Hen limping

[MommyMagpie]

One of our older RSL hens, Drumstick, is limping! DD and I examined her foot and leg, and there is no evidence of injury. The leg is not noticeably hotter or colder than her 'good' leg, and her foot pads are not discolored or swollen. We also felt the feathered part of her leg and she didn't act like it bothered her; I moved all the joints around like a physical therapist would do and she didn't peck at me or give me the stink eye. What should we do? She seems to be eating and drinking OK, and her poop looks pretty well within normal limits. She also doesn't appear or feel to be losing weight. She is less active but I'm not sure whether that is because she hurt her leg, or whether the leg is a symptom of something else that would also make her move around less.

She is our egg-eater; she hasn't laid a 'good' egg in about 2 months and the ones she has laid, she eats almost before they hit the bottom of the nest box.

Any advice is much appreciated; I can post pics of how she stands if someone thinks that would help. We have no vet here who treats poultry, so if a more expert person thinks she needs treatment I will have to get whatever is needed from the farm store and treat her myself.

 

[MommyMagpie]

I have to go to a meeting, but I will try to post some pictures when I return. I was just out in the yard to put the poop board back in the coop and her tail is REALLY drooped downwards, also it seems like her wings are droopy too.

 

[Miss Lydia]

Quote:
Have you ever wormed your chickens or seen any mites ot lice on them? could she have jumped down from the roost and hurt herself? for pain you can give her a baby aspirin. the reason i mention pain relief is because if she is in pain it could be causing the other symptoms you are seeing. does her vent look normal, feel her belly and see if it is swollen. you might try soaking her in some warm water with epsom salt dissolved [don't let her drink it] and see if that helps with her leg.

 

[MommyMagpie]

Her vent looks normal, and she doesn't feel swollen. She's way fatter than her 'sister' Crockpot, but she's always been more rounded in appearance.

Rather than photos, I took a video and uploaded it to youtube; I figure a photo wouldn't show how exactly she is limping. She does look much better now except for the limp. I have to admit I was afraid we'd come home from our meeting and have to have a hen funeral.

I did get some poly-vi-sol at the store on the way home but I see I got the wrong kind, I got the added iron kind. I will have DS10 give her a bath in the morning (they have put themselves to bed and it requires serious yoga contortions to get in the coop when the hens are in residence) and see what's up then.

 

[Miss Lydia]

Quote:
you know if you gave her a few days of R&R where she isn't so active she might get okay. as long as she is running around alot it will take longer to heal if its a pulled muscle or a sprain. she looks good on outward appearance. Egg eating is near to impossible to break but you might try giving her more protein and see if that helps do they get oyster shell for extra calcium?

 

[MommyMagpie]

Yes, they get oyster shell mixed in their layer feed, I generally add a few spoonfuls on Mondays when I feed them. I will have DS10 set up the recuperation ward in the morning and after she has a nice bath she can go in there (dog crate with a tarp over).
What could I give her for protein? Yogurt, scrambled egg, meat scraps, stuff like that?

Thanks for the advice!

 

[MommyMagpie]

Well she had a nice bath and a blow-dry, and she's now in the sickroom. When we first put her in there she griped and hollered like we were the meanest people on earth. The other 3 girls gathered around and clucked and murmured as if in sympathy, it was really kind of funny to see. She is eating and drinking, although still limping. I will feed her some extra protein-y treats and we'll keep her in there for a few days and see if there's any improvement.

 

[Miss Lydia]

Quote:
Thats about all you can do other than the vet. Hopefully with a few days of rest it will heal.. good luck

 

[MommyMagpie]

UPDATE: Drumstick's limp is much improved; she can now stand with the entire foot flat on the ground, but still favors it when walking. We're going to leave her in the sickroom for now since she doesn't seem to be too distressed by it. She got yogurt and steak scraps yesterday and ate all of that, also still eating her layer feed and drinking. Poop is completely normal, so I'm thinking it was a strain/sprain of some sort. Not one single egg though.

It is interesting how the dynamic of pecking order has changed over the past few days - the younger girls now get first go at the feed box and waterer, and Crockpot is much less likely to bok at them if they come over where she is. Crockpot has also had to find a new place to dust-bathe because Oregano and Barbecue took over the good spot under the coop. heheh.

 

[MommyMagpie]

Final UPDATE: Drumstick is no longer limping, so I've decided that as soon as the other girls have laid their eggs for the day she can free range with the others. We'll put her back in her crate for the night shortly before dusk so there will be no possibility of her eating an egg. If she starts limping again we'll just lock her up again. She'll be going to freezer camp in about 3 weeks.

thanks to everyone who offered advice and encouragement.