Hen limping, now dragging leg -- help! 3 weeks now

[MayFlyChickens]

Hi everyone! I'm new here and hoping to get some advice.

I have a silver laced wyandotte who is less than a year old (not laying yet), who seems to have injured her leg.

A few weeks ago when free ranging in the backyard I noticed her limping. I inspected her leg and foot, for bumble foot, scaly leg mites, a break or even a tendon slip. I've done a bunch of research but haven't quite found a cause.

I put her in a cage for a day or two then took her out. I'm having a decision problem. Anyhow, she is still doing well, hopping on the one leg, she was roosting fine, but I finally decided to put her in a cage at night (in the coop, towels on the dog carrier cage she is in, since it's getting cold here now) and let her out in the day. I just didn't feel she could balance well on one foot on the roost. (We have about a 5 foot tall roost with a ladder type thing for them all to get up there, so I don't think that was the cause of injury.)

I've been told splinting her leg is a good idea to try, however I don't know where her leg would be broken or sprained at. She just started dragging it behind her, and it's a little warm to the touch now. So I'm worried she could be getting an infection.


So in summation, I can't find a break, she doesn't complain (and hasn't in the couple weeks) when I manipulate it to compare it to the other leg. She is even jumping up high onto a large trash can and sitting on top of it when in the run. So should I put her in the cage 24/7 for a while with food and water and just give her rest time?

I'm worried she is in pain, I'm making it worse by not making the right decision but going to a vet is just cost prohibitive. I am not opposed to doing vitamins and antibiotics if maybe she is getting an infection.

Please help a desperate newbie here! Thanks!


(She is 1 of 11 chickens and they don't seem to be picking on her)

 

[Eggcessive]

Was she holding her leg up or putting weight on it? It doesn’t sound very good that she is now dragging it. That sometimes can be a sign of Mareks disease or nerve involvement. Was she vaccinated for Mareks? Do her toes curl under on either foot? If an xray could be done, it would rule out a fracture. Splinting would be good for a fracture, but at this point I can’t see a reason for it. Splints can also be too tight causing more swelling and damage if the circulation is interrupted. I would force her to rest the leg—no jumping or roosting. If you could get a short video of her walking to upload to YouTube with a link here, that would be helpful.

 

[MayFlyChickens]

Thanks for responding. I appreciate your help.

She was putting weight on it and has progressively tried less and less to put weight on it. You could tell she was having a painful time trying so she would pull it up a little bit. That didn't stop her from flying across the yard when the other birds take off

Not vaccinated for Mareks, and we got her from a local feed store.

She has been in the little kennel for about 36 hours now full time. I just checked on her and she is eager to try and escape while I'm checking her food.

It's very rainy here right now, but when it lets in the next day or so I will try to get a video. Her bedding will need to be changed by then anyway.

Was she holding her leg up or putting weight on it? It doesn’t sound very good that she is now dragging it. That sometimes can be a sign of Mareks disease or nerve involvement. Was she vaccinated for Mareks? Do her toes curl under on either foot? If an xray could be done, it would rule out a fracture. Splinting would be good for a fracture, but at this point I can’t see a reason for it. Splints can also be too tight causing more swelling and damage if the circulation is interrupted. I would force her to rest the leg—no jumping or roosting. If you could get a short video of her walking to upload to YouTube with a link here, that would be helpful.

 

[ackie]

I would say keep her in the crate so she rests it. If she doesnt have any external injuries, I don't think there's much else you can do, as it does sound phyiscal not disease-based. I think her spirits being up is a good sign. One of my hens had an unexplained leg injury and she had a limp and roosted low the rest of her life, but it didnt seem to upset her any. If your hen wont rest in the crate, you can cover it and make her think its nighttime (as long as you give her time for food and water too).

 

[MayFlyChickens]

She is on day three of resting and is still pretty perky. It's sunny today so I will clean out her cage and let her stretch a little while I do, then put her back in. I hope she's getting better!

I would say keep her in the crate so she rests it. If she doesnt have any external injuries, I don't think there's much else you can do, as it does sound phyiscal not disease-based. I think her spirits being up is a good sign. One of my hens had an unexplained leg injury and she had a limp and roosted low the rest of her life, but it didnt seem to upset her any. If your hen wont rest in the crate, you can cover it and make her think its nighttime (as long as you give her time for food and water too).

 

[Eggcessive]

Please keep us updated on how she is getting along. Some like to use some vitamin B complex (not B12, but all B vitamins) 1/2 tablet daily crushed into some food or a little water, which can be helpful in leg and foot problems.

 

[MayFlyChickens]

Hey, so we let her out of the cage this afternoon late (to clean the cage, refill water etc.)

I got a good video of her walking around (ignore the angles changing and stuff, I hope this is good enough!) and a little up close video of what her feet look like.

She was acting even better when she was out of the cage this time. She wasn't dragging it around like she was a few days ago, she was attempting to use it and picking it up.. like I said, instead of just straight dragging it.

Here's her hopping around. (Sorry didn't know how to trim it down)

There here is me holding her and examining her foot a little.

Thanks! Let me know what you think.

 

[MayFlyChickens]

Hey all

So its been about two weeks and there is really no change. I can't keep her in the kennel anymore so I just reintroduced her at night. She is still roosting.. as of now. (She must be pretty tired.. maybe atrophied muscles from being in the kennel I don't know)

If the other hens don't injure her further.. I really don't know what to do. She seems totally fine otherwise. She just can't use one leg.

Help I'm at my wits end.

 

[ackie]

If shes still in good spirits and eating and drinking fine and the other birds dont pick on her, I would say just go with it. I had a hen that limped. No idea why. She'd 'run' happily to fresh food and water.

Did you let her choose a roost or did you put her somewhere? My only concern is that she wouldnt want to jump down if you put her too high and/or injure her other foot by jumping down. I'd give her a shorter roost/options so she can pick what works best for her. My limpy hen roosted on the floor so I gave her a milk crate.

Is she usually somewhere safe? I'd say the biggest issue moving forward is her lessened ability to escape predators. Otherwise... it's like happy dogs with three legs. She seems to be using her wings to compensate. Shes got this!

 

[Maiahr]

Does she have respiratory problems? I also read lack of calcium could cause a hen to limp.