Limping Rooster... Causes?

[Humble Shack Farm]

Hello Everyone!

I have a two-year-old Blue Silkie Rooster that has developed a limp. I cannot find any signs of injury, swelling, or bumblefoot. He is not very active and tends to stand around resting the affected foot/leg. Sometimes even his tail feathers droop. He eats and drinks normal, hangs out with his hen (there's only these two in the coop until the babies are old enough to move in), etc.
Yesterday I trimmed his nails after noticing that some were too long. Looks like he isn't scratching around as much as the hen so his nails aren't being worn down.
I have done some research but cannot seem to match his limp to any cause. Does anyone have ideas? His limp appears to come and go, but it's hard to tell. I expect that something like Marek's would have progressed by now and be affecting other birds (I have over 40 between two coops), so I'm not suspecting anything contagious.

I plan to give him a good warm bath and soak, check again for any signs of a wound or tendon injury, and give him some vitamin supplements.

Thanks in advance for any advice!

 

[BugStalker]

Vitamins sound like a good idea to me.

Sometimes digestive problems can cause limping, due to inflammation, etc. Is his crop empty in mornings? Can you get a fecal float for him?

 

[BugStalker]

If you can get pix, it might help, as in https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/limping-chicken.1306429/

 

[Ebony Rose]

He may have come off of the roost wonky and sprained or twisted the leg, or landed on a hard spot on the ground in the tender spot of the foot (even humans do that and it hurts like the dickens for weeks!). Droopy feathers makes me think this is unlikely unless he's in a significant amount of pain. BugStalker brings up a two good points about checking his crop first thing in the morning, before he has access to food and water and last thing at dusk, when he's gone to bed. Should be full at dusk and empty at dawn. Worms can do it too... there's 2 kinds of worming medicines... one covers just about everything under the sun except coccidiosis, and the other is specifically for the coccidiosis. Withhold vitamin supplements if you treat for coccidiosis as it works by blocking the absorption of some vitamins. If you end up worming him, worm them all... typically get worms by them scratching around and ingesting worm EGGS, usually safe to say if one has worms, they all have them. May your good boy get better soon, please keep us updated.

 

[Humble Shack Farm]

If you can get pix, it might help, as in https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/limping-chicken.1306429/

I will try to get a picture or even a video.

 

[Humble Shack Farm]

Vitamins sound like a good idea to me.

Sometimes digestive problems can cause limping, due to inflammation, etc. Is his crop empty in mornings? Can you get a fecal float for him?

I will be sure to check his crop tonight at roosting time and tomorrow morning before breakfast. I've had one other silkie have a crop issue and it took a week on special treatment to get her recovered.
I do not have a vet in the area that will handle chickens.

 

[BugStalker]

A non-chicken vet will sometimes do a fecal float for birds (usually under $10.) Most parasite types are similar enough across species. You would need to collect a fresh sample of poop. (As fresh as possible, the fecal kind, not the cecal kind.) They need at least 1/4 teaspoon for an accurate float count. With less, they can do a smear, which is faster but not as accurate. They may have you use a special collection container.

 

[Humble Shack Farm]

Here's a video of him after his bath/soak this morning. He seemed a bit worse at first, and then a little better. I got a good look under all those fluffy feathers and didn't find any injuries. We started the vitamins this morning too.
https://photos.app.goo.gl/C4uLDNGri8Dvnv1ZA