Lameness in a chicken

[Debs992993]

Hi guys. I have a young girl she's only 44 weeks old and has gone lame. She is still eating drinking and laying about every 3rd day. Some days she can stand and limp other days she just lies down, she seems to lie on her foot closed up and it seems to be hot to touch but there are no other issues. As I said she seems bright enough her feathers are in great condition and she is still very alert, I am In The process of looking to take her to the vets (I'm just looking for one that handles farm animals as they are a little out of my area) but thought someone on here may have some ideas of what it might be,

 

[Eggcessive]

Do you see any swelling or bruising in the joints of the leg? A curled foot can be a sign of riboflavin (vitamin B2) deficiency as well a a neurological symptom. I would get some powder poultry vitamins to put in her water for awhile, and make sure that your feed is fresh dated. Sprains can be common in chickens, and there are also bacterial and viral forms of arthritis and infection. Mycoplasma synovitis is a common respiratory disease that affects joints. Look at her footpad for swelling or a dark spot, and see if she can move her toes. The closed up foot hopefully is just a vitamin problem, so the sooner it's treated the more likely for success. Keep us updated on her condition. Mareks disease is a virus that could also be a a slight possibility, but hopefully not.

 

[Debs992993]

Thank you for reply, She does seem to favour her Oyster Shell a lot at the moment so wondered if it was calcium/Vitamin related, there seems to be no swelling but she seems to be very wobbly and would rather lie down then stand. I've held her up for a couple of minutes and she seems to have taken to standing now, but I doubt it will be very long. I will try the powder for now and will check her food. she's in an indoor cage until I can try and work out what is wrong with her for now, I've been reading article after article and its so hard to decide what this could be as you said they can go lame over most things from a bad case of worms to nerve damage. I will keep you updated as a go