Hen with bad leg

[Arlaliebmann]

So I have a hen that was born August 2 of this year, not sure what breed she is. Went out to the coop a few days ago and she was just sitting on the ground, and when I went to pick her up, she tried to get away, limping very badly. I re-searched some causes on this website and I’m currently giving her vitamin B half tablet each day. She has had that for three days. I have kept her away from the other chickens in a coop by herself with her own food and water.

Today I went out to check on her and she seems very alert, but still not getting any better, and now is tilting to one side and always has her foot, which is her right foot, sticking straight out from underneath her.

I am definitely a newbie to chickens, so not sure what I’m looking for when I examined her. I’m not seeing any wounds and she doesn’t seem like anything hurts when I’m bending it back under her. Her claws do retract when it is pulled under her, so assuming that is a good sign.

I have included a picture of her, laying with her foot sticking out, as well as close-ups of her foot and leg.

If anybody notices anything that could be the issue or let me know what else I can try it would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Razzlefrazzle]

Given her young age, my first thought would be that it's Marek's unfortunately, unless you know she was vaccinated against it... Chickens can sometimes make a recovery after showing symptoms but it doesn't look promising if the lameness is worsening. If it is Marek's, any other chicks she was raised with will also have been exposed to the virus, though not all (and hopefully none) will get sick from it.

Here's a good overview of Marek's disease if you're unfamiliar with it:
https://extension.psu.edu/mareks-disease-in-chickens

 

[Eggcessive]

The closeup of her foot has some debris on it, and possibly some injury. Can you check or clean it up and take another picture? Look for any scabs on the pads. If there are no injuries or bumblefoot, then Mareks could be a possibility. Do you know if she was vaccinated for Mareks?

 

[Arlaliebmann]

So she was definitely not vaccinated against it, because I bought fertilized eggs and put them under my broody hen. There are three other chicks that were raised with her and nobody else is showing symptoms. Hopefully, if it’s Merak’s, nobody else will get sick. So, if I’m correct in my assumption after reading the article, you can’t get rid of the disease once you have it, although not all birds will get sick from it. And there is nothing I can do for the birds I currently have, but only be able to vaccinate new chicks in the future?

I’ll keep an eye on her, she seems in good spirits and is eating and drinking good. Only time will tell.

 

[Razzlefrazzle]

So she was definitely not vaccinated against it, because I bought fertilized eggs and put them under my broody hen. There are three other chicks that were raised with her and nobody else is showing symptoms. Hopefully, if it’s Merak’s, nobody else will get sick. So, if I’m correct in my assumption after reading the article, you can’t get rid of the disease once you have it, although not all birds will get sick from it. And there is nothing I can do for the birds I currently have, but only be able to vaccinate new chicks in the future?

I’ll keep an eye on her, she seems in good spirits and is eating and drinking good. Only time will tell.

Sounds about right.

You could wash off the foot like Eggcessive suggested to make sure there is no wound/infection causing the issue, but given how lame she is I'd expect it to look a lot worse if that was the problem. You can also compare her hock (aka the backwards knee joint) to your healthy birds to see if it looks normal. (It looks a little red in the photo but that's probably from laying on it. If it seems unusually large there might be an infection or injury.)

 

[Wyorp Rock]

What do you feed?

I agree, Marek's is a possibility.

I'd try giving her vitamin support to see if there's any improvement. Give her 1/4-1/2 tablet B-Complex daily.