Limping hen?

[cnj-tx50]

I noticed yesterday that one of my 28 week old poulets was doing a limping thing. Thought maybe she had just bumped it or something as she like to fly over the fence. Today she's limping and holding her leg up and when she does put weight on it her foot folds under like she not bending it enough to put it down flat. I inspected her this morning and could find nothing wrong. Looks and feels just like the other foot. No other problems that I can see and no one else in the rest of the flock seem to have any problems. Any ideas? Not sure what to do for her.

 

[silkiechicken]

If you can't see or feel an injury, she probably sprained it, so not much you can really do.

 

[cnj-tx50]

No, no cuts, swelling, nothing. I thought that maybe it felt warm like a fever, but it feels the same as the other foot. The pads are the same size. No difference in color between legs/feet.
If it is a bruise/sprain will this heal so that she can walk?

 

[usschicago1]

Most Likely Your sure thats all thats wrong with it> No nasel discharge or sneezing right? Just a limp. If so yeah i think it sprained it and it should walk normal. It takes 8 weeks for it to 100% heal. Maybe increase protein.

 

[Phyll'sFarmFamily]

You said that she likes to fly over the fence.
If she sprained it just keep her in a small area to keep her from using it too much. You should start to see improvement in a couple of days but it may take time for her to get back to normal.
She may have broken her leg or it may be out of joint. Gently feel both legs from top to bottom to see if there is any difference- swelling, heat, or pain (she will let you know if it hurts) Then feel around the “hips” for a lump or a bulge.
If she isn't doing better in a day or two, you may want to take her to the vet.
I have one that has broken her leg twice (same one). She had a lump on her back/hip from where the bone had broken and was against the skin. All the vet could do was to give her pain med and told me to keep her in as small of an area as I could so that she wouldn’t use it. He also said to keep the room dark as much as possible so that she would relax and rest and not hurt it any further.

 

[cnj-tx50]

No coughing/running nose or anything else out of the ordinary and I have checked her all over and can find nothing that feels "wrong" or different. I have a small rabbit hutch type cage that I may put her in tomorrow to try to give her a little peace from the rooster and the other girls. It does have a wire type floor so I am guessing that I should cover it with something to make it a little easier on her. Thanks for all your help!!!

 

[CESOrtega]

I have a cochin pullet in very much the same situation. On her injured leg she is not gripping with her toes. She also walks with the injured leg straight out in front of her. We can't find any obvious signs of injury so we're stumped. I have been keeping her in the normal coop with her sisters during the day because they protect her and she spends a lot of time resting. At night when the big girls come in we bring her inside. She is not able to defend herself in case someone gets territorial. But, she is eating and drinking and pooping and doing a fair job of getting around. She can even go pretty quick if one of the big girls is intimidating her. We have had her in a box in our sun room and have found out she likes to listen to mariachi music. We come in and she will be singing along to the music and she gets upset when we turn it off. Ha!

I have been giving her poly visol no iron since Saturday and I am seeing a little improvement. I hope it is a strain like other posters have suggested to you and that it will clear up soon. Seems like there have been several people posting here recently with similar situations.

Good luck with your girl and I hope she feels better soon! Maybe you could try the vitamins to give her a little pick me up.

 

[cnj-tx50]

I think that I will try the vitamines. She sleeps with her sister on top of the feed container. There are about 4 of them that stay together. I hate to break that up but will if she has not improved. She does not hold her leg in front but rather just picks it up but when she does walk it's like she she does not put her foot down flat so maybe like an ankle thing.

Hope your girls is feeling better soon as well.

 

[schmije]

We've had limping hens a couple of times. We currently have one in our infirmary (i.e. alone in the chicken tractor), because she got in a fight with a roo and is limping. She seems to be improving slowly. It's been a week, and she hasn't laid any eggs. She also lost some feathers in the fight, so we assume she's growing feathers instead of eggs right now. Otherwise she's healthy - eating, drinking, roosting normally.

Last year we had a hen that was attacked by a dog, and she limped badly for several weeks. The first few days she couldn't roost, and she slept on the floor. She eventually learned to roost on one leg with the bad one stretched out to the side for balance! It took her close to 2 months to recover, and she's fine now.

 

[cnj-tx50]

Thanks ya'll. Such a relief!!!! And now that you mention the fighting my gils do seem to have started that with some of them beginning to lay. They jump up at one another. I never thought of that because there are three that are the same age - sisters - that keep to themselves as they are the youngest. I think I will try to put her in the hutch tomorrow to give her a little rest!!!