Welt and Limp

[RASRanch]

Hey all!

This is my first time posting on this forum, so I would like to introduce myself a bit.

We are a little hobby farm in Western Washington. We used to raise show and milk goats, but we have since just reduced our stock to chickens. (I don't mind all that much!) We have been experimenting with Old English, Araucanas and other bantams to see which breed we like best and what's good for free-range on our current property. We also bought some stock from Greenfire, to use to breed and sell.

The chicken in question in a 5 month old Cream Legbar hen from Greenfire who has recently developed a welt, hard thing on the joint of the top of her leg. She had a slight limp the day before, but I dismissed it as her falling on it funny, looking back I should've checked it out. It got worse today. We treated her for mites a few days ago as she was exhibiting signs of infestation, and replaced the roosts.

I'm not sure what it could be, I'm not very well read in all the chicken ailments. None of the other chickens have been showing symptoms.

 

[Isaac 0]

Pics would be helpful.

Welcome to BYC!

 

[Eggcessive]

Welcome to BYC. Does it feel hard or soft, and is it her joint that is swollen, or something like a cyst? Pictures as said before, would be helpful. You may need to make a few posts to post a picture.

 

[RASRanch]

The top one is hurt, the other one is just for reference. It is a hard boil/welt. Slightly warm. Seems to be more on the side of her leg than on the joint.

 

[Eggcessive]

That could be an injury, possibly to a tendon. Is she still limping and able to get up? Does she stand with the bad leg out to the side or back? Since pullets are flying maniacs sometimes, an injury may require a few weeks of rest. If she self limits that is good, but she may need to be confined to a dog crate to force rest. I have had one get better from a sprain, but also have had a hen never improve from a really bad limp. There are some leg bone deformities that can get worse as the chicken grows up, and tendon rupture can occur. Here is a link to read about those:
http://www.thepoultrysite.com/articles/1051/leg-health-in-large-broilers/

 

[RASRanch]

She still limps, but she has been sitting and not been as active as the other birds. The leg isn't splayed to the side or the back, she just holds it up while she is walking and tries to use it as little as possible, resulting in a skewed walking pattern. Is it something I can treat?

 

[RASRanch]

Bump

 

[Eggcessive]

That sounds more like a sprain. I would try getting her to rest the leg by confining her with food and water in a dog crate or similar in the coop with the others. A chicken sling or chair may get her upright, keep her clean, and make it easier to eat and drink. I will try to post some pictures.