Limping Orpington - not bumblefoot

[selainek]

Hello All,

I have a Lavender Orpington (almost 2 years old) that has begun limping. We successfully treated bumblefoot in both of her feet, re-introduced her to the flock, and everything was fine for about six months. Lately she has begun limping again and is usually the last one out of the coop in the morning (like it's hard for her to get going). Our lead hen has noticed too and will peck at her comb to the point of making it bleed. She makes no attempt to fight back or even get away, she just hunches down and doesn't move. We have checked her over for bumblefoot and didn't see anything. We have also taken her to the vet who couldn't find the cause either (no xrays or anything, just an exam). Their roost is barely off the coop floor to accommodate a different hen, so I don't think jumping is causing a problem. She's eating, drinking, and laying normally. She's currently in a dog crate inside the run during the day (to give her comb time to heal) and we let her out at dusk to sleep in the coop with the flock. We've also tried separating out the lead hen (like a time-out you would do for a bully) but that didn't stop the pecking.

Any thoughts or suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

 

[Eggcessive]

A short video uploaded to YouTube or Vimeo with a link posted here of her walking might be helpful. Does she have any swelling of her joints or feet? Has the bumblefoot surgery all healed? Does she put weight on the leg or hold it up?

 

[dawg53]

In addition to what Eggcessive mentioned, other than the lowered roost in the coop, is it possible she may have jumped down from another high object on your property such as a trash can or lawn chair? If so, it could possibly be a sprained or strained ligament or tendon.

 

[selainek]

A short video uploaded to YouTube or Vimeo with a link posted here of her walking might be helpful. Does she have any swelling of her joints or feet? Has the bumblefoot surgery all healed? Does she put weight on the leg or hold it up?

There is no swelling of her joints or feet. The bumblefoot healed well and she was right as rain for about six months afterward. She does put weight on that side but gingerly...like a long, quick type gait. It also appears to come and go, she doesn't limp hard all of the time.

 

[selainek]

In addition to what Eggcessive mentioned, other than the lowered roost in the coop, is it possible she may have jumped down from another high object on your property such as a trash can or lawn chair? If so, it could possibly be a sprained or strained ligament or tendon.

We have four chickens in an enclosed run. It's possible she could have jumped down from something (I've heard that's a problem for Orpingtons). She's been limping on and off for quite a while now and the vet didn't see any evidence of an injury.

Do you have any advice for checking for ligament or tendon problems or suggestions for treatment?

 

[dawg53]

We have four chickens in an enclosed run. It's possible she could have jumped down from something (I've heard that's a problem for Orpingtons). She's been limping on and off for quite a while now and the vet didn't see any evidence of an injury.

Do you have any advice for checking for ligament or tendon problems or suggestions for treatment?

See post #4 in this link:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/limping-chicken.1243650/