PLEASE HELP!! Chickens that keep getting hurt leg?

[momof6kiddos]

Hello,
I’m not sure if I am posting this in the right area, however I am hoping that somebody can help me out. We have only had our chickens for about eight months so we are fairly new to this whole thing, but we keep losing our hens. It always seems to start the same way… One of them will be limping and appear to have a hurt leg, and they basically go downhill from there and end up dying. We’ve separated the hurt from the flock...it never seems to help. There are never any other symptoms. Just a hurt leg and they cannot walk. It always happens one at a time too!! Which I find a bit odd. We started with 14 chickens and were now down to 7. It’s so sad and frustrating and it is devastating to my children. We do have 1 rooster in with the hens. Any suggestions as to what could be happening would be greatly appreciated. I don’t want to loose any more hens.

 

[kwhites634]

Hello,
I’m not sure if I am posting this in the right area, however I am hoping that somebody can help me out. We have only had our chickens for about eight months so we are fairly new to this whole thing, but we keep losing our hens. It always seems to start the same way… One of them will be limping and appear to have a hurt leg, and they basically go downhill from there and end up dying. We’ve separated the hurt from the flock...it never seems to help. There are never any other symptoms. Just a hurt leg and they cannot walk. It always happens one at a time too!! Which I find a bit odd. We started with 14 chickens and were now down to 7. It’s so sad and frustrating and it is devastating to my children. We do have 1 rooster in with the hens. Any suggestions as to what could be happening would be greatly appreciated. I don’t want to loose any more hens.

@BullChick

 

[BullChick]

That is a puzzle. Just one injured leg could be that she didn’t get to the food or water. Maybe even be eggbound. All of them though? I don’t know.

 

[sylviethecochin]

Emergencies / diseases / injuries and cures is the proper forum: re-posting your problem there will net you more people used to dealing with injuries, cures and diseases.

For now, you may want to give a few more details to help us help you. What is the age and breed of the chickens?
What is your coop like? How high is the roost?
Do you have any photos or videos of the limpers? A description of the type of limp can be very helpful.
What are you feeding them? Do they still have good appetite and are they willing to eat and drink after they start limping?
Have you provided special assistance besides separating them (such as a chicken sling, etc.)
Does their appearance change at all (different colored comb, etc.)
Can you post pictures of their legs? (I'm thinking possible scaly leg mites here)

 

[sylviethecochin]

Also, are you still getting eggs? A drop in production is often the first sign of something being wrong.
Can you do a parasite check for externals such as lice and mites? (it sounds nonsensical, but any weakening of the chicken leads to a weakening of the immune system and can lead to really weird problems.)
I doubt it's bumblefoot, but a picture of the bottom of one of the limpers' feet would be great, if only as a way to rule things out.

 

[momof6kiddos]

Ok, I will take pictures when the kids get home from school so they can help hold her.
She is a baby that hatched in October from one of my broody hens. So she’s only like 4 months old. (The others in the coop are like 8 months) She will eat and drink...I put the food and water right next to her. She is not producing eggs yet. The roosting bins are on the floor right now. Then they have plenty of perch bars. 2 feeders and one water feeder.
I have not provided anything other than separation from the rest of the flock with food, water and heat lamp.

 

[amanda1]

Have you researched Mereks disease? Are they vaccinated for it? Mereks can produce internal tumors that can cause them to go lame from what I understand. I recently read a Facebook post from someone who has it in her flock and this reminded me of what she described.

 

[sylviethecochin]

Can you inspect for mites and provide some vitamins? Vitamins can really help. Also, as amanda1 said, Marek's is a possibility which is why I would like to see a basic description of the limp. Is she hopping, or is she wobbling? Is it both legs or only one?

Good luck.

 

[AmazingRachel]

Sounds like Marek's but you can never be sure without a necropsy. My chicken died last week due to egg yolk peritonitis. It started with a limp, the next day she could barely walk, and the next couple of days until she died, she could not get up. Towards the end, she had trouble breathing. (Here's a link to it: https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...te-avian-vet-diagnosed.1219660/#post-19502152)
She had none of the signs of it like visible bloating and her blood work showed a normal white blood cell count (high WBCs indicates infection). From what the vet could tell at the time, her reproductive system was swollen and was pressing up against her sciatic nerve, causing the weakness in particularly the left leg. I only found out it was egg yolk peritonitis through a necropsy. Even though it is an isolated disorder, management of a flock could cause multiple occurrences, such as stressful conditions. I think that the egg yolk got "stuck" a couple weeks ago when my area experienced a severe cold snap and it then got infected. Since chickens are prey animals, they show signs of illness only when their condition is critical and so even with antibiotics, I'm not sure if there was much I could do.