Pullet with leg injury, not sure how to proceed

[Scottiemom]

One of my 5 month old Bielefelder pullets started limping a couple days ago. She was eating, drinking, and getting around ok. I looked at her leg and it looked normal (no bumps, bruises, scratches, etc..) but she didn't want to bend it nor could she close her toes around my finger. Also, one toe seems to splay out a bit more than the rest. So, I decided to keep an eye on her and see how it went.
Well, 2 days later and she seems to be getting worse. Still eating and drinking and everything but she cannot put any weight on it at all, and she mostly just sits in a corner in the run. I took a look at her leg again. The injured one doesn't seem any colder than the other (it is below freezing here) and everything still looks almost the same except now there seems to be a red mark down her leg. I posted a picture hoping someone might give me an idea in how to proceed.
Do I leave her be, splint it, bring her in? Any ideas on what may be wrong?

 

[azygous]

If you've examined the bottoms of her feet and ruled out bumblefoot or green bruising between the toes, it appears she's scraped her leg there where it's red and damaged the scales. Scale damage hurts.

Look around the coop or run for any place she could have slipped behind something and gotten her leg caught. If you have Vetericyn wound spray, I suggest using that twice a day.

If she still acts as though she's experiencing pain in that leg, you could restrict her to a crate, but keep her with the others, to reduce movement and encouraging healing. A whole baby aspirin 81 grain placed directly in her beak twice a day can help with the level of pain and make her more comfortable.

 

[Eggcessive]

The ankle joint appears a bit swollen, so it could be sprained, or possibly broken just above the ankle. If you think it could be broken or can get it xrayed, here is a video on how to splint a lower leg:
https://www.google.com/search?q=spl...ient=safari#kpvalbx=_Ggy6Xb-KD9LKswXj85SYBw47

Rest, if you do not splint, and limiting her activity would be helpful. A sprain or boken bone may take several weeks to improve.

 

[Scottiemom]

So, an update and a much bigger problem. My hen has limped along, some times seemingly better, other times not so much, but she's always stayed alert and a good eater. However, on a downward time about 3 weeks ago, I went to the coup in the morning and she was laying on her back on the coop floor! I quickly go her inside, (it was just below freezing outside) got her cleaned up, and settled her into my extra brooder. Her "injured" leg was almost completely paralyzed and she was losing control of the other. I got her propped up in a "nest" with towels and she happily gobbled up scrambled eggs and drank some nutri-drench water. However, since then, she has lost the use of both legs almost completely. She can get herself from her food to her water and occasionally to the other side of the brooder (it is about 2'x4'). Her appetite is as good as ever and she is very alert, but the paralysis is getting worse and her poop is becoming very runny and green-ish.
Then, 2 days ago, I went to the run and a second hen was sprawled on her back! No previous symptoms at all! I took her in and put her in a crate. She ate, drank and rested for the day and she seemed to be fine. So, I took her out to the coop after "lights out" and got her setted on a roost. Everything seemed fine....but the next morning she was on her back on the floor! (Luckily, the roost she was on is only about 1 1/2 feet from the flooring) Now, she will roost on my hands and grip my fingers, but when you set her on her feet, she falls forward and rolls onto her back!
At this time, all other 8 hens and my roo seem fine.
So, I am afraid it is Marek's. I have a closed flock, all my chickens were chicks last spring (one batch the end of March from Cackle, the next arrived the middle of May from Greenfire). I am pretty sure both hens are from the second batch, but I can't say for sure. No other chickens really nearby (some a couple acres over) and we have never had Marek's (or any other avian illnesses to my knowledge) in the 17 years we've lived here, before that it was raw forest. We do have a large population of wild turkeys around but I keep my chickens in a completely enclosed run.
Sorry for the long post but I would love any help or advise. I am really not sure what else I can do or where to go from here. I do know where and how to send a bird in for a necropsy but until then....?

 

[Eggcessive]

Sorry about your lame pullets. Were either of the chicks from Cackle or Greenfire vaccinated for Mareks disease? Has either group been exposed to any other chickens, and have you added any new birds in recent months? I think that you are doing all you can do at this point, but I would also start some vitamin B complex crushed into their feed daily, just in case of a vitamin deficiency. Has either sick pullet started laying eggs yet? It would be good to insert a finger inside the vent 1-2 inches just to rule out a stuck egg. Wear a disposable glove if you have one. This isn’t the first case of possible Mareks reported from breeders and hatcheries. I really hope it is not Mareks, but the age is right for it.

 

[azygous]

There are many causes of lameness, Marek's and avian leucosis being the main viral causes. Other common causes include lameness from toxic exposure to petroleum distillates. I've had chickens become lame from leucosis and petroleum distillates. It can be progressive. I was able to trace the petroleum exposure to a leaking log splitter, and a necropsy years ago identified lymphoid leucosis in my flock.

Until a chicken dies and you get a necropsy, you are left to guess at the cause, but if you have any leaking machinery where chickens scratch around and pick up grit, you may be able to identify that as a source.

 

[Eggcessive]

Check your feed or any scratch for any off odor or blue green coloring of mold, which can cause neurological symptoms and death.

 

[Scottiemom]

Yes, all chicks from Cackle and Greenfire were vaccinated for Marek's. And, although I have not introduced any birds to my flock, I did have a group of chicks from Sand Hill Preservation Center that were shipped without the customer knowing and my local post office was desperate to get an emergency place for them. So, I ended up keeping them in a separate brooder from my chicks. That said, it was for about a week in May. I have no idea about those chicks.
I can't say if either of the affected pulleys have started laying, but most of my hens are laying and have been for months. So, I will check for a stuck egg. Other than that, the feed is good and there are no toxins in or around their run. They do not free range at this time.

 

[Eggcessive]

Thanks for such a detailed response. I am glad to hear that they were vaccinated.