Help! limping/weak legs on my easter egger!

[Clemmy]

For the 7 months I have owned my chickens one of my Easter Eggers has always been limping and sitting down a lot. I did some research to find that she could have botulism; a sporadic disease.
I have a small coop and a small flock of 3 hens. I clean my coop every two to three weeks as well so for it to be a sporadic problem the odds are low.
I am highly concerned about this problem and hope it is not too late.

mention any treatments I could give my hen or comments on the disease or the diagnosis.

Thank you!!

 

[azygous]

Lameness is very difficult to diagnose the cause. I've had chickens go lame over the decade I've been keeping them, and I have one right now. I wasn't able to discover the cause with any certainty.

Causes can be from serious virses such as Marek's or leucosis viruses to picking up contaminated grit where a machine had leaked hydraulic fluid.

My current hen, a seven-year old Wyandotte, favors one leg and limps when she walks. I've been giving her a B-complex tablet every day and it seems to help her a bit. She still lays eggs and is able to get onto the roost at night okay.

You might try both vitamin E and B-complex to see if that helps.

Did you raise this chicken from a chick or get her already grown? Where did you buy her? Private flock owner or a hatchery? How old do you estimate her to be if you got her as an older bird?

 

[Clemmy]

I live in a small town in new england and we got her as a rescue chicken from a fire, as we did for our whole flock.I think she is 2-3 yrs old, and she still lays 3-5 eggs a week. the heat of the summer has brought her down and she pants quite a bit.

Where can I get the vitamins, at TSC?

 

[pammurphy132]

I have a 3 year old chicken that is limping. I found my dog nuzzling her as she always gets in a crouch position to get picked up or socialize. Not sure if the dog was to rough or if she was limping before. I was outside so I would think I would of seen him attack if that was the case. I separated her for a day but put her back to roust at nite. The other chickens are not picking on her so she is in the coop & laying down a lot. She is panting but it is hot in the coop so I put a small fan in there. Anyone know how long this can go on for & am I doing the right thing. She is eating & drinking.

 

[orrpeople]

I live in a small town in new england and we got her as a rescue chicken from a fire, as we did for our whole flock.I think she is 2-3 yrs old, and she still lays 3-5 eggs a week. the heat of the summer has brought her down and she pants quite a bit.

Where can I get the vitamins, at TSC?

I use Poultry Nutridrench for vitamin supplementation - it's fast acting and I've had wonderful success with it for a variety of issues. TSC has it.

 

[orrpeople]

I have a 3 year old chicken that is limping. I found my dog nuzzling her as she always gets in a crouch position to get picked up or socialize. Not sure if the dog was to rough or if she was limping before. I was outside so I would think I would of seen him attack if that was the case. I separated her for a day but put her back to roust at nite. The other chickens are not picking on her so she is in the coop & laying down a lot. She is panting but it is hot in the coop so I put a small fan in there. Anyone know how long this can go on for & am I doing the right thing. She is eating & drinking.

Is she still laying?
If she were mine, I would probably start with hydration - putting an electrolyte like sav-a-chick into her water, then adding some diced berries or watermelon into the water to inspire interest.
How hot is hot? Is there any deep shade for them during the day?
Can you give your birds a flat pan of water in which to wade? I use upside down plastic storage tub lids.
If getting her cooled down and hydrated doesn't perk her up, then you'll have to do some more detective work (poop/vent/reproductive stuff).
Hoping the best for your girl!

 

[azygous]

The vitamins are people supplements found in the vitamin aisle in the store. Nutri-drench is designed to boost quickly a sick chicken. While it's a terrific product, it doesn't contain the B and E vitamins at the therapeutic strength that is required. I USE E 400IU and regular B-complex.

 

[orrpeople]

The vitamins are people supplements found in the vitamin aisle in the store. Nutri-drench is designed to boost quickly a sick chicken. While it's a terrific product, it doesn't contain the B and E vitamins at the therapeutic strength that is required. I USE E 400IU and regular B-complex.

Correction noted.

 

[Clemmy]

thank you so much for your advice on this! will these vitamins help her cope with heat and help her limping?

 

[azygous]

The vitamin E 400iu will help if there is any neurological issues caused by a deficiency in this vitamin. The B-complex will help strengthen the legs. You will need to resort to electrolytes and ice water for the heat issues.