Hurt leg....

[Flychick4721]

I have three pulleys and one of them is lame on her right leg. By all accounts it looks fine to me but she's definately favoring it. Her feet look good and there are no obvious signs of trauma or disease. She seems to be eating and drinking normal. She went into her hen house but struggled to jump up onto a roost and the nest box. These are my first chickens and I'm beside myself with worry. I've read older threads and am hoping it's just a sprain or strain.
Any suggestions on what I can do for her.

 

[Eggcessive]

How old is she? Is she holding a leg up when she walks? Roosts don't need to be very high, and many chickens can suffer sprains from jumping. Check her foot pads for any dark sores of bumblefoot. Look for swelling around her leg joints. Sprains will sometimes heal in a few weeks with limited activity, by caging them with food and water within site of the flock. Look out for paralysis or curled under toes. Poultry vitamins in her water containing riboflavin (vitamin B 2) can treat a deficiency. Was she vaccinated for Mareks disease? That is a virus that can cause paralysis of one or both legs, wings, or the neck, among other symptoms. Pictures of her standing could help.

 

[Flychick4721]

First and foremost thank you for replying!
She was born April 10th. Her toes indeed curl under. I took her to work today and xrayed her. Her growth plates look good and there are no obvious fractures. No swelling of any joints and we have ruled out bumble foot. She is the most active of the three and weighs 1.6 pounds. I am leaning towards a really bad sprain but since reading your advise the vitamin deficiency has me wondering, although she is given plenty of fresh fruits and veggies. She was vaccinated for coccidiosis if that helps. I am not familiar with the other disease you were talking about. I have her isolated from the other two. I brought her inside. Should I bring her out during the day to see the other two? She is eating and drinking great!!!
I have started her on meloxicam. 0.24 ml orally once a day for three days. It makes me so sad to see her like this.

 

[Eggcessive]

Start some riboflavin which most poultry vitamins contain. Riboflavin deficiency causes curled under toes and sitting on hocks. Improvement should be seen fairly soon. Beef liver, plain yogurt, muchrooms, spinach, and ground almonds contain riboflavin. Keep us posted on how she does. Go to the top of this page to the search box and look for The Great Big Giant Mareks Faq article.

 

[Flychick4721]

Thank you, I will start her on it right away!!! It's her right leg. Her left leg is good.