Possible Gout

[Jkbaca]

Hi. I have a rescued Speckled Sussex hen named Cracker Jack whose ankles are quite swollen. I took her in two years ago. I don't know her age, but she no like anger lays very often. The gal I got her from didn't know anything about chickens. She was a house chicken who was fed scraps and bird seed, so malnutrition is definitely likely. I see no other symptoms that would indicate MS, and the bottoms of her feet are healthy. Her feet themselves are not swollen - just her ankles - and her toes turn out a bit (I need to trim her talons, I think). She doesn't even limp. None of my others are showing any swelling or other symptoms.

Thoughts?

 

[BlindLemonChicken]

What do the bottoms of her feet look like? I have read that bumblefoot can infect their legs but I have never dealt with it personally. I do have a rooster with a very swollen leg who likely broke it at some point and it healed funny. I did a bit of research on bumblefoot when I got him because I wasn’t sure what the problem was. Usually they will act like walking is painful though. What is her diet now?

 

[BigBlueHen53]

You say she doesn't limp. To me that would rule out gout as gout is usually extremely painful. Hmmm.

 

[Jkbaca]

What do the bottoms of her feet look like? I have read that bumblefoot can infect their legs but I have never dealt with it personally. I do have a rooster with a very swollen leg who likely broke it at some point and it healed funny. I did a bit of research on bumblefoot when I got him because I wasn’t sure what the problem was. Usually they will act like walking is painful though. What is her diet now?

The bottoms of her feet are pristine, actually. She's on Nutrena All Flock, and she gets fresh fruits and veggies from the garden regularly.

 

[Jkbaca]

You say she doesn't limp. To me that would rule out gout as gout is usually extremely painful. Hmmm.

That's what I thought. No sinus involvement at all, and it's been like this for weeks now. She had a limp when I first had her in quarantine, but that was years ago.

Looks like it's time for a vet visit....

 

[BigBlueHen53]

That's what I thought. No sinus involvement at all, and it's been like this for weeks now. She had a limp when I first had her in quarantine, but that was years ago.

Looks like it's time for a vet visit....

Cool, keep us posted. I did a search on swollen ankles and there is a thread about MS with pics of swollen ankles. But they don't look like this. Good luck!

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Hi. I have a rescued Speckled Sussex hen named Cracker Jack whose ankles are quite swollen. I took her in two years ago. I don't know her age, but she no like anger lays very often. The gal I got her from didn't know anything about chickens. She was a house chicken who was fed scraps and bird seed, so malnutrition is definitely likely. I see no other symptoms that would indicate MS, and the bottoms of her feet are healthy. Her feet themselves are not swollen - just her ankles - and her toes turn out a bit (I need to trim her talons, I think). She doesn't even limp. None of my others are showing any swelling or other symptoms.

Thoughts?

View attachment 4229175

Hopefully the Vet can see her, but in the meantime, you can try giving Tart Cherry Extract to see if that makes any difference.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/rooster-with-shaking-and-limpy-leg.1628250/post-28067174

 

[Eggcessive]

To me that doesn’t look like gout which usually causes swollen lumpy toes and pain. The ankle joints (especially the left one) look a bit enlarged which is seen with mycoplasma synovitis. Are the hock joints swollen at all? Could she have sprained or fractured her left ankle in the past?