Suggestions Please!! Swollen Hock!

[SophiaSussex]

Hello
I have a 18 week old white rock hen who has suddenly started limping. I noticed last night while closing up the coop. This morning i observed in better light. Her left hock is swollen and the foot itself is slightly turned inward. When she stands in one place, she pulls the left foot up. She eats and drinks fine & goes after scratch just as vigorously as ever. There are no lesions on her feet, and her leg skin looks fine. Hoping its not a viral or bacterial infection, since the rest of the flock look fine. Looking for suggestions on next steps. Should i bring her in away from the flock? What other things should i be checking for?

 

[Isaac 0]

Sorry, you haven't received help. Could you post a few pictures of the area?

A swollen hock could indicate a wide variety of problems, and it's likely you won't know for sure the exact problem unless you have diagnostic tests done at your vet office. Trauma or a viral, or bacterial infection would be my first suspects, but a mineral/vitamin, leg deformity, deficiency is possible.

If there is a slight rotation to the hock, it's possible there was some sort of luxation, or sprain that went on, or even worse a break. If you gently hold the hen's leg and feel the joint, does anything feel out of place? If granted, you may gently bend the joint and listening for any clicking, or grinding.

Stress can have impound effects on animals, especially a flock bird such as a chicken; separating her from the flock often induces stress. Instead, it may be best to set up a pen for her inside the coop or run where she can still see her flock mates. An ideal pen should be soft padded to reduce pressure on her feet, as well as have easy access to feed, and water nearby. B vitamins are partially responsible for leg structure, and health in birds, so you may consider adding 1/4 of a B complex, or a few drops of a cattle B complex to her feed, or treats.

Supportive care for a few week/s may resolve the problem completely. If she doesn't show improvement you could try an antibiotic such as Tylosin, or Enrofloxacin in consideration of an infected joint. A vet familiar with birds will likely figure out the problem with more efficacy, so if you have one in your area, it may be best to see them.

 

[Eggcessive]

Good advice so far, and can you post any pictures of the legs?Do you see any swelling of the ankles?