Two young roosters with leg problems - trouble walking - please help

[oliviaandjosh4]

I have two roosters one is about 4 months old while the other is about 5 months old.

The older one starting walking funny on his legs about a month or so ago, I didn't think much about it I assumed it was because he was really big and his legs are long (he's a welsummer btw). Within the last week he has gotten to wear he limps really bad and now won't even try to walk much at all. He is separated.

The younger one is a BLRW, he has always seemed wobbly on his legs and he just looked uncomfortable when he would walk. Now within the past week also he is struggling when he walks and sits down frequently. He is separated now as well.

What could this be? I have about 20 chickens in the same coop and none of the others are having leg problems. At first I thought maybe the roost was too high but now I am not so sure.

Also, I want to give them something to help them heal faster like vitamins. I'm going to tractor supply today and I looked up this supplement they have called " Rooster Booster Poultry Booster." Do you think this could help? Any recommendations are greatly appreciated!

I will post picture of roosts in coop in comment below.

 

[GitaBooks]

Sorry to hear about your chickens.

It sounds like it could be partial paralysis. My chicken had the some problem and lately it seems like a lot of people are reporting chickens with similar problems. It tends not to effect more than one or two in the flock. We recently had to euthanize a chick who couldn't walk.

Here is a site that talks about leg problems and paralysis in chickens. I hope it helps

https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/the-great-big-giant-mareks-disease-faq


Hope they get better!

 

[oliviaandjosh4]

For some reason this is not letting me post pictures!

I really hope it is not Marek's!! I have been keeping chickens for a little over a year and have had so many problems it is not even funny!
I have really tried everything to keep them healthy but no matter what I do one or two is always sick or injured! Right now I have the 2 roosters with hurt legs and a hen whose eye is swollen shut! Ugh!

If it is Marek's, will it only get worse until they die or can you treat it? Thanks for sharing that link, I'm about to go read it now.

 

[GitaBooks]

Sometimes keeping chickens is awesome, other times I wonder why I'm doing it.

Marek's is not treatable, and it can spread. However, some chickens with Marek's never show symptoms and can live with it. Just make sure you keep a closed flock if that is the case (make sure they don't get into contact with other birds).

Hang in there!

 

[oliviaandjosh4]

So does this mean (since the link said Marek's is everywhere in my yard now if that's what they have) that my healthy chickens could all of a sudden become sick and start showing symptoms at any time? This is awful

Now it is letting me post pictures--here is the coop:

 

[GitaBooks]

Nice coop! And nice looking chickens.

First you have to be sure it is marek's. However, if it is marek's, there is always the possibility of the others getting sick. It is probably already in their system.


It could be a vitamin, protein or calcium problem. It could be a neurological condition caused by eating something toxic. It could be due to over-heating (I've heard that this is a problem in a lot of areas recently).

Hope it all works out!

 

[oliviaandjosh4]

Thanks for helping! Do you recommend any vitamin supplements I could try? Have you ever tried rooster booster poultry booster?

 

[GitaBooks]

I've never used vitamins with my flock past some electrolyte mixes. Sorry.
However, I do feed my chickens scrambled eggs when I think they need a vitamin supplement.

There are some good brands of vitamins at feed stores.