Rooster with enlarging feet

[jagman]

Can anyone help me identify what this is and tell me if anything can be done about it? This rooster is 4 or 5 yrs. old. Hatched at home with 6 other chicks all of which have been kept together and he is the only one affected. It has developed over the past year and now prevents him from being able to latch onto his roost, his toes do not flex much anymore. He has difficulty walking and spends a fair amount of time lying down. He has now developed a pressure sore on his chest from resting on it. We have lanced several areas and get some dry, white, paste material out but it cannot be completely removed and is getting progressively worse. Both feet are affected equally. No other areas of his body seem affected and other than the disability caused by the enlarged, stiff feet, he seems ok. He eats and looks otherwise well. Thanks in advance.

Josh

 

[Chick Charm]

I have an idea or guess. I am not a vet.

Could it be chicken gout? I think it's a possibility. Eating layer feed with high calcium can give birds gout or gout like symptoms. Their body tries to fight it creating a "pus" or elevated levels of "whatever" causing swelling and fluid build up or pus. Usually the culprit is eating too much calcium or other minerals for the needs of the bird (in this case a rooster).

Again this is merely an uneducated guess, but something worth looking into. Changing feed (restricting) and draining the fluid/paste build up is needed.

You may want to consult a vet.

Wish ya the best.

 

[Eggcessive]

Gout could be a good possibility, but I would also look at frostbite and mycoplasma synovitis as possibilities. Since the toes look clubbed and a couple of toenails look missing, I would suspect frostbite. If your temperatures never go below freezing, that may not be it. MS is an infectious disease that can have respiratory symptoms, and breast blisters can be common with MS. Tylan and chlortetracycline (Aureomycin) are sometimes used to treat it, but they remain carriers for life.