Hen Limping

[Kale Chips]

Hello! So my 19 wk Speckled Sussex refused to come out of the coop this morning, and when she did she was very tender on her feet. At the food bowl she stood on one foot and just seems sad and uncomfortable. Also, her foot was pretty hot, but the other one was cold. In the past I had a SLW sprain/bruise her foot, and it resolved itself in a few days. I just wanted to make sure that this was not Mareks or any other serious condition. To give some more details, I have a high roost in the coop, probably about 5 feet in the air, and the floor is concrete with pine shavings. Sometimes the shavings move so that concrete is exposed, but I heard that in the summer you shouldn't put too many shavings down so that they don't overheat. I have a picture attached. Since I have had two chickens injure their foot, maybe I should put more shavings down? But even so, they just scratch them aside anyway...hmm. I also have a 2 foot high roost outside, and yesterday I noticed it had fallen down (all the rain probably made the earth squishy and loose). So she also could have fallen/had the roost fall onto her. I took pictures of her eyes because I know you can tell symptoms from them, I just don't really know what I am looking for. Also, I think ALL my chickens have constant green poo. It has been green for a few weeks now, but it is firm and normal other than the color. No other symptoms in my flock. Should I be concerned?

Thank you for your help!


This is both her feet (the one on the right is the problem)

This is what all my chickens are pooping:


These are her eyes:


This is my roost set-up:



The Floor:

 

[Chick-N-Fun]

Can u take a close up photo of the bottoms of her feet? Thinking bumblefoot.....

 

[Kale Chips]

Can u take a close up photo of the bottoms of her feet? Thinking bumblefoot.....

Its been raining a ton lately so her feet are all muddy, but here is a close-up:

 

[Chick-N-Fun]

Its been raining a ton lately so her feet are all muddy, but here is a close-up:

I don’t see a scab but it could be under the dirt on her pad. My advice would be to soak her in a warm Epsom salt bath in the sink or bucket for 15. - 20 minutes, clean her feet really well and then spray some Vetericyn on the area. Repost a photo and go from there.....good luck! While she is soaking, offer her some scrambled egg or yogurt. She will learn to enjoy spa day!

 

[Kale Chips]

Thank you for the advice! I do happen to have some epsom salt, so I'll start with that. I don't have any "Vetericyn" but I guess I'll start with what I do have and post pictures after the bath!

 

[Kale Chips]

Alright, I am back! Chicken bath was a success, and boy did she LOVE the greek yogurt and tomatoes! Yum!

So I found three things. 1) her back toenail is missing and it was red and possible blood/scab. It was not actively bleeding though. 2) her feet have brown scales (?!) not sure if that is just the way she is or not. 3) after looking through the photos there may be something on her middle toe (I only noticed it now...hmmm)

 

[Chick-N-Fun]

The broken nail could be the culprit.....that will heal on its own....is that a sore on her middle toe? If you don’t have Vetericyn, you can always coat the area....toenail and middle toe with PLAIN neosporin. Do not apply any that contamina pain relief....any ingredient that ends in -Cain. It is deadly to chickens!

 

[Kale Chips]

I only have neosporin with pain relief in it Do you think I could use "first aid" essential oils? Or is there anything else?

 

[Chick-N-Fun]

You could definitely try that. But use some coconut oil or other oil to dilute it a bit. Good luck! Keep us posted with her progress! Bear hugs to you and your sweet sweet girl!

 

[Kale Chips]

Alright, I mixed 1 drop of frankincense with 1 teaspoon of fractionated coconut oil and applied generously to the broken nail and the thing on her middle toe. (it almost looked like translucent skin with dirt that wouldn't come off....or something... I will keep an eye on it, the poor thing won't leave the outdoor roost. But, we'll hope for the best!

Thank you for your support! It's always so nice to have someone on the other end!