Limping Duccle

[jaydannaduval]

The past two or three days I have noticed that my Duccle hens (2 out of the 3) have been having issues. Unfortunately one of them passed tonight after I found mites on her (She was very lethargic and had labored breathing). I dusted everyone else in the coop down with mite dust, but I still have a Duccle who has an issue.

My other hen has been limping on one of her legs! The other day it was a slight limp, now she is bearing no weight on it. I looked her over today, and saw nothing visible other than maybe a broken foot feather. There was a little blood where the root of the feather was broken... Would this cause her to limp? What should I do to help her out? She is still perfectly active and healthy-eating and drinking-and no one seems to be bullying her.

Should I just let her be and hope she gets better?

Thank you!

 

[Eggcessive]

Have you seen any other respiratory symptoms in any of the chickens lately? If your one hen hadn't just died, I would think that your hen with a limp may just have a sprain (and it may just be that,) but now I would wonder about mycoplasma synoviae or Mareks disease. Did they have the Mareks vaccine? For now, I would place your hen with a limp in a cage with food and water, and put some vitamins in the water. The rest may help her for a week or two if it's a sprain. Here are a couple of links to read about the two diseases, but I'm hoping it's not either:
http://www.thepoultrysite.com/diseaseinfo/99/mycoplasma-synoviae-infection-ms-infectious-synovitis
http://extension.unh.edu/resources/files/Resource000791_Rep813.pdf
http://partnersah.vet.cornell.edu/avian-atlas/search/disease/502

 

[jaydannaduval]

thank you so much ! I dewormed my whole flock and she seems to be back to normal...im not sure what it was, but she came out of it thank goodness!!