Limping 4 month old chicken

[niccichick]

HI Everyone;

My 4 month old Buff Orpington has been limping for 2 weeks now! At first we thought it was bumblefoot, but there is no swelling, no scab, only a healthy foot. No swelling in the leg and we cannot feel a break. She pulls her left foot up under her breast and curls her toes in towards the center; although when we make her stretch out her toes to palpate and check her she does not flinch and pull away. We have now brought her in to the house and set up a quiet box in the corner of the dining room. We splinted her leg from the top of the foot to the top of the leg with two drinking straws wrapped around with vet tape. She now refuses to lie down and is standing one-legged to eat and drink. She's not crying, but won't walk without a very pronounced limp.

I'm brand new to raising chickens. Am I doing everything correctly? Any suggestions of what else to do? I'd appreciate any advice.

Blessings,
NIccichick

 

[teach1rusl]

Well you cleared my first guess of bumblefoot. Check her toenails closely to make sure none have been broken off or torn - I've had a girl limp around from that before. If that's negative, then I would probably assume she twisted it, or landed on it wrong when hopping down from the roost or something. I'd probably take the splint off, and just keep her in a small dog cage/crate for a few days to limit movement and force her to rest the leg for several days. I'm not sure what else to suggest...

 

[niccichick]

Thank you so much for the advice. We have had her indoors for a night now splinted and unhappy! She is putting up with the splint, but lets us know whenever we walk by to check on her that she is definately not a happy camper with the whole situation. We'll keep an eye on her and hopefully this will help.

Blessings,
Niccichick