- May 13, 2013
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This is my first time raising chickens, so forgive any ignorance on my part. I'm raising a dozen New Hampshire Reds. One of my young hens doesn't seem to be able to put weight on her knees. I'm guessing at this term. It's the joint in the middle of the leg. She's the only one of a dozen and I first noticed it when she was about a week old. She may have had a problem before this, but I didn't notice. I just hoped she might grow out of it. She's now 8 weeks and it doesn't seem to have gotten any better. I'm a little concerned that she won't be able to get up and down the ramps for her coop and she'll starve to death.
I have held her several times and palpated the joint and moved the legs. She seemed to not be in any distress from this. She actually seemed pretty happy to be held once I had a hold of her. I figure that since none of my other birds have shown any similar behavior that this must be something that isn't communicable.
So, the question is what, if anything, should I do about her? My flock is intended for eggs and meat, so I don't have any hold ups about putting her down. But, if she can be a productive member of the flock, I'm ok with helping her along. None of the other birds seem to have any problem with her. If she's in pain, on the other hand, I'd rather put her down.
Here are two videos that show her behavior. The top one really shows the problem and also has one of my other girls show up so you can see the stark difference in leg posture. You might also notice that her legs are pretty twitchy when she waddles around.
When I do decide to slaughter her, is there any reason to think her meat wouldn't be safe for human consumption? Same question about if she starts laying.
I have held her several times and palpated the joint and moved the legs. She seemed to not be in any distress from this. She actually seemed pretty happy to be held once I had a hold of her. I figure that since none of my other birds have shown any similar behavior that this must be something that isn't communicable.
So, the question is what, if anything, should I do about her? My flock is intended for eggs and meat, so I don't have any hold ups about putting her down. But, if she can be a productive member of the flock, I'm ok with helping her along. None of the other birds seem to have any problem with her. If she's in pain, on the other hand, I'd rather put her down.
Here are two videos that show her behavior. The top one really shows the problem and also has one of my other girls show up so you can see the stark difference in leg posture. You might also notice that her legs are pretty twitchy when she waddles around.
When I do decide to slaughter her, is there any reason to think her meat wouldn't be safe for human consumption? Same question about if she starts laying.
