Left leg injury?

[griff2531]

I have a less than 1 year old Rhode Island Red hen that came up limping Friday morning. She appeared to be fine Thursday when I put them away in the coop, but on Friday morning she was the last one out & limping noticeably. She cannot put any weight on the left foot & hobbles around on the right. I put her in a kennel on Friday to rest her leg, and she has been there ever since. I have checked her leg & foot for any cuts, bumps, bumble foot, or anything out of the ordinary, but I didn't locate anything. They always fly up from the ground to the top of the coop every night before we put them away, a distance of about 4 feet high. Our chickens are free range & have the run of the property, and there were no attacks that we know of. She is eating & drinking ok, but mostly if we hand feed her. Could she have sprained her leg while flying to the top of the coop? If it's only a sprain, any idea how long for it to heal? Or could she have a tendon problem, and if so, what is the best way to determine that & how to treat it? We let her out attended with the other chickens for about 15 minutes to graze for a bit, then it's back into the kennel.

 

[ParadiseFoundFarm]

No swelling anywhere? Has to be muscular.

 

[rcentner]

ok, I dont want to be a downer, but there seems to be a correlation (in my opinion) between left leg lameness and Mareks Disease. I just recently lost a hen due to mareks, she was about 7 or 8 months old.
It could be a sprain or soft tissue injury, but if it gets worse and she starts sitting with one leg infront of her and the other behind it might be mareks.
I pray for you that it is not mareks and just a soft tissue injury. If it is a soft tissue injury then she would respond to pain medications. There are a few you could try.
Meloxicam (metacam) is ok to use in chickens, asprin can be used (but idk if that will work very well). Soft tissue injuries will heal if given time and rest. letting her out for a few minutes to exercise is a good idea, but be sure that the other chickens are not bothering her. And that the rooster isn't trying to mount her (if you have a rooster or 2). Metacam is often used for dogs and cats, but I think it may require a prescription. PM me if you need the dose I can figure it out depending on the weight of the chicken.
these pictures show you what I mean about the legs: