Limp/walking on hock

[Mrskk09]

My poor Opal. About 4 days ago she suddenly had a limp when I went to check my birds. She’s definitely at the bottom of the pecking order, and our top hen has been going after her and pushed her down the ramp from the coop this morning when she was hesitating to walk down. She’s now in the dog crate to get some peace and rest, but I don’t know if this could be a vitamin issue? Broken leg? Something else? The leg in question is the one closest to the camera, this is how she has been laying all day.

 

[Eggcessive]

Have you examined the entire leg for swelling , redness, green bruising, or a break in the skin? I would keep her with the other chickens in a wire dog crate with food and water, and let her rest the leg a few days. Then you can evaluate to see if it is better. Vitamin B 2 riboflavin would be good to give daily as a supplement. Super B complex tablets have that and you can crush 1/2 tablet daily over some of her food. How old is she? Was she vaccinated for Mareks disease?

 

[Mrskk09]

Have you examined the entire leg for swelling , redness, green bruising, or a break in the skin? I would keep her with the other chickens in a wire dog crate with food and water, and let her rest the leg a few days. Then you can evaluate to see if it is better. Vitamin B 2 riboflavin would be good to give daily as a supplement. Super B complex tablets have that and you can crush 1/2 tablet daily over some of her food. How old is she? Was she vaccinated for Mareks disease?

There’s nothing that looks wrong visibly. I was very hesitant to separate her, but I’ve been having to physically put her into the coop at night and lift her out in the mornings. The top hen gets really flustered if she’s lagging behind and pushes her out/down the ramp. It’s really hot here in California, and the only way to shade her in the crate is in the garage.
I have save a chick packets, and also liquid Durvet vit b complex. What dosing would be appropriate for her water?
She’s 20 weeks old today, she was vaccinated and we got her from Dare 2 Dream farms in Lompoc, Ca.

 

[Eggcessive]

The durvet liquid B complex dosage would be 1/4 ml daily in her food or given orally. SaveAChick has electrolytes which would not hurt for 2 days, but it can give her diarrhea if used more than that. Also, many people find that chickens dislike the taste of additives in the water and won’t drink enough.

 

[Mrskk09]

Awesome, thanks! I’ll take another good look all around her legs when my husband gets home to help, and start her on some vit b mixed with mealworms. Little lady can’t resist her treats!

 

[Chuckkeeper]

Awesome, thanks! I’ll take another good look all around her legs when my husband gets home to help, and start her on some vit b mixed with mealworms. Little lady can’t resist her treats!

How's she getting on? I've got a poor girl with identical symptoms and nothing to see physically.

 

[Mrskk09]

How's she getting on? I've got a poor girl with identical symptoms and nothing to see physically.

She’s completely back to normal! She spent about 10 days in a crate resting, and I gave her .25mg of Durvet vit b complex once a day mixed with some dried mealworms. She slowly began standing and walking normally and I put her back with the other hens when she was maybe 75% back to normal. She still needed help getting up and down the coop ramp in the morning/evening for a week or so, as my bossy hen would push her out of the coop if she was being too slow. Now she’s good as new and I’m hoping it stays that way. Good luck with your chicken

 

[Chuckkeeper]

She’s completely back to normal! She spent about 10 days in a crate resting, and I gave her .25mg of Durvet vit b complex once a day mixed with some dried mealworms. She slowly began standing and walking normally and I put her back with the other hens when she was maybe 75% back to normal. She still needed help getting up and down the coop ramp in the morning/evening for a week or so, as my bossy hen would push her out of the coop if she was being too slow. Now she’s good as new and I’m hoping it stays that way. Good luck with your chicken

That's such a relief. I have her resting in a smaller cage with the other chickens visible and I'm trying some vit B too. Thanks for your reply did your girl look like this? It's always so worrying!!

 

[Mrskk09]

That's such a relief. I have her resting in a smaller cage with the other chickens visible and I'm trying some vit B too. Thanks for your reply did your girl look like this? It's always so worrying!!

View attachment 2345454

That’s exactly what it looked like, but she began resting like that on both legs. She’d hobble around a bit and looked like she was developing sore spots on the joint where she’d rest on them. I think the crate helped a ton, and she wasn’t able to climb up or jump off of anything.

 

[Chuckkeeper]

That’s exactly what it looked like, but she began resting like that on both legs. She’d hobble around a bit and looked like she was developing sore spots on the joint where she’d rest on them. I think the crate helped a ton, and she wasn’t able to climb up or jump off of anything.

I have completely removed any opportunity to climb and jump and I'm not letting her sleep on roosts at the moment. She is very active and eating and drinking, but keeps standing on her own foot!