Year old hen is limping...day #2

[BrahmaGirl2018]

My largest Brahma hen (she just turned a year old) is limping. No sign of bumblefoot, no swelling, no wounds. She was fine when I let them out yesterday morning. I went back out to let them out in the yard and noticed her limping. She is eating and drinking fine. She “chickened” around the run last evening looking for bugs and eating grass and is active today as well. I checked her over really well again this morning...no wounds, no signs of anything. I soaked her in warm Epsom salt water for almost 10 minutes this morning as well. Any other suggestions or ideas of how to help her? How long do these issues tend to take to resolve? * I have NOT separated her from her flock because she gets really stressed being apart from them.

 

[chickenthyme]

I have a Sapphire Olive Egger although younger having the same issue and it distressed me so much because she was probably my most personal little girl! I'm assuming maybe she had jumped off the roost and landed wrong? I don't know but couldn't see any other issues with her. So I separated her for a couple of days but like you, it seemed to stress her more being separated and I put her back with the others and they don't seem to pick at her. We were away for a bit and my granddaughter (who has raised chickens) watched them for me. She evidently noticed my limping one and so she picked it up one night and I think kind of gave her a chiropratic massage....slowly pulling her leg out and then to the side AND amazingly she seems SOOOOOOO much better. Just a thought for you but I was SO happy with the results because I thought she might always be limping!!!

 

[pspatbyc]

What I did was setup a small pen within the pen with her own food and water. about 2ft by 4 ft with a lid on top. If you give them time they can heal themselves if it wasn't too bad an injury . History- The first day I noticed she was limping and using her wing as a crutch. The second day her flock was pecking her wing and had drawn blood and were stomping on her. Thats when I pulled her out and built the setup I described. Then I put her into the mini pen inside the bigger run with her flock. I kept her in there about 6 to weeks. this gave her some space to move but kept here from being dumb and aggravating her injury. Also made a little nest box out of a shoe box that I put in her mini pen so she could still lay eggs in a fashion she was accustomed to LOL!. When I let her out there was a little pushing a shoving while the reestablished their pecking order but it did not get rough and was done in an hour or so. Now she's back to being one of the flock

 

[Eggcessive]

When a chicken is limping, it is good to see a video of how they are limping. It can be posted to YouTube or Vimeo with a link posted here. While Mareks should be considered as a possibility, more often, an injury is to blame. Limiting activity in a pen or dog crate, but kept within the coop with the other chickens to keep them from being upset. Some give aspirin orally (81 mg) or in the water (325mg per cup) for a painkiller and anti-inflammatory.

It can be common for a limping chicken to be attacked by other flockmembers who sense weakness or illness. I had a hen who could not balance for almost 5 weeks. She stayed in the coop in a basket near the others, and had to be fed several times a day. After she began to walk around aagain, she still wobbled some, and the other hens attacked her. I have never been able to reintegrate her unfortunately, but she happily free ranges all day long in my backyard across the fence from her flock.

 

[Eggcessive]

Have you added any new bird to the flock in recent weeks or minths? Here are some articles to read about Mareks:
https://extension.umd.edu/sites/extension.umd.edu/files/_docs/programs/poultry/FS-1007 Recognizing and Preventing Mareks Disease in Small Flocks.pdf

https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/the-great-big-giant-mareks-disease-faq.66077/

 

[BrahmaGirl2018]

Have you added any new bird to the flock in recent weeks or minths? Here are some articles to read about Mareks:
https://extension.umd.edu/sites/extension.umd.edu/files/_docs/programs/poultry/FS-1007 Recognizing and Preventing Mareks Disease in Small Flocks.pdf

https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/the-great-big-giant-mareks-disease-faq.66077/

They were vaccinated against Marek's as day old chicks. I only have the original 5 I bought together a year ago. Everyone is being nice to her. Even her BFF is hanging by her side as company. I will try to post a video in a little while. I have a crate to separate her, but it stresses her out to be separated and as long as she is eating and drinking and everyone is nice I thought it best to leave her with her flockmates.

 

[Eggcessive]

I would leave her with the others then. Watch to see that she isn’t overdoing it or getting picked on.