Hurt leg

[Wannabe NE Farmer]

My chicken has an injured leg… I think it’s from a rooster. She’s not putting any weight on it, toes are curled and she just wants to lay down. Eats and drinks fine. When she does walk, her toes usually stay kinda curled and her ankle seems limp. Sometimes she lays with it out in front if her. Other than keeping her in a small space, is there anything I can do for her? TIA!

 

[azygous]

Age of the chicken is necessary for us to know. So is your location, as we may be suggesting treatments you may or may not be able to obtain.

Size of your flock, free ranged or kept penned. How large is your run. All important information for us to know so we have the big picture.

The symptoms are those of a simple injury or arthritis, depending on age, or something more serious such as an assortment of avian viruses.

So tell us more.

 

[Wannabe NE Farmer]

She is an americauna hatched in April. Has been vaccinated for Mareks as a chick according to her previous owner. Her previous owner had an aggressive rooster and she’s got quite a few broken feathers on her back. She came to me with this leg problem. With her old owner, she was in a shed and free ranging part of the day from my understanding. It wasn’t the best setup because they had just moved to this new place and decided to sell all their chickens. She was (and still is) on Purina layena. She seems fine in every other way! Jo drainage, alert, etc. Now she’s in a small area with the other girls she came with, in quarantine from my other chickens, although they did accidentally come into contact once. I’m near Lincoln NE. I have 9 chickens total in 2 separate coops. I’ll attach a picture of her leg as well.

 

[Wannabe NE Farmer]

Here’s a video of her. And some pictures.

 

[azygous]

Find out from the previous owner if she was brooded as a chick by a broody hen, meaning, did the chicks sleep under the hen?

 

[Wannabe NE Farmer]

Find out from the previous owner if she was brooded as a chick by a broody hen, meaning, did the chicks sleep under the hen?

Purchased from Bomgars, a farm and home store.

 

[azygous]

Okay. Hatchery chicks. That might have strengthened my hunch that she may have the leucosis virus. Her lame leg and the way it's presenting is one of the early signs of the virus. Or it could be an injury. Or it could be a riboflavin deficiency. Time will tell.

An injury will heal. The leucosis virus just gets worse until the chicken can no longer move. I recently documented the effects of this virus in my flock on three pullets of similar age to yours. https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...update-now-another-pullet-going-lame.1432738/

Try treating for riboflavin deficiency with vitamin B 2. One tablet once a day.

 

[Wannabe NE Farmer]

Okay. Hatchery chicks. That might have strengthened my hunch that she may have the leucosis virus. Her lame leg and the way it's presenting is one of the early signs of the virus. Or it could be an injury. Or it could be a riboflavin deficiency. Time will tell.

An injury will heal. The leucosis virus just gets worse until the chicken can no longer move. I recently documented the effects of this virus in my flock on three pullets of similar age to yours. https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...update-now-another-pullet-going-lame.1432738/

Try treating for riboflavin deficiency with vitamin B 2. One tablet once a day.

Thank you so much for your wisdom. I’m holding out hope that this is truly just an injury, but she does fall in the age window for LL, and there’s another in the flick with a limp as well. I read through all 60 pages of posts that you share… you did such an amazing job documenting your May and June’s heartbreaking (and heartwarming) stories. I will start them on vitamin B… do you recommend vitamin e as well?

 

[azygous]

Yes, vitamin E works on the brain and in tandem with B vitamins to heal nerve connections.