Lame for Life?

[Dhkoenig]

HI All. Me again with Babs questions. So we know it is her knee now and most likely a ligament tear that won't ever heal but according to the doctor some birds are resilient and can grow scar tissue around it and are able to adapt to lame life. The idea of putting Babs down is so hard for one because she is adorbs and for 2, she is SO normal in other ways. She eats like a champ, still lays, is curious and funny..the idea of taking her, with that mind/health and just being like "okay sorry I am taking you to go die" just wrenches my heart. I did notice today that even tho she can't really bear any weight on it, she basically rests on the bottom part of her leg on that side and uses her other side to bear the weight. Today I noticed that she was able to use the bad leg as a "limp" support. Like using it but just passing the weight over it quickly so she is gimping. I am getting 4 new young girls in a couple of weeks. They will be about 12 weeks to 14 weeks old. Do you think if I put her in with them, and she is older than them and bigger - they may not pick on her and once the new ladies are old enough and have been in a "see but don't touch" situation for a few weeks, that since they would all be introduced at one time, maybe they would accept her as just another newbie? Ugh I have a feeling not but hoping someone will say Oh yes! Totally ! That will work! LOL

 

[Eggcessive]

You will probably have to so how it goes with her bad leg and the new pullets arriving. If she has a bad tendon or ligament issue, it might get better, and might not. With other animals I have had, one bad leg and sometimes the other gives out with the extra work. New chickens should alway be quarantined for at least a month, to make sure that none are showing signs of sickness (respiratory, worms, or lice and mites.) Then they need to be slowly introduced. Wire dog crates or fencing off an area of the coop are good ways. If she is still doing badly then, you may need to keep her separate. I do worry about lameness being a symptom of Mareks disease, and that can be passed on to new flock members.

 

[Dhkoenig]

You will probably have to so how it goes with her bad leg and the new pullets arriving. If she has a bad tendon or ligament issue, it might get better, and might not. With other animals I have had, one bad leg and sometimes the other gives out with the extra work. New chickens should alway be quarantined for at least a month, to make sure that none are showing signs of sickness (respiratory, worms, or lice and mites.) Then they need to be slowly introduced. Wire dog crates or fencing off an area of the coop are good ways. If she is still doing badly then, you may need to keep her separate. I do worry about lameness being a symptom of Mareks disease, and that can be passed on to new flock members.

Thanks so much. Curious about the Mareks - wouldn't she be getting sick? This has been two weeks of her leg and it is painful at the joint of her knee when she is examined. No lessening of appetite or activity (despite my best efforts LOL) and laying - she doesn't seem sick. You don't think that after two weeks of the injury with no signs of decline otherwise that we could rule out Marek's as the cause?

 

[Dhkoenig]

Update - I am heartbroken to say, I had to put Babs to sleep today. It was so incredibly hard. Her ligament was torn and there was no chance it was going to heal. At first the pain meds worked but her leg was getting worse, probably because the pain meds masked the pain and she didn't rest. Her leg was in bad shape and she started to be in pain. She ate and drank and laid, which made the decision so hard, but the last couple of days her personality changed - I could tell she was in pain and she would stress-pant a lot and her tail was pointed down. I knew it was time but my heart is broken. her quality of life would have been zero.

I feel sad. Babs was a sweet sweet girl. She always stayed side by side with the underdogs. Like when Pepper was sick she never left her side and Nelly being bullied, she stayed by her side and got bullied too but she never fought back. Just a sweet soul. Thanks for letting me vent my loss. I know many of you understand.

 

[Sally PB]

I'm so sorry you lost your sweet girl.

Hugs for you.

 

[Kiki]

Update - I am heartbroken to say, I had to put Babs to sleep today. It was so incredibly hard. Her ligament was torn and there was no chance it was going to heal. At first the pain meds worked but her leg was getting worse, probably because the pain meds masked the pain and she didn't rest. Her leg was in bad shape and she started to be in pain. She ate and drank and laid, which made the decision so hard, but the last couple of days her personality changed - I could tell she was in pain and she would stress-pant a lot and her tail was pointed down. I knew it was time but my heart is broken. her quality of life would have been zero.

I feel sad. Babs was a sweet sweet girl. She always stayed side by side with the underdogs. Like when Pepper was sick she never left her side and Nelly being bullied, she stayed by her side and got bullied too but she never fought back. Just a sweet soul. Thanks for letting me vent my loss. I know many of you understand.

I am so sorry.

Are you going to have a necropsy performed by your state lab to see if you do have Marek's disease in your flock?

 

[Eggcessive]

Very sorry for your loss. If you still have her remains, your state vet could diagnose what was wrong, and rule out Mareks disease. Here is a list of state vets who do necropsies for you to contact:
https://www.metzerfarms.com/poultry-labs.html