Help! Our roo is limping badly!

[PoultryPedia]

Do you think he might have a slipped Achilles tendon in the hock on that leg? There is info on that on the Poultry Podiatry page linked in my sig below, if it's helpful.

 

[One Chick Two]

Thanks SO much for weighing in and directing us to your website, SpeckledHills. There's lots of terrific valuable information there.

I did my best to follow the directions and try to feel for a slipped tendon (his right leg in photo), but truly, I can't feel an obvious tendon "twanging" or oddities to my touch (that I can tell). No swelling, or extra heat- both hocks feel virtually the same to me, not seeming overly flat that I can tell.

He was standing straight and nearly fully supported by his weight in this photo yesterday, but he often stands with his right foot standing a bit on the left foot at times. When he stands like this, it almost seems like he may be supporting the left side toe (on the right leg) but I might be way off here, and will check again just in case.

Would it be a bad idea to gently stretch the leg?

 

[PoultryPedia]

To me, it doesn't look like he has a slipped tendon in the photo, & that's great! I wonder if he did just sprain something. If so, stretching it I'm guessing wouldn't be good. Just minimizing his running around if you can to help it heal.
I have never seen a bird stand one foot crossing onto the other before! Maybe some tendon hurts more when the left toe is all the way to the ground so he supports it on his left foot for that reason??
Thank you very much for the kind words about the website.

 

[casportpony]

I agree, it doesn't look like slipped tendon to me, either. Was he vaccinated for Marek's

-Kathy

 

[One Chick Two]

Thank you SpeckledHills and casportpony for your thoughts. I'm pretty relieved the problem doesn't seem to be a slipped tendon!

Yes, I believe the whole flock (except for our bantys- who I don't know what their vaccinations are, as were all purchased as adults) have had vaccinations as chicks.

 

[casportpony]

If you're curious and want to see what a peachick with a slipped tendon looks like, check out post #9: @ https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/732284/still-having-problems-with-leg

That chick started limping 3-5 days before the leg started to turn and it got progressively worse, just like their other 10 or 12 did, none survived.

-Kathy

 

[casportpony]

If you're curious and want to see what a peachick with a slipped tendon looks like, check out post #9: @ https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/732284/still-having-problems-with-leg

That chick started limping 3-5 days before the leg started to turn and it got progressively worse, just like their other 10 or 12 did, none survived.

-Kathy

 

[One Chick Two]

Thanks MelissaTXRn for your well wishes! Much appreciated.
Thank you so very much, Kathy. Seeing the chick with the leg injury really put perspective on the possibility of a damaged tendon to rest for me. Don't believe that's the problem here.

However, my husband just informed me that all our first batch of hens had been inoculated (34), but he is part of our second brood (50), and he is not immunized from Marek's. So, Marek's is a possibility. Don't know about the 4 bantys. Red seems to be doing much better as you can see from the video I took two days ago, below. (Sorry about the sideways view.) Haven't noticed any gray eye or strange poop. However, I am sweating bullets... another of our cockerels, brownie (an extremely dark P RIR) also 19 weeks old, now also has a limp on the opposite leg as well.

With 88 birds that do free range, stuff happens, but does anyone have a good source for symptoms? Everything I've seen seems kind of vague.

Here Red is up close so you can see his eyes.