Hi,
I've been reading posts RE broken legs vs Marek's....but I still need some help:
One of 16 of my 45-day-old chicks just went lame o/n.
She is a cochin with very feathered feet [that I haven't trimmed, yet.]
All have been vaccinated against Marek's at Meyer Hatchery, or at least I paid to have them vaccinated at 1 day old.
Last night we had a big storm.....maybe she got scared and stepped on herself (silly foot feathers)???
Right leg is affected, no visible bruising, no bones jutting out, no misplacement of bones, feet and toes look fine. Right leg is extended outwards forward, somewhat. She can put a little weight on it, but not much. She doesn't want to move.
No runny eyes/nose, no pasty butt, etc., but somewhat depressed attitude. Eats/drinks ok, not super.
She's normally a very quiet bird, unlike some of the others of her group (16 chicks: 10 different breeds, all stds, 3 roos, 13 hens)
They live in a dog kennel inside an enclosure where there is lots of room and perches in the form of tree branches & a ladder, but today, I put her by herself in the brooder (livestock waterer) that she was raised in for the first 4 weeks.
None of them have been outside on grass yet because they are too small, but I do feed them dandelion, grass and clover as snacks.
No local vets will see poultry.
I have 2 adult EE hens, 2 yrs old, that free range everywhere, but are not kept with the chicks. The adult hens are able to walk by the chicks' pen, however. The chicks were raised in the same coop as the adult hens from day 1, so I don't think that disease should be an issue this far along?
The chicks eat Purina medicated starter crumbles. I was planning to wean them to non-medicated starter crumbles soon.
Does anyone have any thoughts on what her problem might be? Do chickens really break their legs all by themselves? Are the feather-footed breeds prone to this sort of problem?
