Hen not putting weight on leg

[bmaxim13]

Hey everyone!

I have a hen who on June 19th could not maintain balance at all. We were out of town but the person watching her separated her. I watched our camera in the coop and she was absolutely fine on the 18th but then the 19th she was flopping all over and falling down. When we got home I gave her nutridrench and she was able to put pressure on both legs and walked but with a limp. She was limping on her right leg for a while. Then it switched to her left. Over the past couple of days she has gotten much worse. She isnt able to stand at all on her left leg. She is eating and drinking no other symptoms besides her leg issue. I got rooster booster vitamin and electrolytes with lactobacillus and gave that in her water but still nothing. I am at a loss. I figured she injured her leg getting off the roost and would recover but I"m not so sure. I got b12 and have been giving that to her to see if that will do anything but it hasn't. Any suggestions? She is an austrolorp that I got last year as a pullet from someone.

I have tried to attach videos but it will not let me

 

[alinas2010]

Sorry to hear about your hen. Does she seem to have control of the leg(s)? Or feeling? Did you happen to see any defining moment where she could’ve injured herself?

I’d start her on a B complex. Crush it up and sprinkle it over her food. But also, check up and down her legs for injuries; something out of place or swollen. Unfortunately, sometimes diseases such as mareks can cause leg issues, too. Here is some reading about that:

https://poultrydvm.com/condition/mareks-disease

 

[bmaxim13]

Sorry to hear about your hen. Does she seem to have control of the leg(s)? Or feeling? Did you happen to see any defining moment where she could’ve injured herself?

I’d start her on a B complex. Crush it up and sprinkle it over her food. But also, check up and down her legs for injuries; something out of place or swollen. Unfortunately, sometimes diseases such as mareks can cause leg issues, too. Here is some reading about that:

https://poultrydvm.com/condition/mareks-disease

Her right leg she has total control over now. Her left leg she can move it forward but doesn't seem tp be able to spread her toes out of bare weight on it while it is extended. When she moves she will walk on where the leg bends almost. I didnt see any injuries or feel anything different on her leg. I was worried it may be mareks but she isnt lethargic or acting sick besides not being able to walk.

 

[alinas2010]

It may be a mild form of the disease. Really tough to know without testing. It could be a lot of things. Sorry I know that’s not what you wanted to hear. I wish these types of issues were easier to figure out.

Let’s tag the educators with more experience and see if they have any more ideas for you @Wyorp Rock @Eggcessive @azygous @coach723

 

[azygous]

Two things come to my mind that can cause this type of lameness. One is a riboflavin deficiency and the other is lymphoid leucosis, a virus similar to Marek's. The first can be treated with vitamin B complex for about six weeks. The other has no treatment and will kill the chicken.

Another rare cause of lameness is petroleum distillate poisoning from exposure to contaminated soil. It results in lameness where the chicken just sits on her hocks all day. If you have neglected machinery sitting around leaking fluids, this could be the problem.

 

[Eggcessive]

It still could be a leg injury, and internal reproductive infections, lash eggs, and tumors can put pressure on the sciatic nerves in the legs. It can be hard to know what the problem is, sometimes until a testing and necropsy by the state vet lab is done when we lose one.