New rooster limping after integration

[Chicken Esquire]

Hi Everyone!

I have a new rooster who was just integrated with my flock yesterday (he is actually older than my flock, I've had him a little over 3 weeks, and.my girls just about 2 weeks, but I was keeping them in separate quarantine since they're from different places). I kept him in quarantine for 22 days and he was fine, just super sad lol. Yesterday I integrated him with my flock and it seemed to go really well. The girls didn't mind him, and my older alpha girl kind of puffed up her neck and circled.him a bit, they flapped at each other, but then she backed down and actually laid down for him. They all went together to bed last night, with him sitting with the top girls on the top roosting bar. However, this morning he has a pronounced limp! He is favoring one leg. He seems fine otherwise but it is obvious. I just picked him up to see if he had bumblefoot or scaly mites or something but the foot looks perfect and I don't see an abscess underneath. Plus that would be weird after being perfect yesterday. I think maybe he hurt his.leg in the coop last night somehow? I sprayed the leg with vetrimycin but there was no obvious injury. Is.there anything else I should do? If it's a sprain, do I wrap it with like athletic tape or something? How can I tell if it's broken or sprained? He puts weight on it, just not a lot.

 

[Chicken Esquire]

He is a very beautiful and good guy who is not a jerk to me or the hens so far, so I really hope he is okay! Pic for no reason but that he is gorgeous lol.

 

[Goosebaby]

If it’s a sprain all you can do is keep him confined to a space that’s comfortable and small enough that he barely needs to move to reach food and water, sometimes for a few weeks while it heals, which I doubt he will enjoy.

He could have an underlying illness that only manifests when stressed, mycoplasmas will do that, and in chickens and turkeys especially they like to target the hocks and feet, you may notice some swelling and that they’re hot to the touch if he’s fighting something, although if he has a sprain the hock will also feel warmer than usual so that’s something to keep in mind.
There’s just as good of a chance that he did hurt himself in the coop, first night out with a new flock and he could have easily been spooked by one of them and did who knows what to himself.

 

[Chicken Esquire]

Thank you goosebaby! I appreciate you taking the time to respond! I picked him up to check him out, and his legs seem fine to me? Not warm, no mites, no crackling, not tender when I touch, and I don't think there is bumblefoot. He is eating well and still putting weight on it, just a limp. He is still getting his mating game on, too-- could be a sex injury lol. I attached a picture, let me know if you see a red flag that I missed, if you don't mind. Otherwise I'll just confine him for a few days (poor guy, he JUST got out of quarantine lol!)

 

[Goosebaby]

I’m more familiar with goose legs so I’m not much help with the picture but considering he’s acting completely normal he probably just has some soreness from whatever shenanigans he’s been up to.

 

[Chicken Esquire]

Thank you goosebaby!! He actually seemed a bit better today so I am thinking it was just a bad pulled muscle or something

 

[MTR]

Hi Everyone!

I have a new rooster who was just integrated with my flock yesterday (he is actually older than my flock, I've had him a little over 3 weeks, and.my girls just about 2 weeks, but I was keeping them in separate quarantine since they're from different places). I kept him in quarantine for 22 days and he was fine, just super sad lol. Yesterday I integrated him with my flock and it seemed to go really well. The girls didn't mind him, and my older alpha girl kind of puffed up her neck and circled.him a bit, they flapped at each other, but then she backed down and actually laid down for him. They all went together to bed last night, with him sitting with the top girls on the top roosting bar. However, this morning he has a pronounced limp! He is favoring one leg. He seems fine otherwise but it is obvious. I just picked him up to see if he had bumblefoot or scaly mites or something but the foot looks perfect and I don't see an abscess underneath. Plus that would be weird after being perfect yesterday. I think maybe he hurt his.leg in the coop last night somehow? I sprayed the leg with vetrimycin but there was no obvious injury. Is.there anything else I should do? If it's a sprain, do I wrap it with like athletic tape or something? How can I tell if it's broken or sprained? He puts weight on it, just not a lot.

I always wince when I hear limping chicken. I lost 80% of my flock to Maericks and the limp was the symptom I saw almost always. It typically shows up right at sexual maturity or a molting process. Since you have a rooster and hens presumably from different sources do you know health history? Vaccine status? Hopefully it is just a sprain or other minor issue. I’d definitely quarantine to be safe but I am she’ll shocked too.

 

[Chicken Esquire]

Thank you MTR. mareks disease scares the heck out of me, to be honest. I called an avian vet and am going to try and get him in and get tested. I'll update this thread when I find anything out (fingers hardcore crossed it's not that!). He seems to be improving a bit, so hopefully not? But I want to know for sure.

 

[Mutchi]

Since its new, it might have been injured by bullying maybe?

 

[Chicken Esquire]

Yah he was trying to have sex with my girls and was... Pretty awkward, flailing and falling all over... So injury is definitely a possibiity! (Hoping for that but we will see!)