my chicken's leg is ... lame?

[adeechickluv]

Hi,
Some not-so-happy news from me today. I came back from a 3 day vacation to see
one of my four chickens sitting down. And for a while, she didn't stand up. I
then picked her up and noticed her foot was curled in so that the top of her
foot was touching the ground. She didn't uncurl it.

I set her down and she didn't move. Her food was still curled. It caused her
pain when I touched it. She had been in perfect health before. I was very sad to
hear this news.

Our first reaction was that she would have to be put down.

Because we only have four chickens, and in the matter of saving a living
animal's poor life, we would like to ask a vet for help. It sounds crazy, and
most vets would think so as well, for a chicken to see a vet. I guess for now we
will just see how she is tommorow.

So my question(s) to you are this:
What caused her leg to act in this way?
Is there anything we can do about it?

Thank you for your time & answers. My chicken and I

appreciate it very much.

Edit: She is an 8 week old RIR.

Adrienne

 

[adeechickluv]

Oh, and I just realized that its not stuck in this curled position. She can uncurl it, but she limps around so we have stuck the feeder & waterer next to her. Poor, poor baby. It's so horrible to watch her limp around.

Please, please, please post an answer. It would really help. Thank you!

 

[feathersnuggles]

It could be Marek's, especially if the leg sticks straight out. You can do a search on BYC for Marek's disease and limping or lameness. It is a disease often posted, sometimes even with pictures of the lame leg. Seems that some birds survive it, and some do not. If you want to know for sure what she has, I'd definitely take her to a vet. In our area, the vet that sees chickens is the avian vet at our local Bird & Exotics Veterinary. Good luck to her and to you!

 

[adeechickluv]

We brought her to an Aviary Medical Center where she will be observed, and we'll get a call around 8:00 to hear results. I'll post again then.

 

[LadyinRed]

Quote:
No worries, it doesn't sound crazy at all and surely if they made it to becoming a licensed vet then they understand that any animal can be a wonderfully adored family pet.

Good luck with the poor baby and keep us all updated!!!

 

[feathersnuggles]

Quote:
Thanks for the update. Sending good thoughts to your bird and to you!

 

[adeechickluv]

Well we got the call from Doc, and she says she's doing well. She spoke really fast so I can't repeat everything back to you, but I'll try. Rose (the RIR) has a nerve problem, actually higher up in her pelvic area. There's no real trauma, and she doesn't seem to have anything else wrong with her. For now she's in a (what the doctor described to be) a "snowshoe" so that she will keep her foot uncurled, and so she can walk with it. So Rosie will be spending the night, and we'll pick her up in the morning. She will have to keep that snowshoe thing on for about 3-5 days, but then she should be better.

Thanks for all who listened to me blab about my chicken!

 

[feathersnuggles]

Oh THANK YOU SO MUCH for posting the update and details about her condition. It's wonderful to know there's nothing medically wrong! Such a relief. And, for all of us who have chickens and read BYC, it is soooo very helpful to know the actual diagnosis, because often people never update us about the outcome and we're left in the dark, wondering. And it's good to know about the "snowshoe" for mobility -- I'm trying to imagine that. So, thanks very much for posting her diagnosis!! Let us know how she recovers. And lots of good luck to you & your hen!