Leghorn with difficulty walking

[bantamcrazy]

I have a beautiful and sweet leg horn that got dumped off at my place about a year ago. She's always stayed very healthy until a few days ago. She's been sitting up in the roost away from everyone for the last few days and today when I went to feed she came down and basically stumbled her way over to the feeder. Then stood up long enough to eat a little then later down in that spot until I picked her up and took her to the rehab cages. I can't decide if her feet a dark from frostbite or just dirt and she is always putting out her wings to keep her balance. She also has about a quarter size raw red spot on her back as well....can anyone help me figure out what this is, how I can treat it and if it will catch into the rest of my flock?

 

[lizanne]

Pictures might help. Are there any other symptoms? Does she feel skinny? Is her crop full? Have you checked for mites or worms?

 

[bantamcrazy]

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These are just a few of the pictures I took but none of them turned out well...her left "ankle" is swollen...if that helps any

 

[Nambroth]

Gosh, it is hard to tell from the photos but her feet MIGHT have frostbite-- Can you soak and wash them up a bit to see if that is their actual color, or if they are just soiled? They don't really look soiled but it can be really hard to tell from a photo.
Her condition overall doesn't look super, but that might well be from her limited mobility the last few days. Has she molted recently?

If her feet clean up and there is no frostbite, there are a number of things that can cause limping, lameness, and poor balance in birds. Some to consider are: Marek's Disease, Avian Lymphoid Leukosis, Lead or other heavy metal toxicity, Botulism, Viral Arthritis, Mycoplasma Synoviea, Moldy Feed (causing aflatoxins), Gout, bumblefoot, etc. Injury is always a possibility too.

Is she currently laying? Does she have a funny stance, almost like a penguin?

Given she was dumped at your property, it's really hard to guess what might be going on -- she could be carrying anything. Have you had any illness or losses in your flock since she appeared?

 

[Eggcessive]

Those feet look like frostbite to me (I have only seen pictures of it.) Here is a thread with pictures in post #6 of frostbite: https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/842760/frost-bitten-feet

 

[bantamcrazy]

I've had her for almost a year and I did have one barred drop dead about 6 months ago but nothing else, I have 17 other birds in with her and none of the others are having this issue at all. She layed 2 days ago but I have not been home today to see if she has

 

[bantamcrazy]

Can anyone tell me why her one "ankle" is bigger than the other? Could it be an injury?

 

[Eggcessive]

I'm not an expert here, but the ankle that is swollen looks to have less frostbite, so maybe that is why the ankle is bigger. The other ankle is dead and no circulation there to cause swelling.

 

[Nambroth]

I'm not an expert here, but the ankle that is swollen looks to have less frostbite, so maybe that is why the ankle is bigger. The other ankle is dead and no circulation there to cause swelling.

That was my thought, too. It's hard to say more without knowing if it's frostbite or not (it looks like it, but it's hard to tell from the photo for sure).