Hurt leg

[Bejep714]

On Monday I went out to check on our chickens and one was limping. That night she didn't go up on the roost but stayed on the floor which is not normal. We took her inside the next morning and we found that her right leg is completely limp. She didn't make any sounds when we touched and moved it, so we don't know what's wrong. She is lopsided now, so all she really does is sit on the floor or the cage. We are going to call the vet soon since its been 3 days with no improvements and more problems are occuring. We gave her a Epsom salt bath today to see if that would help since she is losing feathers and is messy because of her sitting down. Does anyone know a way to prevent this from happening, because we are not sure what to do because as of right now all she can do is sit, which is causing feather loss. Thank you

 

[Eggcessive]

How old is she? It could be an injury to her leg, or she might be showing signs of Mareks disease virus. Do you see any swelling, redness, or green bruising over the entire leg? Was she vaccinated for Mareks? Has she been eating and drinking? If she has an injury, it could be sprained or broken, which could take weeks to heal. Mareks disease is usually diagnosed with a blood test, or after death with a necropsy by the state vet. I would try making a chicken sling, to get her up and in front of food and water, to make it easier to eat and drink.

 

[Eggcessive]

Here is some info about Mareks:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/the-great-big-giant-mareks-disease-faq.66077/

This is a video of a chicken sling with food and water:

 

[Bejep714]

She is one and a half years old. Her leg looks just like the other one, but limp. It seems like it could be dislocated, but I'm not sure if that's even possible. She is eating and drinking normally, but we usually have to show her the food for her to attack it, but that might just be because it is darker in her area. She has not been vaccinated, but I haven't seen any swelling or bruised. We have a vet appointment tomorrow morning at 7, so if she comes back I'll have to make the sling. Is this usually treatable? I'm worried we might have to put her down. Thank you for sending me the information.

 

[My Bagurks]

I’ve had several chickens start limping and lay about on the floor for a few days in the past at different times and they would eventually bounce back. I would pick them up and look for anything obvious and found nothing except a cut in between ones toes. I hope she is alright. Let us know what the vet says.

 

[Eggcessive]

Do her eyes appear alike with normal colored irises and round pupils? Pictures could be helpful if you think her leg is dislocated.

 

[Bejep714]

She has Marek's. She's back home now, still eating and drinking fine, hopefully she will be fine, but we will have to wait. She is a rhode island red, and her other red friends don't seem like anything is wrong right now, so I hope it is just her. We got some buff orpingtons from a store where apparently they were pre vaccinated, so that's good. We will have to make the sling now to keep her comfortable