lame white leghorn??????

[kids chicks 6]

In need of help!! One of our 9 month old White Leghorn hens(Brown Neck) will not move or even try to move. when we stand her up she falls to the left as she is favoring her right leg. she will make a step or two before falling sometimes, and when she does she steps on her right foot with the left foot and then falls again. I have done a bunch of searching on here, and I have went through my Raising Chickens for Dummies, and my Raising Chickens, by Gail Damerow book. The lame thing is the best description of what Brown Neck is doing, unless her leg is broke, and it just is not out of place, as it looks and feels the same as the other leg and foot. I rubbed her all over feeling for anything out of place or out the ordinary, and I also applied a little pressure to all of her joints, and moved her wings and legs through there range of motion, and everything felt good, and I did not even get one chirp out of her thru the process. She is still able to chirp and squawk, as she fusses a little when picked up. We have quarantined her from the rest of the flock. She will still eat if we place the dish rite in front of her, not sure about the drinking yet, and she is pooping, the poop smells a little more foul than normal also. I don't quite understand what lame is, and what causes it, and is it possible that she just sprained her leg or foot. Is it common for a chicken to stay in one place not moving around much when sick or injured. A little insight would be greatly appreciated.

 

[WhiteLeghorn2]

In need of help!! One of our 9 month old White Leghorn hens(Brown Neck) will not move or even try to move. when we stand her up she falls to the left as she is favoring her right leg. she will make a step or two before falling sometimes, and when she does she steps on her right foot with the left foot and then falls again. I have done a bunch of searching on here, and I have went through my Raising Chickens for Dummies, and my Raising Chickens, by Gail Damerow book. The lame thing is the best description of what Brown Neck is doing, unless her leg is broke, and it just is not out of place, as it looks and feels the same as the other leg and foot. I rubbed her all over feeling for anything out of place or out the ordinary, and I also applied a little pressure to all of her joints, and moved her wings and legs through there range of motion, and everything felt good, and I did not even get one chirp out of her thru the process. She is still able to chirp and squawk, as she fusses a little when picked up. We have quarantined her from the rest of the flock. She will still eat if we place the dish rite in front of her, not sure about the drinking yet, and she is pooping, the poop smells a little more foul than normal also. I don't quite understand what lame is, and what causes it, and is it possible that she just sprained her leg or foot. Is it common for a chicken to stay in one place not moving around much when sick or injured. A little insight would be greatly appreciated.

I'm very sorry that I have no advice, but I hope someone with more experience will be able to help you. I wish you the best.

 

[Bogtown Chick]

https://sites.google.com/a/poultrypedia.com/poultrypedia/poultry-podiatry

I had a couple "lame" hens during our molt this fall. I'm not sure the reason behind it entirely...over all weakness or deficiency, despite me giving extra protein and healthy treats...a hard landing of some sort resulting in injury....a combination of the two. At either rate I was concerned and proactive about it and did some research and found this Poultry Pedia site helpful to delineate out what our probable diagnosis was. I was able to rule out Synovitis and Marek's, thankfully. Vit B complex was purchased immediately from my pharmacy and I crushed 1/4 tab in their gallon waterer each day for a week. They've both turned around after finishing molting I suppose or the injury healed itself...not entirely sure. I hope this helps you to cross reference your symptoms, there are some other things to check besides the limping in order to make sure you don't have those two diagnoses I mentioned above.

Good Luck.

 

[Eggcessive]

Welcome to BYC. I would try to rule out Mareks disease. There are many causes for lameness besides Mareks--viral arthrits, Mycoplasma Synoviae, vitamin deficiency. As Bogtown Chick said vitamins are good when treating leg problems until you kno the cause. Poultry vitamins, a product called Avian Superpak, and even some baby vitamins without iron can help. An all B vitamin tablet dissolved in water also helps.

 

[kids chicks 6]

Update: As you can see I am doing my midnight check. I have BrownNeck in my shop with the wood stove going, and we made her a makeshift nesting box today under one of the benches. When I went out to the shop, she was standing up, Hmmm. She has not moved all day except when my boys picked her up to help her drink and eat a little. She had Poo all over her rear so I held my breath and was getting some off her when I felt a big lump in front of her breast bone area, I guess it is at the bottom of her neck. I rubbed on it, and it moved around. Also when she is looking around it does not seem like she is seeing things rite, I put the water bowl up to her mouth, and she almost missed the bowl, and when I snap my fingers by her face she does not even blink, and when I snap behind her head she does not even try to see where the snap came from. But she is moving around more, as she was able to jump up on a milk crate rite beside the makeshift bed to try and perch. She holds her wing out so she will not fall over. It sure is strange that none of the other hens are sick, if that is what it is. When I found her yesterday(WED) morning still in the coop at 9AM or so, she was acting this way. They had been locked up all night in a very secure Coop with only one Roo that is not to terribly mean. She was just fine the day before when I closed the Coop door (Tuesday night). I just don't get it. and what is that golf ball sized lump at the bottom of her neck?

 

[WhiteLeghorn2]

Update: As you can see I am doing my midnight check. I have BrownNeck in my shop with the wood stove going, and we made her a makeshift nesting box today under one of the benches. When I went out to the shop, she was standing up, Hmmm. She has not moved all day except when my boys picked her up to help her drink and eat a little. She had Poo all over her rear so I held my breath and was getting some off her when I felt a big lump in front of her breast bone area, I guess it is at the bottom of her neck. I rubbed on it, and it moved around. Also when she is looking around it does not seem like she is seeing things rite, I put the water bowl up to her mouth, and she almost missed the bowl, and when I snap my fingers by her face she does not even blink, and when I snap behind her head she does not even try to see where the snap came from. But she is moving around more, as she was able to jump up on a milk crate rite beside the makeshift bed to try and perch. She holds her wing out so she will not fall over. It sure is strange that none of the other hens are sick, if that is what it is. When I found her yesterday(WED) morning still in the coop at 9AM or so, she was acting this way. They had been locked up all night in a very secure Coop with only one Roo that is not to terribly mean. She was just fine the day before when I closed the Coop door (Tuesday night). I just don't get it. and what is that golf ball sized lump at the bottom of her neck?

It sounds like maybe she might have an impacted or sour crop. Try posting this in a new emergency thread and see if anyone more experienced can help!

 

[ChickensRDinos]

Just wanted to cross reference.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/846232/large-golf-ball-size-lump-at-bottom-of-neck#post_12579095

 

[Bogtown Chick]

Oh no. Dreaded sour crop. There is a thread on here with a ton of information on sour crop. It's simply called "Sour Crop" by Shell3 as the thread starter. The thread is a bit of a marathon but you can gleen lots of information here on it. I suggest start reading towards the end of the thread as there was lots of trial and error at the front end of it. If you can smell inside her beak and if you smell sour then you have sour crop. The basics are emptying the crop by holding the chicken with its head down and pushing the crops contents out and vomiting the bird. Once the crop is empty you need to get Yeast infection cream or pill in her crop. Also there has been some benefit to strapping a "Birdie Bra" or something around the crop to apply even pressure to it to help move food along once it's been emptied. Her food, thereafter, should be moistened runny feed and easily digestible for a week or so. Scrambled egg is good too.

I'm sorry this has happened. It no doubt is a complication or side effect of what is really going on with her. I'm wondering if she is drinking enough water to help move food along.

 

[ChickensRDinos]

Read over the threads and do a good exam before doing anything. Only vomit if you have to and think it is a crop issue and proceed very carefully. You do not want to get liquid into her lungs.

 

[kids chicks 6]

BrownNeck is fine now, SHEW! I gave her a full exam, and everything seemed fine, even the crop. She laid in her make shift bed (a truck tire filled with straw) out in my shop for 3 days without hardly moving. When I went out to check on her on the 3rd night she had gotten out of the bed, and was perched on a upside down milk crate that was rite beside the bed. For almost 2 days she stayed on the milk crate without hardly moving, and still favoring her leg when I would set her down to eat and drink. I worked out in the shop all weekend running power tools, and making noise, and it did not bother her at all, she just sat there looking around and watching me. At this point I am thinking some kind of brain damage or something, like maybe a car just grazed her head. So last night I go out to stoke the fire, and as I am knelled down to the wood stove she jumps off her perch making a heck of a racket, walks over to me, and just stands there watching me add wood to the stove. I talked to her for a few minutes while giving her some neck scratchings. I told her that I had to go back inside, and that she should get back on the milk crate and rest up, as I was going out the door she was getting back on her milk crate. I was so amazed at how it was over just as fast as it began. WOW! My wife went out to check on her this morning, and BrownNeck was standing at the door ready to go, so my wife let her out, and let the other girls and Roo out of the coop. She said they seemed like they were happy to see one another. Thank GOD! So maybe she was just sick? Does not explain the leg favoring issue. or Maybe it was a broken leg or foot? Does not explain healing in 4 days. I want to thank everyone for there advise and especially for your concern.

THANK YOU,

Chad D. and Family