seems to be having a weak spell, you could seperate her from the others, so she can rest and you can nurse her. Then, when she seems better, put her back out. And if it happens again, do it again- and again and again. Chicken lovers are crazy right? It's what I have heard anyways. Good luck with your baby. I hope you find something you and more importantly SHE can LIVE with. Good luck- keep us posted.

 

[Marie89523]

She's in a box in the kitchen with water and food and I clean the poop out a couples times a day (very healthy poops).

No major swelling, my husband and I are disagreed on whether it looks a little thicker the bad leg.

The dark comb has me a little worried... the darkening goes all along the skin to her beak. It has a fevered redness to it. But there its not hot to the touch compared to other parts of her body.

Any ideas on comb color changes?

 

[sammi]

If you aren't already...I'd try giving her aspirin..plain aspirin..1 (81mg) tablet crushed into 1 quart of water.
give her some by drops on beak.
will help with discomfort, fever, and inflammation, and thin blood in case of any clot formation.

describe her droppings..color and consistency.

if she has inflammation, it can cause a feverish like condition..
but I'd keep a close eye in case she has an underlying infection..
did you ever give her penicillin?

she's a gorgeous girl.

could be she has a displacement issue..sometimes ok, sometimes moves the wrong way..
or an arthritic condition.
hard to know for sure without x-ray..