Hen is Limping with No Visible wounds

[Thegrumpyhen]

My two year old black star hen has been limping for a month now. There were no visible wounds so we thought she would recover on her own. Her scales are smooth and she doesn’t have bumblefoot. When I bend her leg, her toes will curl up half the time, but other times they will stay loose and floppy. She has also been spending a lot of her time in a nestbox, although she appears to have a good appetite. Does anyone know what might be the problem?

 

[azygous]

Let's see if we can narrow this down some. If you are comfortable handling her, I'd like for you to do some tests.

When she has calmed down and is relaxed move to a spot where there's a flat surface at comfortable waist to eye level (table). Stand her up on it and watch to see if one or both legs offer strong resistance or if one or both buckle, which would indicate weakness.

Next, lay her on your lap and dangle her legs off to the side. Gently tap them so they move up and down, back and forth. Is there resistance or do one or both dangle lifelessly?

Next, tempt her with a treat to get her to walk. Observe her gait. Is it even? Which leg appears to be weak? Is her balance good or does she appear to be off balance and unsure of her footing?

Next, stand her up and see if her toes will curl around your finger. when you push against the bottom of her foot. Is one foot weaker than the other? Does it match up with the weak leg? Or would you say both feet curl tightly equally?

Last, while laying on your lap, gently manipulate the legs and feet in different directions but don't force them into unnatural positions. Does she flinch or resist or cry out when the leg is in a certain position. If you hear a cry when the leg is in a certain position, do not force it beyond that. This could indicate an injury.

Report your results and we'll try to interpret them and try come to some conclusions and a possible treatment.

 

[Thegrumpyhen]

Let's see if we can narrow this down some. If you are comfortable handling her, I'd like for you to do some tests.

When she has calmed down and is relaxed move to a spot where there's a flat surface at comfortable waist to eye level (table). Stand her up on it and watch to see if one or both legs offer strong resistance or if one or both buckle, which would indicate weakness.

Next, lay her on your lap and dangle her legs off to the side. Gently tap them so they move up and down, back and forth. Is there resistance or do one or both dangle lifelessly?

Next, tempt her with a treat to get her to walk. Observe her gait. Is it even? Which leg appears to be weak? Is her balance good or does she appear to be off balance and unsure of her footing?

Next, stand her up and see if her toes will curl around your finger. when you push against the bottom of her foot. Is one foot weaker than the other? Does it match up with the weak leg? Or would you say both feet curl tightly equally?

Last, while laying on your lap, gently manipulate the legs and feet in different directions but don't force them into unnatural positions. Does she flinch or resist or cry out when the leg is in a certain position. If you hear a cry when the leg is in a certain position, do not force it beyond that. This could indicate an injury.

Report your results and we'll try to interpret them and try come to some conclusions and a possible treatment.

When she stands, she only puts her weight on her left leg. Her left leg resists when I push up on it, and her right foot won’t close around my finger. Her balance seems off and she sort of hoops with one foot then balances with the other. She doesn’t appear to have pain when I move her foot around.

 

[theoldchick]

Can you show us a video?

 

[azygous]

Are her head and neck movements normal? If so, this could be a vitamin B-2 deficiency. It's easy enough to treat. Get some B-complex where they sell vitamin supplements. Get B-100 or B-50 as they have higher concentrations of B-2, 6 and 12, all critical for leg strength and healthy nerve connections. One tablet directly in the beak once a day. You should be patient as it can take two to four weeks to see improvement.

I agree with @theoldchick a video would be most helpful.

 

[Thegrumpyhen]

Can you show us a video?

I’m not sure how to post a video

edit: I figured it out

 

[Thegrumpyhen]

Are her head and neck movements normal? If so, this could be a vitamin B-2 deficiency. It's easy enough to treat. Get some B-complex where they sell vitamin supplements. Get B-100 or B-50 as they have higher concentrations of B-2, 6 and 12, all critical for leg strength and healthy nerve connections. One tablet directly in the beak once a day. You should be patient as it can take two to four weeks to see improvement.

I agree with @theoldchick a video would be most helpful.

Her head and neck movements are normal. She seems alert, but still limping and hiding

 

[Thegrumpyhen]

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1ZEoIy1iJRlUUgvUaCIWxmdshPFusIeuK/view?usp=drivesdk I think this will work, this is the video

 

[theoldchick]

https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/how-to-post-video.1214490/

 

[Thegrumpyhen]

https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/how-to-post-video.1214490/

I posted a link to a video above