Lame chicken

[kiralouise21]

My little lady has been lame for 3 days we've felt her leg and she doesn't bother yet she's completely lame on that leg she's still eating drinking and pooping I've tried isolating her with another bird but this caused her more stress she is still quite active but with a serious limp any hel gratefully recieved

 

[kiralouise21]

 

[ChirpChickens]

we have a chicken that got string wrapped around both feet.. I dont know how long it was there but we were able to cut it off.. the string cut in pretty deep and we were afraid she'd loose her toes. its been about 2 weeks and her one foot has gained some feeling but she won't walk on it. we made sure she can easily get to food and water and her one foot is pretty good. she's learned to walk on just the one and can now even maneuver herself to high places! i think that as long as your hens not in pain she'll learn to cope with it. hope i helped

 

[kiralouise21]

She quite happily walks the full length of the pen just to be with her friends any its a very big pen we let them out around the farm and again she'll follow but I just feel sorry for her! I just don't know what to do she's eating and drinking and I'd hate to get rid of her

 

[ChirpChickens]

I understand the feeling bad for her..but i think you should still keep her and make sure she's as comfortable as possible.

 

[kiralouise21]

I did try isolating her and I waited out as long as possible but it was doing more harm than good we have a. Flock of 40 and even though we put her with a friend they wanted to be with the others fingers crossed she'll recover on her own!

 

[Teila]

Hi
Does the injured leg feel warmer than the other one? She may have picked up an infection in a small cut? I ask because I have lost a girl through that. She picked up a Staph infection from the ground being too damp (we moved the coop and run after that learning curve).
Would it be worth giving her a course of antibiotics? Maybe a twice daily soaking in an antiseptic wash of some sort? No signs of bumblefoot?

 

[kiralouise21]

No signs of bumblefoot that I can see of her foot looks completely normal in all fairness I'm not sure about the infection but we've just built a new coop with a concrete floor and their in there now and I've built her a nice straw bed so see how she goes she's no worse but like I said she's still travelling a fair distance on her own accord, and eating drinking we had a good feel of both legs and she didn't blink I don't get it

 

[Teila]

Yep, kiralouise21, these chickens of ours sure can throw curvy ones on a regular basis. Did she start to limp after being moved to the new concrete floor? She could have just jumped onto it a little awkwardly? I have read that jumping onto a hard surface can cause bumblefoot but if she is showing no signs, I'm out of ideas. Sure do wish they could talk and tell us what was wrong
Sounds like you are keeping a close eye on her and doing all you can to help her out ... fingers crossed that she makes a full recovery

 

[Noobchick]

Do you have roosters? Young roosters especially can be a little overzealous while mating. Could be she got injured that way.

Any open wounds? Check for bruising or swelling along the joints: bruises are green on a chicken.

Also check to see if her leg is dislocated: Stand her up, facing away from you. Then starting at her hocks, move your hands up her leg to where they attach to her body. You'll feel the joint-- do they feel the same or is there a bigger gap between the bones on one side?

If you don't see any wounds or bruising and dont think its dislocated, she's just got knocked around somehow and will heal on her own. But you've got to keep her from walking. Sucks, I know, but I had a hen with a similar problem. She was isolated in a smaller coop with a few buddies for two weeks-- no improvement, because she was still walking around, hopping up and down off the perches. 5 days isolated by herself in a large Rubbermaid container did the trick. (Poultry netting on a frame for the top.) She could turn around and also walk a few paces but that was it. She tolerated confinement well. If yours doesn't, maybe add some treats to keep her busy? Apple pieces (seeds removed), scrambled eggs, other treats