New hen laying owner with deformed hen leg

[k9baron]

We got 12 laying hens in April, they were approx. 1 month old; one Rhode Island Red has a leg bent the other way. She gets around on the one leg, toes curled around in a circle, she spins around a lot, but I make sure she eats well and has her own waterer. She can't roost so she sleeps in the nesting box and is laying. we have 6 different breeds, two of each, Buff Orphington, White Leghorn, Rhode Island Red, Americana, then two mostly red with white and two that are a beautiful gold and black. All laying daily, well, I average 9-10 eggs a day. Not sure how to make the one with the bad leg more comfortable of if I need to. No one is picking on her. TIA Tina Lynn

 

[Pork Pie]

Hi Tina Lynn and welcome to BYC. Since she is not being picked on and she is laying I'd say she doing just fine. You could post your question on this forum - Emergencies / Diseases / Injuries and Cures

This is a useful link of BYC guides to take a look at announcements-feedback-issues-guides.3 (there's a guide on how to include your location under your avatar, which will be helpful). You can use this link to contact members in your area - Find your State's thread.

Best wishes

Pork Pie

 

[Wyorp Rock]

We got 12 laying hens in April, they were approx. 1 month old; one Rhode Island Red has a leg bent the other way. She gets around on the one leg, toes curled around in a circle, she spins around a lot, but I make sure she eats well and has her own waterer. She can't roost so she sleeps in the nesting box and is laying. we have 6 different breeds, two of each, Buff Orphington, White Leghorn, Rhode Island Red, Americana, then two mostly red with white and two that are a beautiful gold and black. All laying daily, well, I average 9-10 eggs a day. Not sure how to make the one with the bad leg more comfortable of if I need to. No one is picking on her. TIA Tina Lynn

Welcome To BYC

Can you post some photos of her?

From your description she likely has a leg bone deformity, but has learned to adapt.
Is the spinning around due to her mobility issues or do you feel that it's neurological?

It's good that she is not picked on and seems to be doing o.k. You probably want to inspect her legs from time to time to see if there are any callouses or sore spots on the joints since she does not roost. If she doesn't dust bath, make sure to watch for lice/mites as well.

Providing an extra layer of soft bedding in the nesting box where she sleeps may make her more comfy. You don't mention your location, but if you have cold winters see that she has adequate wind protection where she sleeping.

Hopefully others will chime in with their ideas. Look forward to your photos

 

[Flockandfowl46]

 

[007Sean]

Howdy

 

[k9baron]

Welcome To BYC

Can you post some photos of her?

From your description she likely has a leg bone deformity, but has learned to adapt.
Is the spinning around due to her mobility issues or do you feel that it's neurological?

It's good that she is not picked on and seems to be doing o.k. You probably want to inspect her legs from time to time to see if there are any callouses or sore spots on the joints since she does not roost. If she doesn't dust bath, make sure to watch for lice/mites as well.

Providing an extra layer of soft bedding in the nesting box where she sleeps may make her more comfy. You don't mention your location, but if you have cold winters see that she has adequate wind protection where she sleeping.

Hopefully others will chime in with their ideas. Look forward to your photos

Thank you! We are in Western Montana. Now that sunrise is later, she stays in the nesting box and hten when the other hens start laying, she moves herself out to the coop area. My husband brings her down around 11am if she hasn't come down on her own; at night they free range for 2 hours and I put her out in the grass and loosen up the dirt for her for worms. Then when the hens start to roost, I bring her in and put her in the nesting box. She is very spoiled ;-) Her spinning is due to the deformed leg. She uses her wing as a crutch so her feathers are a little worn on that side. She seems fine, I just feel bad for her. Has anyone every purchased those hen wheel chairs? I would need one with tractor tires to get around in the dirt.
Thank you, Tina Lynn.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

She does sound spoiled

You can google "wheelchairs for chickens" it should pull up photos and videos. I can't recall anyone here on BYC using one, but it's something to look into if her mobility declines. I would think she would need to be monitored closely while in a chair, just like chickens who are placed in slings to recover from injuries/disease. They can flip out/get hung up and injured. Some chickens won't tolerate being in a sling, so I would think the same would go for a wheelchair.

If she is moving around fine and managing with your help, see how it goes. It's nice that you kept her and she has learned to adapt and is doing well. Some birds with deformities end up having something else wrong with them developmentally and ultimately have to be culled.

 

[k9baron]

She does sound spoiled

You can google "wheelchairs for chickens" it should pull up photos and videos. I can't recall anyone here on BYC using one, but it's something to look into if her mobility declines. I would think she would need to be monitored closely while in a chair, just like chickens who are placed in slings to recover from injuries/disease. They can flip out/get hung up and injured. Some chickens won't tolerate being in a sling, so I would think the same would go for a wheelchair.

If she is moving around fine and managing with your help, see how it goes. It's nice that you kept her and she has learned to adapt and is doing well. Some birds with deformities end up having something else wrong with them developmentally and ultimately have to be culled.

She definitely eats as well or better than the rest of the hens (no roosters). They get meal worms 2x a week, all our left over veggies/bread/fruit; scratch grain 1x day when I go in to get the eggs, I just put a couple cups down. They were getting a cup of raspberries 1x week when we were picking them. She's getting a callus on her knee on her bad leg but no sores or anything. Her good leg, she's getting a callus on her foot, but seems okay. Tina Lynn

 

[Wyorp Rock]

She definitely eats as well or better than the rest of the hens (no roosters). They get meal worms 2x a week, all our left over veggies/bread/fruit; scratch grain 1x day when I go in to get the eggs, I just put a couple cups down. They were getting a cup of raspberries 1x week when we were picking them. She's getting a callus on her knee on her bad leg but no sores or anything. Her good leg, she's getting a callus on her foot, but seems okay. Tina Lynn

I love to give mine treats too. Just remember that all the "extras" dilute the protein and nutritional content of the feed you offer free choice. I try (they are beggars aren't they) to limit treats to no more than 10% of their daily intake - I do feed a 20%protein feed, so can dilute that a bit, but high fat or carb items like bread, scratch and pasta I limit those even further.
Even though laying hens usually self regulate the amount they eat, they will eat all the goodies first, they may not get all the nutrients they need and they can still become fat. Extra fat, can build up around the organs, in the abdomen and cause health problems like Fatty Liver Disease. It can also make it more difficult laying eggs and possibly cause reproductive issues down the road.

This is not to scare you! Do some reading/research on your own and evaluate what and how you feed. There are a lot of good articles/threads here on BYC and on the web about diet. What you are doing is probably o.k., just look at how much they are getting - maybe cut down on the amount of scratch per day they get.
https://the-chicken-chick.com/chickens-obesity-silent-killer-how-to/

I would expect that she will get a callus on the good foot and the knees, I would just monitor those for redness/soreness, etc.

 

[k9baron]

I love to give mine treats too. Just remember that all the "extras" dilute the protein and nutritional content of the feed you offer free choice. I try (they are beggars aren't they) to limit treats to no more than 10% of their daily intake - I do feed a 20%protein feed, so can dilute that a bit, but high fat or carb items like bread, scratch and pasta I limit those even further.
Even though laying hens usually self regulate the amount they eat, they will eat all the goodies first, they may not get all the nutrients they need and they can still become fat. Extra fat, can build up around the organs, in the abdomen and cause health problems like Fatty Liver Disease. It can also make it more difficult laying eggs and possibly cause reproductive issues down the road.

This is not to scare you! Do some reading/research on your own and evaluate what and how you feed. There are a lot of good articles/threads here on BYC and on the web about diet. What you are doing is probably o.k., just look at how much they are getting - maybe cut down on the amount of scratch per day they get.
https://the-chicken-chick.com/chickens-obesity-silent-killer-how-to/

I would expect that she will get a callus on the good foot and the knees, I would just monitor those for redness/soreness, etc.