lame chicken- no obvious injury- not Marek's or other neurological problem- not bumblefoot

[casportpony]

I have a similar problem. I have a week old chick that was fine. Actually she was a total terror...tearing around the brooder and picking on everyone. I come in to check them in the morning 2 days ago and shes totaly lame on her right foot. Nothing seems broken, dislocated, swollen, nothing. She just won't put any weight on it. She's eating, drinking and pooping like a champ. I have her seperated now. She doesn't seem to be getting any better. Any suggestions? Please??

How is she now?

 

[Marce705]

She died yesterday. She stopped using her left leg, Her wings were a little wonky, she was still eating and drinking. I have a friend that is a Vet that happend to stop by on Saturday, he couldn't find anything broken or sprained. He suggested something may be wrong neurologically. I think he's right. She was always really odd, very agressive, than not growing at all. It was sad.

 

[casportpony]

Sorry for your loss.

 

[Marce705]

thanks...this whole chicken thing is tough!! I get so attached!!

 

[adrilem]

Have you checked that her tendons are in allignment? I once had a chicken who symptoms match your description and the treatment is holding the leg back and straightning and massaging it. For my chicken it took a few months to heal.

Hi there. I have a one month old light brahma chick that stopped walking around a week ago. There are no sores on her feet that would indicate bumblefoot, and it does not seem that she has a disease like Marek's as she does not have any wing drooping, paralysis, and her toes don't curl. I can't completely rule that out as she was not vaccinated, but all the other chicks are just fine so it seems unlikely. She simply won't put any weight on her left leg.

I had seen her roosting on the edge of the brooder a couple of times and I am almost certain that she injured her leg jumping down. However there are no obvious breaks, and there is no swelling or heat.

She will sometimes sit up on both legs, and can wobble around the brooder, but she has not fully stood up in about a week. She is still eating and drinking, and I've isolated her with only one other, very laid back chick for company. I've been feeding her the organic chick starter she is used to, but I've also been mixing up a small bowl of plain yogurt, a little bit of honey, some of the chick starter and some ground up poulry booster (full of vitamins, without iron). I've also been putting a tiny amount of molasses in her water for B vitamins and energy.

This is my first time raising chickens and I'm not sure if I should put this little chick out of her misery, or continue to nurse her and hope she improves. I would like to move the healthy chick that is in the brooder with her to the coop, but I don't want to leave the injured one alone. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. LadyofChickRose, I am going to try massaging her leg and see how she reacts.

 

[winchuck]

I also have a lame chick. Checked bottom of foot with nothing showing. I suspect maybe that disease starts with M with drooping wing. I will go out this a.m and study that more closely. She is eating and socializing just fine with always being in the middle of the sun bather group Culling is not one of my strengths, but apparently I should put on my grown up pants if I am to have chickens. I will bring out some watermelon so if there will be a last meal, it will be a good one. I notice that sometimes that she has her foot bent backwards as she is trying to walk. Apparently she doesn't have good control of keeping it flat to the ground. Any wisdom for me? Thxs

 

[casportpony]

I also have a lame chick. Checked bottom of foot with nothing showing. I suspect maybe that disease starts with M with drooping wing. I will go out this a.m and study that more closely. She is eating and socializing just fine with always being in the middle of the sun bather group Culling is not one of my strengths, but apparently I should put on my grown up pants if I am to have chickens. I will bring out some watermelon so if there will be a last meal, it will be a good one. I notice that sometimes that she has her foot bent backwards as she is trying to walk. Apparently she doesn't have good control of keeping it flat to the ground. Any wisdom for me? Thxs

So sorry... I would also suspect the "M" disease.

-Kathy

 

[winchuck]

Sounds just like my little chicken. We watched a Youtube video on how to humanely kill a chicken and my husband did it. It is a woman who wears an apron and talks to the chicken all the time she is doing it in. He said she actually fell asleep while he was doing the deed. I didn't have my grown up pants on. He took his fish knife and stuck the artery along side of her neck holding her gently wrapped in a towel and then let her bleed out. There seemed so many reasons why she was ill that I felt ill equipped to figure it out. Her wing was drooping and her foot would be folded back like you described. I didn't see any choice when I found her in a pitiful heap. No one was picking on her; which was a good thing.

Today I sat on the ground and my flock immediately surrounded me all eager to check me out. I got a few pecks, so I guess I am not as loved as I am a food source. LOL I weeded today so they got a big pile of weeds to check out and seemed very happy to sort through what I dumped into their area. I like the idea of the help in making my compost piles break down with lots of chicken poop interlaced. Wow! Wonderful gardening in the future.

 

[casportpony]

Sorry for you, too... FWIW, according to an avian pathologist at UC Davis, Marek's is one of the most common causes of death that they see in chickens.

-Kathy

 

[winchuck]

I came up to our cool paradise in Oregon from the San Jose area, so know Gilroy well. When it gets too hot drive up to visit our flock. Yes, sounds like that Marek got our babies. My dern dog dumped the trash and as I was painfully cleaning it up, I found some magots which I gingerly picked up with tweezers. The chicks went crazy for them! Should I now search the trash for the pkg where my husband threw his old bait for treats for the chicks? Not that I have enough to do. LOL Taking the dogs up river for a good run this morning hoping that the bear bell keeps the bears at bay. I hate running into them but love that they live here. The blackberries are getting ripe; which is their main diet around here. Hmmm, my chicks would love some of those too.