Limping chicken?!

[Wyorp Rock]

Sorry to hear about you little guy, he's a cutie!

I agree with @ChickNanny13 I would try restricting activity for a few days if he's not too stressed and see if he improves. Keep him near the others. What I have done in the past too is confine most of the day, but let one out about an hour before roosting, let them roam a little and roost with the others. If it's injury, it can take a while for them to heal.
I would also give him 1/4 tablet B-Complex daily for a week or so, see if that makes a difference.

IF he does not improve with supportive care, something to think about would be Marek's.

 

[Abbkayx]

If he's now not putting any weight on the left leg, then he may need to be restricted to a cage where he won't injure it further. He's a very attractive youngster, and seems naturally energetic. Rest will not likely thrill him, but he really shouldn't be trying to run around like that.

A baby aspirin in the morning and at night can help with the pain. Chickens heal pretty quickly. I'd say a couple days of no activity, then begin letting him out for limited periods, increasing the activity gradually.

Thanks so much. I made him a little enclosure today (I didn’t have a real one before), within the coop so he’s not isolated, and put him in it tonight for him to rest for a few days. I gave him baby aspirin this morning, and it didn’t seem to help much. I should be giving it at night as well?

Thanks again!

 

[Eggcessive]

I would follow the advice already given to watch him and possibly limit his activity. He appears to be a a sebright, and I have read that they seem to be especially prone to Mareks disease. Hopefully that is not the problem, but you may want to do some reading about it.

 

[azygous]

The aspirin is not just for pain. It's an anti inflammatory and will help heal the strained tissue.

 

[Abbkayx]

The aspirin is not just for pain. It's an anti inflammatory and will help heal the strained tissue.

Ah, duh lol... makes sense. I’m an airhead.

 

[Abbkayx]

I would follow the advice already given to watch him and possibly limit his activity. He appears to be a a sebright, and I have read that they seem to be especially prone to Mareks disease. Hopefully that is not the problem, but you may want to do some reading about it.

Thanks so much, doing everything suggested and hopefully he improves. I will read up on Marek’s.

 

[Abbkayx]

Sorry to hear about you little guy, he's a cutie!

I agree with @ChickNanny13 I would try restricting activity for a few days if he's not too stressed and see if he improves. Keep him near the others. What I have done in the past too is confine most of the day, but let one out about an hour before roosting, let them roam a little and roost with the others. If it's injury, it can take a while for them to heal.
I would also give him 1/4 tablet B-Complex daily for a week or so, see if that makes a difference.

IF he does not improve with supportive care, something to think about would be Marek's.

Okay, so question about the Mareks... I have 36 birds, and not a single other one is showing any symptoms (yet if that’s the case). Would this be normal? Also read about pupil size. Here’s a photo of his face if that helps. He has no issues with his wings or neck, so fingers crossed this isn’t the case.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Okay, so question about the Mareks... I have 36 birds, and not a single other one is showing any symptoms (yet if that’s the case). Would this be normal? Also read about pupil size. Here’s a photo of his face if that helps. He has no issues with his wings or neck, so fingers crossed this isn’t the case.

It can be normal for just one bird to become symptomatic when dealing with Marek's, that's one of the frustrating things about the disease. There's really no way to know for sure unless you happen to lose him and a necropsy is performed.

For now, I would treat him as young rambunctious bird that has an injury - see how it goes.

There are 4 types of Marek's:
Cutaneous Form - affects the skin and feather follicles.

Neural Form - can include paralysis of the legs/wings, limping, weight loss (wasting), etc. This is due to swelling of the sciatic nerve though infiltration of lymphocytes.

Ocular Form - is general a gray eye or misshapened iris from infiltration of lymphocytes in the eye.

Visceral Form - involves tumors in the internal organs.

Here's a very good article about Marek's.
http://www.backyardchickens.com/a/the-great-big-giant-mareks-disease-faq

 

[Abbkayx]

Update:

So he’s been in his own little crate for about 4 days now. No improvement at all. Still eating / drinking / pooping / crowing. Everything is normal, aside from his limp. His leg is not paralyzed, he still uses it and moves it just fine, but doesn’t use it much.

Should I assume that it is Marek’s because there has been no improvement ?

* I let him out tonight to hang with his crew for an hour. The girls were fine with him, but his buddy (another sebright roo) really was picking on him. Not sure if this is due to the separation or possibly because they know he’s sick?

Any suggestions?

 

[Eggcessive]

Can you put him in his crate and keep him with the other birds where he can enjoy being close to them without being picked on? Provide his own food and water. I would continue to limit his activity. If he sprained his leg, it can take weeks to heal. Hopefully, it is not Mareks.