Leghorn chicken flimsy on legs.

[dramabrahma]

Hello!

We let our chickens out this morning and our leghorn is walking like this. She was completely okay last night when we locked them in their coop for the night.
She is really flimsy and walks only a little, then she plops to the ground and just lays down. She eats and drinks normally.

What could be the problem? Could this be a vitamin deficiency? Trauma?

 

[dramabrahma]

https://streamable.com/0osczs

 

[Yanisay]

Hello!

We let our chickens out this morning and our leghorn is walking like this. She was completely okay last night when we locked them in their coop for the night.
She is really flimsy and walks only a little, then she plops to the ground and just lays down. She eats and drinks normally.

What could be the problem? Could this be a vitamin deficiency? Trauma?

I think she has lost her balance,put her in a chick sling it will probally help

 

[dramabrahma]

I think she has lost her balance,put her in a chick sling it will probally help

Oh, i have never heard of a chick sling. Will have to look it up.

 

[dramabrahma]

She is around 5months old and isn’t laying eggs.
Now that I am looking, it seems like it’s her left feet that’s bothering her. She doesn’t show any disconfort when I am touching it though , i am not an expert but it doesn’t look broken to me too. :/

 

[dramabrahma]

https://streamable.com/gbx9rt

 

[Eggcessive]

The left leg seems very unstable. It could be an injury to her tendon, or she may have a leg bone deformity, such as varus or valgus deformity that has gotten worse. The last possibility could be Mareks disease since she is at a common age for symptoms to show up. It can cause paralysis in one or both legs.
I would give her some vitamin B complex or a vitamin containing riboflavin. Resting her leg for a week or so, to see if it improves would be good. Here is some reading about varus or valgus deformity:
https://www.thepoultrysite.com/articles/leg-health-in-large-broilers

https://www.merckvetmanual.com/poul...ctious-skeletal-disorders-in-poultry-broilers

 

[dramabrahma]

The left leg seems very unstable. It could be an injury to her tendon, or she may have a leg bone deformity, such as varus or valgus deformity that has gotten worse. The last possibility could be Mareks disease since she is at a common age for symptoms to show up. It can cause paralysis in one or both legs.
I would give her some vitamin B complex or a vitamin containing riboflavin. Resting her leg for a week or so, to see if it improves would be good. Here is some reading about varus or valgus deformity:
https://www.thepoultrysite.com/articles/leg-health-in-large-broilers

https://www.merckvetmanual.com/poul...ctious-skeletal-disorders-in-poultry-broilers

Thank You so much for the indept information.
I ordered some vitamin B complex but it will get here only tomorrow morning.
What are some options for resting her leg? Should i separate her from the other chickens?

 

[Eggcessive]

Separating her in a pen or dog crate to limit her activity would be good. But I would try to check how she is walking daily. She can be with a friend unless she is picked on. If she has Mareks there is no treatment. An injury can take weeks to heal. Leg bone deformities are permanent. The vitamins might help. Let us know how she gets along. Here is some reading about Mareks disease:
http://csu-cvmbs.colostate.edu/Documents/vdl-mareks-disease-fact-sheet.pdf

 

[dramabrahma]

Separating her in a pen or dog crate to limit her activity would be good. But I would try to check how she is walking daily. She can be with a friend unless she is picked on. If she has Mareks there is no treatment. An injury can take weeks to heal. Leg bone deformities are permanent. The vitamins might help. Let us know how she gets along. Here is some reading about Mareks disease:
http://csu-cvmbs.colostate.edu/Documents/vdl-mareks-disease-fact-sheet.pdf

Thank You!
So far there has been no improvement with her walking. She’s separated in a dog crate and just lays down all day.