Help, Limping Chicken

[Bubs]

Sadly I don't think that's the problem. There has been no improvement, she is figuring out how to get around using her wings, she can't get far, but she can at least get to her food and water. I really have no idea what happened, she has no movement in her entire leg, it just flops around. We've been moving her around outside so that she can get fresh air and do some pecking. Thanks for the thoughts.

 

[PoultryPedia]

That is very kind of you to look out for her emotional happiness, too!

 

[Bubs]

Sad to say that Lucy is free ranging in chicken heaven today. Thanks for all of your ideas, and suggestions. It's great to have such a dedicated network of chicken lovers.

 

[chicknmania]

Sorry for your loss.

It is hard to lose them, especially when you're helpless to know what to do. We just lost our nice rooster. It was only after he died that we finally figured out why.( he had aspergillosis) We are still so very sad. He was six years old, too. Lameness in chickens can be for a lot of reasons, and lots of times, it points to an underlying illness that has no other real noticeable symptoms.

 

[PoultryPedia]

Very sorry to hear you lost Lucy. It is good you have a belief that she's in a good place, though.

Chicknmania--Also very sorry you lost a good rooster. I did not know Aspergillosis could cause lameness. Do you have another thread where you've written about his condition? I'd like to add some info to the Fungal Infections page on PoultryPedia.com if you have some on how they can cause lameness problems. Thanks.

 

[ChickensAreSweet]

I am sorry for your loss.

 

[chicknmania]

Very sorry to hear you lost Lucy. It is good you have a belief that she's in a good place, though.

Chicknmania--Also very sorry you lost a good rooster. I did not know Aspergillosis could cause lameness. Do you have another thread where you've written about his condition? I'd like to add some info to the Fungal Infections page on PoultryPedia.com if you have some on how they can cause lameness problems. Thanks.

I'll see if I can post the link here. I called it "very sick rooster". He wasn't lame, sorry, I just meant it hurt that we lost him. But all the symptoms, and his circumstances, pointed to aspergillosis. Dang, I can't post the link, but we did a lot of research on it, and I copied some info from the article, if you'd like to have it I can post it here. He was on antibiotics for a long time, for an injury, and from what we learned, this makes them very susceptible to getting sick from aspgillus. spores, and the symptoms he had matched everything i read. I kept asking the vet if being on the antibiotics that long would hurt him, and (of course) the vet said no. Anyway, it's very sick rooster, please help, and I posted the last entry around January 17th this year. I'll see if I can post the info I developed on it as wel.

 

[Harry Rooster]

I'll see if I can post the link here. I called it "very sick rooster". He wasn't lame, sorry, I just meant it hurt that we lost him. But all the symptoms, and his circumstances, pointed to aspergillosis. Dang, I can't post the link, but we did a lot of research on it, and I copied some info from the article, if you'd like to have it I can post it here. He was on antibiotics for a long time, for an injury, and from what we learned, this makes them very susceptible to getting sick from aspgillus. spores, and the symptoms he had matched everything i read. I kept asking the vet if being on the antibiotics that long would hurt him, and (of course) the vet said no. Anyway, it's very sick rooster, please help, and I posted the last entry around January 17th this year. I'll see if I can post the info I developed on it as wel.

Very sorry about your rooster, and Bubs loss of Lucy also. I know it is heartbreaking. They are all sweet pets to us, which is why I'm now concerned about my cockrel Little Baby, who I am treating with Tetracycline for about a wk now. He is getting better, but now has aquired a sore on the side of his face that I have been treating with neosporin. Now I'm concerned about this Aspergillosis. Haven't had a chance to look it up and read about it yet, since all my time is spent tending sick chickens and getting on here to find out what I can do for them (since there is not a vet around here that knows anything about chickens) You say that antibiotic treatment for long peroids can make them seceptable to this stuff. Can you just tell me what it is, and how long did your rooster stay on the antibiotic, and what was the doseage you were giving him? Do you think this sore on my Little Baby could be caused by this?

 

[chicknmania]

From what I was told, aspergillosis is actually rare in poultry. Because they develop an immunity to it, you see. Joe Black was on antibiotics (LS50, Ericin, Ciproflaxin and Cephalexin at different periods throughout his treatment ) for ten to twelve weeks. It was a disgusting long time! But he had a severe injury to his foot which was very slow to heal, and because of the location, the vet was afraid to take him off the antibiotics for fear of re-infection, even though the foot was bandaged. We had been treating him ourselves for two or three weeks with the Cipro, and later Cephalexin, before we took him to the vet. In addition to the internal antibiotics we were also using antibiotic gel externally, so you can see he was really saturated with the stuff. Without knowing the symptoms your cockerel has, it would be hard to say how he got the sore on his face. I assume he is quarantined, but if not, someone might have pecked him, or he could have caught it on something. Or it could be a result of what he has. But I, from my limited experience, would say that you're probably safe in treating him with antibiotics for a couple of more weeks, anyway. Joe also had a lot of stress, (which is a contributor) from being confined so long, losing his pecking order status, losing his hens and being lonely, and also from the intense winter weather we have had here, followed by warmer wet weather, then bitter cold, so all those things were contributors, too. We've treated a lot of birds with antibiotics before, and never experienced aspergillosis in any, that I know of. If you continue to have the problem with the sore, it might be a good idea to re-post your issue (separately) so someone else can see it that might have some input. There is a poultry expert online who has been immensely helpful to a lot of people, his name's Peter Brown, not a vet but he does give advice and can get meds you might not find in a feed store. www.firststatevetsupply.com. He does charge a small fee, not sure how much, but it might be worth it to you to have him in reserve, in case you need it.

 

[chicknmania]

Here-s the article I found...
>mmune suppression (possibly due to concurrent diseases), stress, malnutrition, vitamin A deficiency (common with all-seed diets), confinement, and prolonged antibiotic use are all possible reasons for the development of opportunistic Aspergillus infections. Additionally, poor housing, hygiene and husbandry practices may predispose pet and aviary birds to develop this disease. Damp bedding and food, long-term food storage, humidity, poor ventilation, and inadequate cage cleaning are all factors that can increase the amount of fungal spores that are inhaled from the environment. Some kinds of bedding such as corn cob and walnut shells may also favor the growth of Aspergillus. Even in healthy individuals, inhalation or ingestion of abnormally large numbers of spores can cause severe disease. Less frequent routes of exposure include through skin lacerations or infections, or through eggshell contamination during incubation. All pet birds can develop disease, but the most commonly affected pet species are the African gray, Amazon and pionus parrots. >What are the Signs of Aspergillosis? >Aspergillosis usually develops gradually within the lungs and air sacs (thin extensions of the avian lungs). Early signs are often subtle, including reduced energy levels, decreased appetite, lethargy, progressive weight loss, or exercise intolerance (easily out of breath). This chronic form usually is a result of long-term stress or illness and often goes on undetected for some time. Respiratory signs, such as increased respiratory rate and effort, open-mouthed breathing and respiratory noises are signs of increasing severity and are not normally detected until late in the development of disease. Respiratory distress can be an emergency in birds and can lead to rapid deterioration or sudden death. If you see these signs, alert your veterinarian as soon as possible