Need help with limping Rooster...previous toe injury

[Dparish032]

hi all,

Our 6 month old rooster has been limping for a few days now. About a month ago he injured his toenail. I cleaned and wrapped it and it seemed to heal just fine. Fast forward to now...he is limping bad on that leg. I soaked him in warm water and epsom salt two nights ago and cleaned the area. The leg is warm compared to his other leg and he won’t put much weight on it. Do you think there could be an infection from the previous injury or something different? Any input is much appreciated!!

 

[azygous]

He's definitely in pain. You can give him a baby aspirin (81 grain) twice a day to make him more comfortable.

It does appear there's still an issue with that toe. Soak it in very warm water about 100F for a good fifteen minutes. Add Epsom salt and Betadine to the water.

If you have a magnifying lens, have a good look at that toe tip after you fish him out of his soak. It may be some sort of splinter or thorn has wedged itself into the toe where the nail comes out. Fish around gently and see what, if anything you can pull out.

I see no bruising or sign of infection. A bruise would be green and infection red and swollen.

Do you have any pine tar? It's an old time remedy for livestock, but it can draw out infection and foreign bodies and it's a natural antibiotic. It's a good investment and can be found at feed stores. Apply it and then hold the roo until the stuff gets dry and hardens. No bandaging is necessary as the tar forms its own seal.

Keep an eye on your boy and give him aspirin until he quits limping. Check for swelling and his limp getting worse. In that case, we'd need to recommend something else.

 

[Dparish032]

He's definitely in pain. You can give him a baby aspirin (81 grain) twice a day to make him more comfortable.

It does appear there's still an issue with that toe. Soak it in very warm water about 100F for a good fifteen minutes. Add Epsom salt and Betadine to the water.

If you have a magnifying lens, have a good look at that toe tip after you fish him out of his soak. It may be some sort of splinter or thorn has wedged itself into the toe where the nail comes out. Fish around gently and see what, if anything you can pull out.

I see no bruising or sign of infection. A bruise would be green and infection red and swollen.

Do you have any pine tar? It's an old time remedy for livestock, but it can draw out infection and foreign bodies and it's a natural antibiotic. It's a good investment and can be found at feed stores. Apply it and then hold the roo until the stuff gets dry and hardens. No bandaging is necessary as the tar forms its own seal.

Keep an eye on your boy and give him aspirin until he quits limping. Check for swelling and his limp getting worse. In that case, we'd need to recommend something else.

Thank you so much!! I don’t have pine tar but I’ll go get some and give it a try.

 

[aart]

Could be a new and different injury.
I isolate limpers for 'forced' rest.

If limp is really bothering them by inhibiting their normal activities too much, I will isolate them in a crate to 'force' rest for a day or two. Letting them out late in day, an hour before roost time, to give them a stretch and evaluate their mobility, then decide if they need another day and put them back in crate off roost after dark. Repeat stretch and eval the next day until they are better. Keep crate in coop so bird can remain 'with' the flock.

 

[Dparish032]

Could be a new and different injury.
I isolate limpers for 'forced' rest.

If limp is really bothering them by inhibiting their normal activities too much, I will isolate them in a crate to 'force' rest for a day or two. Letting them out late in day, an hour before roost time, to give them a stretch and evaluate their mobility, then decide if they need another day and put them back in crate off roost after dark. Repeat stretch and eval the next day until they are better. Keep crate in coop so bird can remain 'with' the flock.

Thank you!!

 

[Wilson22]

hi all,

Our 6 month old rooster has been limping for a few days now. About a month ago he injured his toenail. I cleaned and wrapped it and it seemed to heal just fine. Fast forward to now...he is limping bad on that leg. I soaked him in warm water and epsom salt two nights ago and cleaned the area. The leg is warm compared to his other leg and he won’t put much weight on it. Do you think there could be an infection from the previous injury or something different? Any input is much appreciated!!

I know this is an old post, but can you tell me what you did to help your Rooster? I have one that is walking very much the same way, but there are no obvious signs of current or past injury.