Limping

[Erin80]

My poor Ameraucana hen, Boots, has been limping for a couple weeks now. I don't know if it's an injury or disease.....I'm pretty new to chickens (got our first babies in April). She is eating and drinking, very interested when I sprinkle scratch around, isn't making any noises to signal she's in pain....doesn't look sick. I don't feel any breaks in her leg, she can bear weight on it but she does limp. It has snowed here, and turns out my chickens want nothing to do with the snow....so Boots spends a lot of her day sitting up on her roost with her best friend Patch. She's not running around and they don't want out to free range. Any ideas or suggestions?

 

[apryl29]

This probably won't help much, and maybe others have actual advice, but I had a similar issue with one of my pullets & a leghorn cockerel. Not sure what happened to them, but like yours they had a limp, but not visible injury. Eventually both stopped limping with no intervention. Is it possible they are roosting or perching on something that's too narrow? I think that's may be what caused my cockerel's problem, he was roosting on the edge of the thin edge nesting boxes. I got him a roost and eventually he stopped limping. I'm not sure if the pullet may have landed funny hopping down from her roost, but she is fine now too, but it did take quite a while for them to stop limping.

 

[Erin80]

Thanks! They are on 2X6's for roosting, so definitely not too narrow, lol.

 

[apryl29]

LOL Definitely not. I'd just keep an eye on her that it's not getting worse. Mine looked like her leg was swollen which got me really worried, but it was just the angle I was looking her. I had taken her out of the coop for a few days, but after talking to a few people on here I put her back in. It gradually got better and I noticed Saturday that she was walking normal now. So I'd say it took 7 weeks from the time I noticed she was limping to when she seemed to be healed. Of course, as with anything, your results may vary.

 

[orrpeople]

Limping (lameness) is definitely a concern.
First, have you checked the bottom of her feet? Look for any kind of dark patch that might indicate bumble foot. Also, check for any other type of sore while you are looking.
Second, chickens don't make pain noises per se. They will generally fluff up and hunch their shoulders. They will also stand very still. The idea is to not draw attention to the fact that they're hurt, because flock dynamics often involve driving the injured or ill bird out of the flock.
If the limping continues, watch for other signs of distress like not eating.
Has she been laying eggs?
I'm sorry your girl is not feeling well.

 

[Erin80]

She actually hasn't started laying yet...and neither has my other pullet...they are both 26 weeks old. I will definitely go check her feet again to be sure. Thanks. I feel so bad for her.

 

[Erin80]

I just checked her foot and both feet look perfect. Also, she laid her first egg today!!

 

[apryl29]

I just checked her foot and both feet look perfect. Also, she laid her first egg today!!

Congrats!

 

[adickenscoop]

Did you try using PoultryDVM's chicken symptom checker tool?

 

[micstrachan]

Congrats on the egg! My pull it Millie, a speckled Sussex, limped for quite a while. Rest helped her. Still, when she runs across the yard she sort of hop-runs. Interestingly, she does like to roost on a narrow ledge between littke rooms in their coop. I think I’ll widen it. Anyway, keeping her activity limited for a few days may help your girl.