Roo in pain- PLEASE HELP! Is this normal?? (Pics)

[SJK]

I posted about my poor limping boy Max a few days ago but didn't get too many responses. Today while examining him (and slathering his legs with cooking oil on the chance that scaly leg mites could be responsible), I discovered this. At the top of each leg, where they meet his body, he has a black crusty patch of something very hard (it almost looks like a very thick black scab or dried tar, but it is sort of peeling, flaking, or lifting away from the skin and there are also a couple of strange looking little red and yellow nodules or soft lumps around it). He definitely reacted like this is the source of his pain when I touched them.

Can someone please advise me as to whether this is an expected part of rooster anatomy or-- if not-- what it may be? He has been having difficulty walking, using his wings to balance and lying down most of the time and definitely acting like his legs are painful. Still alert, eating, drinking, and pooping normally. I am nowhere near as knowledgeable as some of you about chicken health, but I really love this guy and desperately want to help him. Can anyone who may know *please* look at the pictures and give me any advice?

 

[LaFleche]

This might be caused by his own overgrown spurs that with each step he takes excoriate the inside of his joints. And even roosting at night will be painful too as the spurs will pierce his body while doing so.

To be sure watch him closely as he walks and try to determine where exactly his spurs touch his legs/joints.

I would trim the spurs and clean the scabbed wounds covering them with antibiotic ointment as at least on one leg there was an infection visible.

I almost forgot: And in addition I see scaly legs that should be treated as well using Ballistol Spray for 10 consecutive days spraying every other day to smother the mites.

 

[pozees2]

Agree, it does look like his spurs are the cause of his trouble. We had one slice open his belly and suffer subsequent fly strike because of long pointy spurs that curved upward like that. Learned our lesson. We saved him but it was a long recovery.

Trim the ends with dog nail clippers and then smooth them off with a Dremel tool or similar made for dog and cat nails, so there are no sharp edges. 3AB or vetericyn on the wounds will help him heal. you may need to wrap some vet wrap or similar around his wounds while they heal. The spurs are just like nails, the longer they are, the longer the quick inside is, so you have to try not to cut them too short all at once or they will bleed - in case, try to have some styptic powder on hand to stop it quickly, or if you can't get that, have some cornstarch handy and use the same way.

 

[LaFleche]

I just looked a your pictures from the other thread and the scaly leg mites seem to cause pain as well. This needs immediate treatment.

There are a lot of videos on how to remove or trim rooster spurs, maybe one of this two might work for you:

 

[SJK]

Thank you all so much. I am currently treating the mites and will take care of the spurs and follow all other advice. So everyone agrees that the black patches are essentially just big tough scabs?

 

[SJK]

Ok. I took him off the roost (he has been getting up there, but keeps his wings out to help balance and doesn't look very comfortable) and I just finished doing all I can do for now. First, I cut about 1.5-to-2 inches off of his spurs with dog clippers and then sanded them smooth. Trimmed his nails as well. No bleeding at all.
Then I gently pulled at the edge of one of the scabs and a very small amount of what I believe to be pus came out. I massaged the nodules/lumps around the scabs hoping to move any more infection towards the opening where the scab was now pulled up a bit... didn't get any more pus-like stuff out but he definitely acted like pressing there (even as gently as possible) was hurting, so I stopped. Then I slathered the whole area with triple antibiotic ointment and wrapped both scabby areas (not tightly) with vet-wrap. Gave him a small dose of Rimadyl/Carprofen for the pain, and then replaced him on the roost. I had already started treatment for the scaly leg mites earlier today.
My question now is, will I need to cut open the wounds to get the pus/infection out like you do with bumblefoot? Or do you think it will heal with just the antibiotic ointment and wrapping? I also do have oral Doxycycline and Clavamox, if people think I need to treat systemically with either of those. Thank you again for the advice. I know we're not out of the woods yet, but I'm so relieved to at least have some ideas now of what's wrong and how to help him. THANK YOU.

 

[LaFleche]

How is your rooster doing?

 

[SJK]

Thanks for asking. Max is hanging in there, but we are still trying to get him better. We found a very good avian/chicken vet near us, and have been there with him twice so far. The vet believes the scabs are secondary to some medical problem that was causing him to lie down all the time (thereby repeatedly irritating those spots by spending so much time in that position). We tried two different antibiotics in case the root problem was a bacterial infection (his white count was through the roof), and now he is on an anti-fungal to address the possibility of aspergillosis. He also has a pain med. If he doesn't improve on the meds, the vet says it is most likely a heart problem, which will not be "fixable." The vet agrees that there is also infection under those scabs, and has me slathering them with a silver cream twice a day. This has been loosening the scabs, and she plans to let them continue to loosen/soften for another 4-5 days and then she'll put him under briefly, pull off the scabs and dig out the dead tissue/hardened pus that is under there. He has been living inside for the past week+, and we brought one of his girls in as well to keep him company. We have been having him sit in a sling for about 2 hours a day just to stretch out his legs and rest in a different position. He has been an amazingly good patient, and is enjoying all the petting and stroking and lap-sitting he's getting. He seems *a bit* better than he was; is eating and drinking well and standing for short periods. We are doing all we can to help get him through this, and hope that he'll be back to himself before too long!

 

[LaFleche]

It is heart-warming to read all the troubles you take on to give him the care he needs. I hope he will pull through!