Limping chicken

[petra56]

Hi! Yesterday I noticed my 5 month old brahma limping a little bit. This morning she was limping pretty bad. It's nearly like her leg kind of sticks out more by her "hip" area. She's only with 4 other chickens and no rooster. Any ideas on what it could be and what to do? Thank you so much!

 

[queenturkeygirl]

If you push on it does it hurt? Have you tried making a cloth splint?

 

[Eggcessive]

Hi! Yesterday I noticed my 5 month old brahma limping a little bit. This morning she was limping pretty bad. It's nearly like her leg kind of sticks out more by her "hip" area. She's only with 4 other chickens and no rooster. Any ideas on what it could be and what to do? Thank you so much!

Can you post a picture of her standing? Videos posted to YouTube with a link are also welcome. Have her legs looked normally placed in the past? Do you think she has injured it? Can you look to see if there is any redness, bruising, or swelling of the leg joints, an look at her foot pad for any scabs. I would place her in a crate or pen with her own food and water until you make sure that she can get around.

 

[petra56]

Thank you for answering!

I hope you can see the picture ok. She is walking but doesn't put much weight on that leg. It's like her leg gives and it touches the ground when she walks from her "elbow" area to her foot. We checked her foot, squeezed around her elbows and leg and she doesn't act like it hurts. We are wondering if somehow she got her hip out of joint. I think we are going to take her to the vet if she's not better by Friday. We tried to wrap it but she walked worse than when it wasn't wrapped and were afraid she'd really hurt herself. She also kept pulling at it.

 

[petra56]

Here's another one.

 

[Eggcessive]

Can you check in the morning if she can move her toes, or if they are curling under? Walking on her hock could be a sign that she is injured badly, could have a vitamin deficiency, or possibly could be developing paralysis in her leg. Is she getting to food and water okay? Can you start some vitamins that contain riboflavin in her water or feed?

 

[petra56]

Her toes seem to be fine. She is eating and drinking fine. Everything seems normal except her walking. She seems to limp more the longer she is out free ranging like she starts getting tired. I'm having to put her back on her 3rd run of antibiotics today. I'm supposed to give them for another 10 days which worries me. That is a total of duromycin for 8 days- Tylan for 10 days along with corid for 7 of those. Off 5 days and now starting antibiotics for another 10 days. I gave them yogurt for several days durin the first antibiotics. And put them on a 3 day probiotic while they were off meds for the 5 days. The antibiotics are supposed to be their only source of water. Do you think I can give them some electrolytes and vitamins in a separate dish during these last antibiotics? They all seem fine.

 

[Eggcessive]

I forgot what you were using the antibiotics for? Do you have any vitamin B Complex tablets ot any baby vitamins? You could give either of those orally to her, or Poultry Cell vitamins 3 ml orally. If her toes are not curled under she may have injured that hip.

 

[petra56]

Thank you! The antibiotics were because they were opening their mouths like they were having a hard time breathing. Then they were diagnosed with coccidia. So they were on corid for 7 days. If I can't find the poultry cell vitamins, how much baby vitamins can she have? We really think it's her hip because we have checked and squeezed around on her and she doesn't act like it bothers her. Is there anything we can do for an injured hip?

 

[Eggcessive]

She could have 3 drops a day of the baby vitamins orally or in her food. I think a vet would know best about treating a dislocated hip. All we can really do as backyarders is to rest the chickens. Some broken bones can be splinted, but upper leg and hip injuries are harder to treat.