Limping Hen

[theoldfarmhouse]

I have a young hen who has been limping for a while now. There are no signs of bumblefoot or any other injury I can see. We have a large rooster. Perhaps he has hurt her? Any ideas? I am in Australia so can’t access pain meds without a script. Are there any other pain management ideas?
Thank you!

 

[BlueBaby]

Maybe @Ribh would know. She live's over your way.

 

[Ribh]

I have a young hen who has been limping for a while now. There are no signs of bumblefoot or any other injury I can see. We have a large rooster. Perhaps he has hurt her? Any ideas? I am in Australia so can’t access pain meds without a script. Are there any other pain management ideas?
Thank you!

You could try posting in the:
Emergencies / Diseases / Injuries and Cures

Thread. Put the issue in your title to help those who may be able to help.

She may have injured herself hopping off the roost if she landed badly or was pushed. I think you can use some human pain killers but I am unsure of dosages. You would need @Shadrach or @Kris or @BY Bob here for that but again, someone in the emergencies thread is sure to know. You just may need to wait till America comes online tonight.

 

[BY Bob]

I always want to know the why before I treat. Why is she limping?

So I'm going to ask some questions.

Does she roost? Is that difficult for her? How bad is the limp? Does it stop her from being chickeny?

Depending on why she is limping the best course of action may be to restrict her movements for a while so she doesn't keep aggravating the injury.

It is so hard to treat anything without first figuring why it is occurring. I would concentrate on solving that mystery.

 

[theoldfarmhouse]

You could try posting in the:
Emergencies / Diseases / Injuries and Cures

Thread. Put the issue in your title to help those who may be able to help.

She may have injured herself hopping off the roost if she landed badly or was pushed. I think you can use some human pain killers but I am unsure of dosages. You would need @Shadrach or @Kris or @BY Bob here for that but again, someone in the emergencies thread is sure to know. You just may need to wait till America comes online tonight.

Thanks so much. I’d love to be able to give her some relief!

 

[theoldfarmhouse]

I always want to know the why before I treat. Why is she limping?

So I'm going to ask some questions.

Does she roost? Is that difficult for her? How bad is the limp? Does it stop her from being chickeny?

Depending on why she is limping the best course of action may be to restrict her movements for a while so she doesn't keep aggravating the injury.

It is so hard to treat anything without first figuring why it is occurring. I would concentrate on solving that mystery.

Does she roost? Is that difficult for her? How bad is the limp? Does it stop her from being chickeny?

Hi and thanks for your help!
Yes she can roost. It doesn’t appear to be difficult. Her limp is quite pronounced and she hops along when she runs. She is still eating, dustbathing and wandering around but at a slower pace.
I have had a feel of the leg and it all feels intact. She will retract her leg if I try to straighten it out.
I have taken a video but can’t seem to upload it.
I hope this info helps! If you do know of pain meds I can give her that would be great. I have another hen in ‘isolation’ at the moment but hope to move her out and pop this one in to give her a rest ASAP.
Cheers,
Jay

 

[Eggcessive]

You can give a 5 pound hen aspirin low dose 81 mg orally twice a day for pain. You can also give it in water 325 mg in 240 ml of water, but make sure that she drinks well.

How old is your young hen? Was she vaccinated for Mareks disease. While injuries are most common, we worry about vitamin deficiency, and in young chickens, we worry about Mareks disease, a virus which can cause lameness among other symptoms. I would offer some vitamins that contain riboflavin (vitamin B2) or 1/4 to 1/2 human B complex tablet daily.

 

[theoldfarmhouse]

You can give a 5 pound hen aspirin low dose 81 mg orally twice a day for pain. You can also give it in water 325 mg in 240 ml of water, but make sure that she drinks well.

How old is your young hen? Was she vaccinated for Mareks disease. While injuries are most common, we worry about vitamin deficiency, and in young chickens, we worry about Mareks disease, a virus which can cause lameness among other symptoms. I would offer some vitamins that contain riboflavin (vitamin B2) or 1/4 to 1/2 human B complex tablet daily.

Hello! Thanks for your message. The hen is 1 year old and is otherwise well. She wasn’t vaccinated as she was hatched at home from our roo and hen. I will get some aspirin and give it a go. If in water should I syringe feed it to her or just offer it in her pen?
Thank you again,
Jay

 

[Eggcessive]

If you take a video, post it to YouTube or Vimeo with a link her so that we can see it. I would try to give the aspirin orally or if she will take it in a little egg or snack, that would be fine. The taste in the water might make her not drink enough. Look at her entire leg and at her foot pad dor any swelling red or green color and bumblefoot scab. Let’s hope that it is an injury and not Mareks since she was raised there for the last year or more.

 

[BY Bob]

Does she roost? Is that difficult for her? How bad is the limp? Does it stop her from being chickeny?

Hi and thanks for your help!
Yes she can roost. It doesn’t appear to be difficult. Her limp is quite pronounced and she hops along when she runs. She is still eating, dustbathing and wandering around but at a slower pace.
I have had a feel of the leg and it all feels intact. She will retract her leg if I try to straighten it out.
I have taken a video but can’t seem to upload it.
I hope this info helps! If you do know of pain meds I can give her that would be great. I have another hen in ‘isolation’ at the moment but hope to move her out and pop this one in to give her a rest ASAP.
Cheers,
Jay

I am thinking that there may be a joint issue. Can you palpate her knee and hip and tell if either might be swollen compared to the "good" leg? Is there a reaction when you flex the knee or the hip individually? Try flexing the knee first and then the hip. Try not to do both at the same time.