Limping chicken

[realsis]

Watch her closely and give her supportive care. If she does not seem to be getting any better I might be concerned about Mareks disease as flockwatccher mentioned. Limping and pupil changes can be associated with the disease. You mentioned she was vaccinated but sadly about 10% of vaccinated birds can still get mareks. Sometimes what happens is the chick will get vaccinated but won't be given ample time to develop antibodies immunity before being exposed. Ideally once the chick is vaccinated it should remain indoors for the very least 14 days some say longer to give the chick time to develop the antibodies before exposure.exposure would be out doors and adult chickens. If the chick is not given that time they can still catch the Mareks disease before the antibodies had time to give immunity..so newly vaccinated chick's should be given that time to develop the antibodies before they are allowed outside and around adult birds. many times they are not given time for the antibodies to build in their system and they are exposed too soon. This causes vaccine failure because the bird was exposed before it had time to build resistance.. also the vaccine itself isn't 100% effective sadly. I'm not saying she has mareks I'm just saying be aware that it could be possible. Espically if after supportive care and some time given for healing if she does not heal or show improvents at that point I might consider looking into mareks disease. I wish you the best and hope she heals quickly. I hope this helps and God bless.

 

[RoseCassFarm]

Thank you for the help and the info on Marek's. I'm crossing my fingers that that isn't the case. I got her at a nearby farm "hatch day" where they claim the chicks are a day old. I'd believe she was about a day old (even if two of the others were clearly older!) so I'm hoping that means she wasn't exposed, but who knows. I don't have any other chickens, so she would've been safe here, but I have no clue what she was around during those first couple of days before she was mine.

I'm not sure how many days I should expect her to be off of her feet -- I'm so used to four legged animals that still move around a lot when they have an injured leg, so this immobile stuff is weirding me out, lol.

I gave her an epsom salt soak and she was AWESOME about it. I'll give her another tomorrow and hope that it helps. I actually had a rabbit with a large tumor on the "shoulder" of his front left leg who eventually lost his ability to hop around due to weakness in his back legs (the assumption being that he had cancer and it effected his legs). One day, after he stopped being able to hop, I decided to try hydrotherapy with him and brought him into a warm bath with me. I used carrots and banana to entice him into "swimming" while I held him. He actually regained his ability to hop for a day or two and would regain a little bit of strength after a bath even when he couldn't stand anymore. I'm a firm believer in the power of water now .

 

[DAngeloFarms]

Hello RoseCassFarm. I was wondering how Nugget ended up doing. I have and Americauna named Souffle that is doing the same exact thing. She is limping and is intermittently panting. This started two days ago. I cannot identify an obvious fracture and she doesn't freak out when I move her leg although her "ankle" may be a little swollen if I stare at it long enough. She even has some poo on her, much like your chicken. This is not her. She does hop around but spends most of her time sitting. It certainly hasn't affected her appetite as she is eating and drinking like a champ. In fact, she laid an egg today. Souffle was allegedly vaccinated for Marek's on Day 1 by the hatchery and she is about a year old. So I was just wanting to see if you could give some follow up on how she is doing. Thanks.

 

[DAngeloFarms]

Just some follow-up as I haven't heard back from anyone on the thread. We placed soufflé inside in a pet carrier with easy access to food and water. She continued to pant but less than outside. I tried to get her in to see a vet but no one could see her for over a week. I was able to speak with a farm vet who said the Mareks and Newcastle are not likely because they are very uncommon and the agriculture people would be all over any outbreak. So I felt better about that. She continued to eat well and lay eggs but wouldn't use the leg, pushing it out in front of her with her toes kind of limp. She didn't appear to be in pain when I moved her leg/ankle or even flipped her upside down to do an exam. Two nights ago when I was cleaning her carrier I watched her try to walk and noticed that the bad leg was not upright like the other leg. Upon closer inspection, it was bending differently than her good leg. It was broken near the ankle! I'm an ER doc and I still missed the fracture for 4-5 days. I was treating her for a pulmonary infection because of the panting. It was tricky to diagnose but comparing to the other side there was definitely a difference. I had no idea that chickens panted when they were in pain. I splinted her with gauze wrap and Popsicle sticks on both sides and she started using the leg again. My wife and I were very relieved. Mississippi State University has a good website on mixing medications. For analgesia you can grind up a whole 325mg aspirin very finely (I used a mortar and pestle) and dissolve it in 1 gallon of water and let the chicken drink as they please. It did help with the panting. So I think that she is on the mend for anyone dealing with a similar situation.

 

[Eggcessive]

Just some follow-up as I haven't heard back from anyone on the thread. We placed soufflé inside in a pet carrier with easy access to food and water. She continued to pant but less than outside. I tried to get her in to see a vet but no one could see her for over a week. I was able to speak with a farm vet who said the Mareks and Newcastle are not likely because they are very uncommon and the agriculture people would be all over any outbreak. So I felt better about that. She continued to eat well and lay eggs but wouldn't use the leg, pushing it out in front of her with her toes kind of limp. She didn't appear to be in pain when I moved her leg/ankle or even flipped her upside down to do an exam. Two nights ago when I was cleaning her carrier I watched her try to walk and noticed that the bad leg was not upright like the other leg. Upon closer inspection, it was bending differently than her good leg. It was broken near the ankle! I'm an ER doc and I still missed the fracture for 4-5 days. I was treating her for a pulmonary infection because of the panting. It was tricky to diagnose but comparing to the other side there was definitely a difference. I had no idea that chickens panted when they were in pain. I splinted her with gauze wrap and Popsicle sticks on both sides and she started using the leg again. My wife and I were very relieved. Mississippi State University has a good website on mixing medications. For analgesia you can grind up a whole 325mg aspirin very finely (I used a mortar and pestle) and dissolve it in 1 gallon of water and let the chicken drink as they please. It did help with the panting. So I think that she is on the mend for anyone dealing with a similar situation.

I just read your post, and the reason you had little response was because it was an old thread which get overlooked frequently. I'm glad you found the broken leg, but I just wanted to point out that there are a number of leg deformities that chickens may be born with or develop due to vitamin or trace mineral deficiencies. The ones to look for are twisted or rotated tibia and tibial dyschondroplasia that may cause a break in the leg eventually. I hope your hen just had an injury. Here are some links about leg disorders:
http://nhjy.hzau.edu.cn/kech/synkx/dong/2bao/Bone disorders in poultry.pdf
http://www.merckmanuals.com/vet/pou...nfectious_skeletal_disorders_in_broilers.html
http://www.thepoultrysite.com/publications/6/diseases-of-poultry/220/slipped-tendon-perosis
http://www.thepoultrysite.com/publications/6/diseases-of-poultry/217/vitamin-b2-deficiency

 

[DAngeloFarms]

Thanks for those links. I will definitely learn more about this issue. She has been on complete feed since a chick with vitamin supplement in her water intermittently and has had normal legs/gait until this happened. I believe that she must have caught her foot under the crossbar in their night cage because she went to bed normal. Thanks for your input

 

[Eggcessive]

You're welcome. I just noticed you are from WV. Small world--I'm from Huntington, and live just across the river now.

 

[DAngeloFarms]

Nice. Thanks for your help

 

[karakakes]

I'm also having issues with my sexlink she's almost a year old. I opened the coop this morning she had herself shoved in the corner all balled up. So I pulled her out thinking she was still asleep for some strange reason (everyone else was awake and chatty) once I startled her she starting moving around and she was limping badly. I couldn't help but be immediately concerned. For she is 1 of 20 I was now worried for her safety. I cant find any obvious fracture, swelling, redness, or wound. I turn to the internet and I am reading about an infection called "bumblefoot" even still she has none of the same symptoms except the limping. I compared her feet to other girls feet and still nothing. I have her in a dog crate with food and water to keep her inactive as well as to keep her safe from bullies...I dont know what else to do for her.?????

 

[Eggcessive]

I'm also having issues with my sexlink she's almost a year old. I opened the coop this morning she had herself shoved in the corner all balled up. So I pulled her out thinking she was still asleep for some strange reason (everyone else was awake and chatty) once I startled her she starting moving around and she was limping badly. I couldn't help but be immediately concerned. For she is 1 of 20 I was now worried for her safety. I cant find any obvious fracture, swelling, redness, or wound. I turn to the internet and I am reading about an infection called "bumblefoot" even still she has none of the same symptoms except the limping. I compared her feet to other girls feet and still nothing. I have her in a dog crate with food and water to keep her inactive as well as to keep her safe from bullies...I dont know what else to do for her.?????

It's always best to start your own new thread so that you get more responses by posting here: https://www.backyardchickens.com/forums/threads/add/forumId/10

Was she holding the leg up or dragging it? Can you see any swelling or bruising from the toes up to the thigh? Keep her in the dog crate 1-2 weeks, and re-evaluate her leg after the first week. Watch her for any new symptoms, and I would add some vitamins or a B Complex tablet to her water daily.