My silkie cockeral can barely walk

[barbgoos]

My beautiful silkie cockeral was fine when I brought him home 4 months ago. Two weeks ago I noticed he was struggling to walk. Thinking he might have injured his foot or leg I confined him to a cage so he could rest. After a week of quiet confinement, I took him out and set him on the grass. His mobility appears to be more limited. I checked his feet and they look fine (except for one questionable toe). He's eating and drinking fine and is talkative. I continue to cage him because I feel he is too vulnerable. In the morning I put him out with his 2 companions in a protected pen for socializing and fresh air and sunshine. Each day though he seems to move less. He'll stay for hours in one spot. When I pick him up and then put him down he is unable to stand. He topples forward and struggles to get his legs under him. Anyone have any ideas????

 

[BinaryChicken]

it could be bumblefoot. does he have weird dots on the underside of his foot?
or he might have scaly leg mites. check to see if his scales on his legs are lifted up

 

[leedlebee]

I am having the same issue with my barred rock rooster, but it went from limping to not walking in a couple days. I have been researching all morning and I have found two things it could be. botulism aka limberneck, if your chickens are free range like mine, he could have come across rotting organic matter or maggots feeding on rotting matter and contracted it by eating it or drinking water with rotting organic matter in it.Also if you give your chickens table scraps make sure they are not rotted or slimy. I know it starts with the feet becoming paralyzed and it moves up into the legs eventually into the wings then the neck and eye lids. I am treating him with a epsom salt flush which is half cup water to one teaspoon of epsom salt. You can find epsom salts and anyplace with a pharmacy (i get mine from walmart) and you squirt it down his throat twice to three times daily do that for a few days until you see recovery.thankfully botulism can not be given to other chickens. You can also get botulism antitoxin meds from a vet but that is expensive. They wanted 55.00 just for a appt. and i hear the Prescription is very expensive. I hear you can use a broad range antibiotic for chickens over the counter and it may or may not help. The other illness could be marek's disease but apparently it usually does not affect chickens less than a year old. Merek's also causes leg paralysis droopy wings and sometimes death. A lot of chickens are vaccinated if they are hatched from hatcheries. Merek's is also contagious to other chickens so unless you know what it is I would keep him isolated just to be safe ( I know, I feel so bad for my rooster not being with his buddies) I wish you luck, wish me luck too

! Let me know what comes of this.