Lame Rooster with Yellow Skin/Leg

[MO-Chickie]

Hi all - I've been googling and searching this forum for any ideas on what my rooster's problem is, but I haven't come up with anything. I'd appreciate any help or if anyone could point me in the right direction.

He's a bantam cochin roo I rescued about 6 months ago, I believe he's about a little over a year old. About a week and a half ago he started limping. I caught him and gave him a pretty thorough look-over - no cuts, abrasions, obvious injuries, etc. Checked for scabs/lesions after reading about bumblefoot and felt the leg for anything abnormal. I didn't find anything and the limp has progressively gotten worse. Now he won't use it at all and hops everywhere, dragging the other foot behind him.

The foot appears normal but the leg has golden yellow skin between his hock and his foot and feels a bit warmer than the normal skin closer to his body. I've checked everything up from his toes and can't feel any kind of abnormality, but clearly I'm not a trained vet. He still eats, drinks and crows so I'm assuming whatever it is isn't systemic and is isolated to the leg. I feel bad that I didn't notice the leg earlier, but being feather footed makes it a little harder. He got a trim today to make sure I didn't miss anything. LOL

I've attached a couple of pics - hopefully they'll help. One with him standing showing the lame foot curled under, a close-up of the foot and a couple showing the normal white vs the yellow skin. He just got a bath, so pardon the bedraggled look.

 

[Granny Hatchet]

got me stumped. what a beautiful roo though! if it is warm i dont think it would hurt to do a round of antibiotics

 

[MO-Chickie]

I was planning on picking up a broad spectrum antibiotic tomorrow from the poultry supply store...hopefully it will help. Thank you anyway!

 

[Eggcessive]

Is his skin anywhere else yellow? Yellow skin usually means liver problems, but his feet don't look yellow. Could that part that is yellow have been stained by something? Did he have a Mareks vaccine? Dragging a leg with curled toes sometimes is caused by Mareks.

 

[MO-Chickie]

Only the middle part of his leg is yellow. And unfortunately since he was a "rescue" I don't know his vaccination history. I did research Marek's due to the leg/lameness but the toes aren't curled as much as they're just pulled up since he's not using the leg. Thank you though! Hopefully the antibiotic will help.

 

[Eggcessive]

I would do some research on mycoplasma synoviae, since I read that the skin over an infected joint can have a yellow exudate. Antibiotics such as Tylan, erythromycin, oxytetracycline, and chlortetracycline can treat this.

 

[Granny Hatchet]

I would do some research on mycoplasma synoviae, since I read that the skin over an infected joint can have a yellow exudate. Antibiotics such as Tylan, erythromycin, oxytetracycline, and chlortetracycline can treat this.

what is it eggcessive?

 

[Eggcessive]

Mycoplasma synoviae is a mycoplasma that affects the bones. It is a carrier disease just like MG or CRD, and responds to most of the same antibiotics. I can't post any links right now, but you can Google it or do a search here on BYC.

 

[Granny Hatchet]

Mycoplasma synoviae is a mycoplasma that affects the bones. It is a carrier disease just like MG or CRD, and responds to most of the same antibiotics. I can't post any links right now, but you can Google it or do a search here on BYC.

thank you. what a great detective you are. i did look and didnt find anything earlier by symptoms.

 

[Eggcessive]

I don't know for sure that this is MS--it's just a suggestion--lameness can be from Mareks disease, viral arthritis, tenosynovitis, injuries, and other reasons. Hopefully they will find the cause.