Pullet limping! Not putting weight on leg!

[ponygal12]

Hi everyone!

Welll......my bad luck is still...here. My 6 month old Barred Rock, Daisy, is limping. This morning, when I went out to feed the girls some scratch, she came hopping out of the coop with the rest of them. I didn't notice her leg at first. Then she started squatting in front of me, trying to keep the weight off one leg. I thought that was kinda odd because while her friends were all pecking at the scratch, she could care less. Well, she was curious and eating at first while standing. Anyways, I watched her get up and she was hobbling around after the others. So I brought her inside the coop to check her leg. It doesn't appear to be swollen or broken. She left me touch it and just move it. She seems to be getting around fine. Like, when I let her go, she hopped on the lower roost(limping of course) before hopping back out of the coop with the others.

What could be wrong with her leg?

Is it broken? I am praying that it's not!

What can I do to help her/ fix the leg?

Will it heal?

All help is appreciated!

Thanks

 

[dawg53]

Check the bottom of daisy's foot for a dark in color round scab. If you see it, it's bumblefoot. If you dont see it, most likely she somehow got a sprain from hopping down off a roost or perch. Time will heal her if you give her some R&R.

 

[ponygal12]

Phewwww...I pretty sure it's not bumble foot but I'll check again. Should I isolate her? Right now she's in the run sitting down. How long will it take for the sprain to heal?

 

[PepsNick]

Well, before you treat it you'll need to know what it is. Go ahead and bandage it. But incase it's bumbelfoot, here's a really good link for that. http://www.poultry.allotment.org.uk/Chicken_a/bumblefoot-chickens.php I will also try to find a good thread from speckledhen with surgery pictures... you might want to PM her.

 

[PepsNick]

Oh, and by the way, you have the newbie bad luck curse... it's horrible! I had it and lost 4 girls- 2 to cocci, one to eating problems, and one to a neighbor's dog. Now I know how to treat and that vaccination IS important! And I've also gone through the introduction struggles that you have... MANY times. It gets better

Hahaha.

 

[ponygal12]

Haha...thanks for the support!

I hope I don't loose any of my girls.....that would be horribel!

Anyways, how should I wrap her foot? I'm such a newbie it hilarious.

Not really but yay. I thank all of you for your wonderful help!

 

[Judy]

I would guess it is a sprain or strain of some sort. What she really needs is rest. If possible, I would do this while with the flock, to avoid her being at the bottom of the pecking order when returned. I have an area in my coop where I can confine a bird but she still sees and hears the flock.

 

[ponygal12]

Thanks for the advice! Any estimates on how long it will take to heal?

 

[dawg53]

Quote:
Tough to say how long it'll take to heal....kinda like a sprained ankle, could be a few days or a week or two, depends. The less she walks on it, probably the faster she'll heal.

 

[ponygal12]

Okay...thanks. Tonight she's in a cage in the coop with a buddy. Daisy hates being confined so a calm chicken friend quited her down. Of course when I went to put the chickens away for the night, she was the first one of the roost...lol.