Chicken bald back

[cooker]

One of our chickens developed a bit of a limp on friday, couldn't see any obvious reason, no bruising/have had a good feel of her leg and foot and it doesn't feel any different to the other one, I have no idea how she managed this!

We were hoping it would just get better, but yesterday and today shes a bit worse, and it she seems to be noticing it a lot more, se can't scratch properly because she can't hold her weight on her left foot, and shes been sitting down a lot. You would think it might be broken, but that doesnt quite fit because she was only slightly limping friday, an it got worse yest and today (today isnt that much worse than yest but certainly no better!)

 

She's 7months out of the battery and has put on a lot of weight since then, I wondered if she was just a bit too fat!shes has always been a bit quiet and slow. I can't work out what could be the cause, and am reluctant to take her to the vet and pay big vets bills for him to say he's not sure either!

 

I did think this morning maybe her pad of her foot was a little bigger than the other, so I gave her feet a warm salt bath!she didn't mind! not sure if that was the problem though.

 

Has anyone else encountered random limping in their chickens?? I want to help her as much as I can without resorting to vets!

 

Would appreciate any comments

 

Rachel

[hippy chick]

Hi my ex-bat went exactly the same 6 weeks ago. she started to limp with one leg. then she just stopped walking altogether. she didn't seem to have any strength in either of her legs. i took her to the vet, he said that she had probably injured a ligament. he gave her metacam and told me to keep an eye on her. last week she finally started to walk again and is getting around slowly. he said that it can sometimes take them weeks to get better.

[pipistrelle]

Could she have a splinter in the swollen pad?

[staceychristie]

Is there a cut or sore on her pads as pipestrelle suggested? They do tend to get abused as they dig rocks, stones and flint. Hope she gets better soon.

 

Stacey

[cooker]

Thanks guys, I have checked the pad of her foot several times and can't see anything. The thinking behind the warm salty water foot bath this morning, thought that might soothe if there was anything there, but couldn't feel anything.

We did have a brainstorm this afternoon and remembers she did make us laugh on monday whe she stood on the door frame to the run,leaning on it made the door shut and she ended up nearly doing the splits!....I wonder if we are seeing a strain from that.

 

Might wait and see if she is any better tomorrow...have let her sleep in the nest box this eve (usually turf her out, she will learn to sleep on the perch!)

 

Rachel

[hippy chick]

Sounds most likely. They do seem to strain themselves really easy. Daft chucks.

[Egluntyne]

They often land awkwardly and sprain themselves.

 

A bit of rest in a crate for a day or two, in the sight of her friends, will help, as otherwise she will try to keep up with them and aggravate things further.

 

A calcium supplement for a day or two might help too.

[cooker]

Thaks for your advice, I hadn't thought about restricting her moement! I left them locked in their pen yesterday, and have got the old rabbit hutch out today and put her in there with her own food and water. It fet realy mean, but hopefully the rest will do her good, she whined at me I dont have any calcium supplements! will have a look at pets at home, our usual chicken farm is only open til 5 during the week and I can't get there in time from work!

 

Thanks,

Rachel

[jimnpaula]

My Topaz started limping yesterday - another ex batt, out for about 8 months, so I will be interested in what happens on this thread! So far she can still weight bear on the bad leg, and managed to get up to the cube last night, and down again this morning. I might go and put the wooden ramp back in...

 

P

[staceychristie]

Wooden ramp? Well we used a piece of fencing used for borders of gardens. They loved it, and it's now a permanent attachment

 

Stacey

[jimnpaula]

Yes, we made them a ramp with battens across it to help them when they couldn't do the cube ladder. It started quite shallow, then we sawed about 15cm off it which made it steeper, then we took it away completely once they were strong enough to manage.

 

P

[hippy chick]

Tonight i tried putting Jean back in to the coop with the others. I made sure that she can get in and out of the coop. She has been in the house 7 weeks and has only just started walking again. She stays outside with the others during the day but I bring her in the house at bed time just so they don't trample on her. When the others went in she just stood looking towards the house. So i brought her back in the house again for the night. I'm scared that if she is in with the others one of them may land on her when they get off the roosts. I think that she is to attached to the house 7 weeks is an awful long time. What do i do?

[cooker]

I have kept Joan in the rabbit hutch for two days now...I will admit I did let her out for a few hours last night in the pen with the others(she only walked a few steps around the pen). She doesnt seem to be any better this evening, and she looks so sad sat in the rabbit hutch!

 

Might give it a few more days, if it doesnt work then may just let her limp around the pen, she still seems fine in herself, shes eating and drinking (she has never laid and egg anyway).

 

cross fingers!!

Rachel

[cooker]

I have heard from one of my chicken chums that chickens can smetimes get an egg stuck on a nerve to the leg when egg bound. Joan has laid only one egg, and she was fairly eggbound before that, she had a 'funny turn' in the 48hours before she laid the egg, I couldn't work out what it was and thought we were going to lose her...and then she laid an egg...So now Im wondering if she might be egg bound again?? We shall see, if she is I hope she gets it out soon!! (fed her a few drops of olive oil this morning-that seemed to work last time!)

 

Rachel