lame hen

[bernadette]

hi i've just signed upto the forum as i am a new chicken keeper, so hoping for some expert advise if poss.
me and my husband have aquired 7 ex bats who have settled in really well since they arrived last thursday, only got 1 problem... 1 of the hens has started limping and not weight baring on one of her legs at all, so just hopping. she is not very mobile at the moment although is still eating and drinking. yesterday afternoon she was fine and then by bed time she was lame. no sign of obvious injury but leg seems bit hot. my first instinct is to rush everything to the vet at the first sign of trouble but not sure if i should be adopting this attitude straight away. any ideas, please??
thank you all, bernadette

 

[Mahonri]

Check the bottom of the lame foot for swelling or a scab. She may have bumble foot.

It that's what she has, all you have to do is use the search function above... type in "How do I treat for bumble foot and you'll find a thread with step by step instructions"

It could be something else.... if it's not the foot, check the joints

 

[bernadette]

thanks for advise. i have checked the foot all over andno sign of any swelling soreness or scab, the higher joint by her hip seems to be the hot point but again no sign of injury, it is still straight and not out of shape in any way, she does not seem to mind me trying to manipulate her leg at all,so hoping its just a spain of some sort, does any one think this is probably it? is there any medication i can give her myself ie anti inflammatory or pain killer?
regards, bernadette

 

[KattyKillFish]

it would be wist to take her to a vet, although most vets would jsut tell you to "humanely euthanize" or cull a wounded chicken. see if you can convince him to give some meds or something. also, injured chickens have a tendency to be pecked by the others. if they do it's best to separate her from the flock in a small hutch or pen, with the proper housing of course. if no pecking is apparent it isn't necessary. just watch her closely. also, does she seem to have trouble perching?

 

[bernadette]

well out of the 7 hens, there is only 1 who is perching at the moment, because they came from a battery, they dont seem to know how, they are just learning normal chicken things, so i'm not too worried about that. she is not being picked on at all, but i have put her back in the coop to keep her rested for the time being.

 

[KattyKillFish]

hmm. as in they came from an eggery? if they did, i wouldn't worry about it at all. the treatment they give to the chickens is just terrible, even the free-range ones (although the free-ranged ones are much healthier)

what exactly is a battery, anyway?

I'm sure she'll be fine, just keep her on watch and give her special care. if you can it might be good to give her a bit of sugar-water. perhaps she just got her foot stuck under something?

 

[bernadette]

in uk its where they keep thousands of hens in a warehouse, they are usually kept about 4 or5in a small mesh cage and they just produce eggs. they do not get fresh air and the light is all artificial, they peck and pluck each other all day as they are bored. so their legs are often not very strong when they first come out as they have never had the chance to walk about. i have rescued 7 from a welfare charity who tries to saveas many as possible. its apparantly quite common for them to have leg strains at first, regards bernadette

 

[Highlander]

from the UK also.

I too have just rehomed some ex-battery hens. I've had them for just over a week and they are doing great. Good luck with yours and keep us posted with their progress.

Any pics??

 

[KattyKillFish]

Quote:
you have a good heart

it's good of you to rescue those birds. the world needs more people like you. and yes it's more than likely just a problem with getting used to walking. just keep a close eye on her and keep us posted. i'm sure she'll be feeling better soon

 

[bernadette]

no pics yet but want to get some before and after pics so hopefully everyone can see how worthwhile it is. glad yours are doing good, mine have all been great so far apart from this hiccup and we have probably had about 10 eggs so far,not bad considering the stress they have been under.

and they starting to fatten up a bit and dont smell half as bad as they did the first day.