Shorty Is Limping!!!!

[PianoMan]

My Light brahma is about 4 and a half months old and this morning she developed a limp! she doesn't seem to want to put much weight on her right foot. her feet look ok. must be a problem with her leg or hip. What should I do? Please help!

-Jenk

 

[hen-thusiast]

Have you separated her? First, I'd keep her separate from the group. In a nice quiet, comfy location where she can't move around a whole lot. We have a dog crate in the house that we use for illness/injury. Second, have you felt around for a break, dislocation or bumblefoot? Hopefully, it's just a sprain. Once separated, I'd give her some electrolytes in her water and maybe a little scrambled egg or yogurt mixed in with her regular food.

We currently have one inside, my horse tried to smash her and in the panic of flying away injured herself, she has been inside since Labor Day weekend. We suspect she broke something, but couldn't find a break. Made a cute little splint out of vet wrap. She's getting better... finally... but she was so bad she didn't put any weight on her foot and to move around used her wing as a crutch, Shorty doesn't sound like she'll need that long of a recovery.

Feel free to look at other posts here, you'll see a lot pertaining to limping/leg injuries. Keep her quiet, warm and relaxing and I bet she comes around in a couple of days! Good luck!

 

[PianoMan]

Thank-you so much Hen-thusiast, Im hoping that it is just a sprain or something minor. Her mood is normal and I have checked her out the best I can, Im afraid I'm just not experienced or qualified to diagnose chickens. I guess I will just wait and see if she gets better although I feel horrible doing so.

I have some more information and questions incase anyone has any ideas:

-She is quite larger than my other chickens, she likes to eat a whole lot and I'm wondering if weight could possibly contribute to a limping problem.

-Also, how much does calcium play a role in how strong a chickens legs are? I put oyster shell out for them but only last week.

-lastly, do chickens ever act strangely or have any problems when they're getting ready to lay their first egg?

Im sure these things are just paranoia but I really like my chickens. Thanx, Jenk

 

[nature nut]

We had a limping chick that didn't want to walk more than a step or two and didn't want to put weight on that foot. We kept her in the brooder box on soft pine shavings and put the water and food close by. She would sit right by the food and most of the time sat to eat or drink. I did use avia charge 2000 (a nutritional supplement I already had on hand from Mcmurray Hatchery) and let her rest as long as she wanted. She was zipping around again in 3 weeks. Hope that's all yours has too.