Lame Hen.

[Allisha]

One of our Golden Cuckoo Marans is not using one of her legs, at all. She holds it away from the ground, and hops about on one leg. At first thought I thought it could be Bumblefoot, but it is not. There is no swelling with a scab in the middle. There isn't really any swelling at all. And then I thought it could be Mareks, but knew that that it was very unlikely. She is still able to maneuver around well, an she still has an appetite. And, she is NOT paralyzed. She still moves the leg around, and can still stretch out her toes. I have no idea on how to really tell if she has a broken leg, or a twisted foot, or anything really. Perhaps it could even be her hip! Any suggestions on how to tell what it is, and where it could be located? I have not separated her yet, but I will tomorrow. She is not using it much anyway, as the poor thing is broody.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Hopefully it is just an injury and sprain. Feel of her leg to see if it is warm.
You may want to isolate her in a crate in the run (so she is still able to "interact" with the flock), provide food and water and see if she improves.

Found this link which may be helpful
http://www.theartofdoingstuff.com/my-hen-is-limping-how-to-fix-it-a-gimpy-chicken/

 

[Allisha]

Thanks for the link! Could not feel ay warmth on her. She limps MUCH worse than the hen in the video, but still gets around on it. She feels pain, I believe, as she flinched when I handled her leg and hip. She has had the limp for about a week now, and does not seem to be doing much better. She has great coordination for a one-legged chicken, and she stll seems perky. Does anyone know about any diseases that could affect their legs, apart from Mareks? She is not paralyzed, and has full use of it, aneverythin else.

 

[SeaChickens]

I had a hen that was diagnosed with mycoplasma synoviae. In her case it caused joint swelling in her ankle (also in her hock which was hard to see because of her feathers) and she limped and was in pain. It can also cause respiratory symptoms but she never had any that we noticed. At first we thought she had an injury in her joint and a vet gave us antibiotics (two kinds) but they didn't help. She did not get better but did not get worse either. Took her to a more experienced chicken vet and he diagnosed her with the mycoplasma and gave us Tylan but said that it may work or it may not because the disease was difficult to get rid of. He said that it would not likely get worse and that it may just be a chronic condition that would continue to affect her joint but that she could live with it. The Tylan did not work in her case but her foot did seem to eventually improve enough that it didn't bother her much.

http://waddl.vetmed.wsu.edu/animal-disease-faq/mycoplasma-synoviae

Edited to add that her joint was very warm and visibly swollen in her ankle, which is very similar to a classic infection. I'd recommend taking your hen to a vet if possible though in our case they missdiagnosed it the first time.

 

[Allisha]

Thanks for the response!
This is very interesting!
Unfortunately, I cannot bring her to a vet at this time. We are going through a hard time with everything, especially with some health issues with our pets.
She went through a broody spell, and would refuse to move form her nest for a month or so.
Now she is moving around more, but she is still not putting weight on her leg.
It is, indeed her hock that is bothering her.