Limping one year old heavy hen

[Cryllc82]

Hi everyone, yesterday one of my hens was limping kinda badly. She was ok that morning so she must've had a jumping accident in the run I'm assuming. She is a very large hen and lays nearly every day. She is holding her right leg up and scratches weakly with it when foraging. I examined her feet and both legs for injuries and found nothing. She is still limping as badly this morning. Any advice would be so appreciated.

 

[Purelychicks]

Hi everyone, yesterday one of my hens was limping kinda badly. She was ok that morning so she must've had a jumping accident in the run I'm assuming. She is a very large hen and lays nearly every day. She is holding her right leg up and scratches weakly with it when foraging. I examined her feet and both legs for injuries and found nothing. She is still limping as badly this morning. Any advice would be so appreciated. View attachment 3427450

Does she have bumble foot or frostbite

 

[Cryllc82]

Does she have bumble foot or frostbite

No bumblefoot or frostbite. It's hardly been cold since December here in WV. I spread her toes out on both feet and they look the same and healthy.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

You can either pen her up and limit her activity or monitor her and see if she improves over a few days.

 

[Cryllc82]

You can either pen her up and limit her activity or monitor her and see if she improves over a few days.

Thank you. Yeah if she is still limping as bad tomorrow she's coming into the house in a little dog crate.

 

[Cryllc82]

Thank you. Yeah if she is still limping as bad tomorrow she's coming into the house in a little dog crate.

Hi everyone, I'm back about my black copper marans hen, she's probably every bit of 9-10lbs. She's been limping some again and will lose her balance on one side and will stick her wing out to balance. I picked her up yesterday and her feet are fine but I heard a loud pop from her left hip. I'm not sure if it's because she's such a large breed or she's had an accident. Is there anything I could do for her to help her recover?

 

[Eggcessive]

Sorry about your continuing leg problem with your hen. She could have a weak joint or tendon or ligament issue. With joints, they can slip in and out of the joint if the tendons are loose. You could try to use an anti-inflammatory drug, such as meloxicam (prescription from a vet,) or short term aspirin 81 mg given once or twice a day for up to 3 days. Resting the leg in a wire dog crate with food and water, but kept with her flock would be good. Prevent her from jumping up and down on a roost, for at least a week or two. B complex tablets 1/4-1/2 tablet daily crushed and sprinkled into some food daily might also be a good thing. If she seems too heavy, you could try to slim her down some. Is she eating a balanced layer feed? Let us know how she gets along.

 

[Cryllc82]

Sorry about your continuing leg problem with your hen. She could have a weak joint or tendon or ligament issue. With joints, they can slip in and out of the joint if the tendons are loose. You could try to use an anti-inflammatory drug, such as meloxicam (prescription from a vet,) or short term aspirin 81 mg given once or twice a day for up to 3 days. Resting the leg in a wire dog crate with food and water, but kept with her flock would be good. Prevent her from jumping up and down on a roost, for at least a week or two. B complex tablets 1/4-1/2 tablet daily crushed and sprinkled into some food daily might also be a good thing. If she seems too heavy, you could try to slim her down some. Is she eating a balanced layer feed? Let us know how she gets along.

Thank you for the quick reply! Yes the whole flock (6 hens) eat an organic commercial feed. They get 1 cup of scratch grains a day and about 2 hours free range daily. Their run is fairly large, about 10ft wide x 20ft long. She doesn't seem overweight. The closest avian vet to me is 60 miles away so I will try the aspirin. Do I split the 81mg down and do multiple little doses out of it during the day? I was reading another thread here and that seems like what some people were doing.

 

[Eggcessive]

You can just give her the once or twice a day dose. Chickens crops fill up during the day, and empty overnight. The meds will be absorbed with the food a bit during the day and then mostly overnight. The scratch grains are not as good for her as her balanced feed, and could dilute some of the protein, vitamins and minerals. They probably don’t need that much daily.

 

[Cryllc82]

You can just give her the once or twice a day dose. Chickens crops fill up during the day, and empty overnight. The meds will be absorbed with the food a bit during the day and then mostly overnight. The scratch grains are not as good for her as her balanced feed, and could dilute some of the protein, vitamins and minerals. They probably don’t need that much daily.

You're saying I'm giving an eggcessive amount of scratch, I'll try the aspirin and cut them back to half cup, thanks again!