Rooster leg issue

[Hayduke27]

Hi everyone. Yesterday afternoon I noticed my rooster limping a little bit. He was using the bad leg, but with a noticeable limp. This morning he's in worse shape. He doesn't want to put any weight on the bad leg, and uses it for balance only. He's really hobbling around, and from the looks of his tail feathers, I think he's fallen a few times this morning. I just picked him up, and upon feeling his leg and foot and taking a good look, I don't see anything wrong. When I put my finger in his foot, he grasped it with all his toes. He is crowing and eating, but having a good amount of trouble getting around.

I am going to make him some scrambled eggs and give him another good "looking over". Is there anything specific I should check for? I see no swelling or discoloration, and obviously haven't noticed a break or anything. Any advice would be appreciated. Thank you!

 

[Hayduke27]

So I just finished feeding a couple of scrambled eggs to the rooster, which was no small feat considering I had 11 hens who wanted those eggs too (never underestimate the power of mealworms). After feeding, I gave the rooster a good going over. There are no signs of bumblefoots, both feet are clean and show no signs of swelling. There are no raised scales. He is a Welsummer, so he has yellow legs. Both legs have hints of red in them, but I really am not sure if this is the way it's always been or not (I haven't looked this closely before). His right leg is just fine, he can hop around on it, and even manages to run away when I try to catch him. He uses the left leg incredibly sparingly, mainly for a bit of balance when he's standing on the right one. Right now he prefers laying down in the run over standing.

While holding him, I gently squeezed the leg, starting at the ankle and moving up to the top of the thigh, feeling for any abnormalities and watching his reaction. He did not react at all, I couldn't really find a sore spot. I also felt nothing I thought was strange. I have read about injured legs being very warm to the touch, but his do not seem to be especially warm or anything.

I fed him, placed some clean warm water near him (it was a little below freezing this morning), and now he's just hanging out in the run. Nobody is bugging him, so I don't think I need to separate him or anything.

Is there a chance this is just a sprain? It just worries me that it got worse overnight. I didn't see what caused this yesterday, as I was away most of the day. Is there anything else I should check for?

 

[Percheron chick]

Interesting. I have a SL cochin roo that is acting the same way. Started about 6 weeks ago. He really acts like he had a stroke. He was unable to eat or drink for about 10 days. He could not walk or even support himself. He would just lay their resting on his breast bone with his butt in the air. He can eat(very slowly) and get around now but stumbles and still falls over, can't get off the ground, gets hassled by the boss hen, doesn't crow (peeps a little bit). He still does that grasp thing with his feet when you pick him up. I also thought he might of come off the roost and just tweeked his leg but it progressed over about a week period, plateaued for the 10 days I had to feed him than has been getting better little by little every day. Doesn't crow and his feathers aren't quite as vibrant as they typically are, is down in weight, his comb died back but he's a little fighter.

I've done extensive searches online and consulted with an educated chicken rancher and haven't been able to come up with anything either.

 

[Hayduke27]

I have been watching him for a while now. He is still in good spirits, crowing a lot, and he is pecking away at the ground while sitting there. His leg is not paralyzed, he can walk on it, it just appears to be very tender. As I mentioned before, he also uses it for balance when he stands and can grasp with his foot.

I am keeping a close eye on him. The ladies are free ranging, and he is just hanging back in the sunshine in the run. Hopefully this is the low point. I'll update, and again, any insight would be greatly appreciated.

 

[danni c]

I had a similar problem with my welsh harlequin last week he caught his foot coming out of the coop he appears fine now and only limps or hobbles occasionally when he remembers so fingers crossed its something similar for you

 

[Hayduke27]

He is still acting normally other than he is not standing up. He will come over for treats, and he is very aware. Hopefully tomorrow he'll be less sore. I'll update if I notice a change. Thanks for viewing this everyone!

 

[Hayduke27]

This morning's update: I think things are going to be ok. I know it's early, but the rooster is using his leg a bit more today. He's still limping, but he's putting more weight on it than he was yesterday, and just seems much more mobile. I will baby the crap out of him again today, but I think this is something that will heal.

 

[Valk]

I hope so Hayduke!!! Keep us informed!

 

[Hayduke27]

Ok, I thought I'd post an update in case anybody reads this who is having a similar issue. The rooster has been getting better with eat day. I have kept a close eye on the leg, and there is no swelling, bumble, or discoloration (the red I described before is on both legs and still present, I think that's just the way he is). Day 2 was the worst day, that was when he was most sore, and he pretty much just laid around all day. Since then, he has had less of a limp each day, and his mobility has almost fully returned. He can jump again, and is keeping up with the ladies. A minor limp is still present, but I think it will be gone by the end of the week. Anyway, I still have my fingers crossed, but it looks like he's well on the way to recovery!