Limping Chicken

[chelseajesen]

Hello! We have just adopted a flock of 12 birds a couple weeks ago and yesterday one of our Easter Eggers started limping. Today she can only take a couple of steps and then she lays down. We’ve examined her but honestly don’t really know what we’re looking for. We’ve looked at her feet, they look normal, she has no injuries and no bugs on her. She is about 18 weeks old and has not started laying yet. She is no longer walking on her feet but rather her whole leg. The rest of the flock is leaving her alone, not sure if separating her would cause more stress. Any advice would be great! Thanks!

 

[azygous]

Can you make a video of her walking action? Post it to You Tube first, then copy the URL and paste it here on this thread.

It sounds like lameness, not an actual injury. Lameness is difficult to diagnose. Most cases can't be helped. But some may respond to vitamin E and B-complex.

 

[chelseajesen]

I was wondering what the best way to share a video would be! Here you go

 

[chelseajesen]

Can you make a video of her walking action? Post it to You Tube first, then copy the URL and paste it here on this thread.

It sounds like lameness, not an actual injury. Lameness is difficult to diagnose. Most cases can't be helped. But some may respond to vitamin E and B-complex.

Can you make a video of her walking action? Post it to You Tube first, then copy the URL and paste it here on this thread.

It sounds like lameness, not an actual injury. Lameness is difficult to diagnose. Most cases can't be helped. But some may respond to vitamin E and B-complex.

 

[azygous]

Thanks for making the video. It's a big help. It looks like one leg or foot is involved. Look closely for any greenish bruising on the leg, foot, including between the toes. It's very subtle so take your time and be thorough. Look at the toe nails. A hang nail can be very painful. Look for any splinter that might have wedged under a nail, top or bottom of toe. I had a rooster once that had a pine cone scale wedged under a nail causing limping.

Compare the legs for swelling. Look all along the leg up to the top. Look and compare legs for straightness. She could have dislocated a tendon.

If you come up empty, give her an 81 grain chewable aspirin and see if that makes any difference. If she walks better on aspirin, then we will know it's an injury and not something neurological.

 

[chelseajesen]

Thank you so much for the info!! We will definitely give her another exam and see if we can find anything. I only have 325mg aspirin, can I just give her a portion of a tablet? I’m afraid things may get a lot worse by the time a new bottle is delivered