Gotta problem and really need some advice.

[DonnaW]

Five weeks ago a hen (9 mo. old) started limping. Leg is not broken or dislocated but she would not put weight on it. I separated her and put antiobiotics in water for 4 days...no change. Eating and drinking as usual. Saturday (4 days ago) I put 6 drops of Ivamec on her skin...didn't help as far as I can tell. She is gradually getting worse...holds leg straight behind and doesn't seem to have any control over it. Not eating and drinking as well as before. Her poop was loose but is now normal. I just lost a hen (9 mo. old) that had watery poop, and I have a rooster (9 mo. old) that has started limping. All three chickens are from the same clutch. I don't know what to do...need advice NOW.

 

[Michael Apple]

What you described sounds like it isn't bumblefoot. It could be bacterial though. I'd try Gentamicin injected in the bird's breast at 1/2 cc AM and PM for 5 days. If you can't get that, use LA-200 1 cc AM and PM the first day, then 1cc per day for the next 5 days. Injections work the fastest. If you don't see improvement in about 3 days, it could be something neurological or Mareks.

 

[DonnaW]

Thought it might be bacterial...been wet and snowy here with temps between 20* and 60*. Been cleaning out the hen house everyday and spraying everything with a clorox mixture. Mareks concerns me too...all chickens affected were from the same hatching last May. Thanks for the info, I will go looking for the medicine today.

 

[DonnaW]

Lost the 9 mo. old rooster this morning. He was showing signs of gapeworm...holding mouth open with neck extended, not eating much and getting worse every day. I had to know so I did an autopsy on his neck and found a growth (2" long and 1" thick) surrounding the trachea. The growth had blocked the trachea on one end and all the food that he had eaten was stuck above the growth. Don't know why this happened but I do know that its not gapeworm.