Can you help Old Henry's feet out?**NEW PHOTOS ON MESSAGE BELOW**

[KatinAL]

I have an old game rooster named Henry. I think he has arthritis in his feet. I have several photos but I cannot figure out how to attach to this e-mail. I see no drainage or scabs. On the bottom there are some callused areas next to his thumbs but appears to be normal. He has had this for a few years and it does not appear to change. It appears that his joints are swollen and very slightly warmer to the touch. He wants to "be with the ladies" but cannot get on top as he should. He has to hop around with stiff legs. Can anyone help us out? Can you also tell me how to attach photos?

Thanks,
KatinAL

 

[chicknmania]

Well, to learn how to post pics you can go to the BYC Website and Forum Feedback forum on this site, and there'll be directions.

For the arthritis, you might try aspirin; 5 grains to one gallon water; (I think this is baby aspirin) crushed up, and dissolved, of course.

I have not tried either one of these things; (posting pics or the aspirin) I'm guessing aspirin would help, though; if it's arthritis. I have never experienced bumblefoot, but you might want to check that out first. How old is your rooster?

 

[justusnak]

for pics.....load your pics in an account at Photobucket. Its free, and EASY. then you can post them on here.
I agree with the asprin. It wont "cure" it, but should help with the stiffness and pain. Poor guy....How old is he??

 

[KatinAL]

Yeah! I got the pictures to attach! Henry is at least 7 years old. I am not sure when I got him. He may be closer to 10. We had to move and he lived on my mom's farm for a while then the other roosters started to fighting him b/c of his limp. We moved him into a nice coop with a hen. Any time the hens have chicks I end up giving the roosters to my mom if they start to fight him.

Any help would be appreciated!

 

[dlhunicorn]

your bird might have several things going on...has he had access to feed other than the layer for the hens? Lyer formulation is only meant for LAYING birds...it is too much calcium for younger birds not in lay or for roosters. If this is the case you need to separate ole henry and give him an alternative feed because layer (excess calcium) is known to cause GOUT which could very well be what is ailing your poor Henry. Here is some info for you on it:
http://www.merckvetmanual.com/mvm/index.jsp?cfile=htm/bc/204606.htm&word=gout

http://www.hy-line.com/userdocs/library/0_Avian Urolithiasis Eng.pdf

http://www.vetcareindia.com/aviangout_bull.htm
(Includes a great chart on how to differentiate between articulr and visceral form of gout)

http://www.wattnet.com/Archives/Docs/KIDNEY.PDF?CFID=25710&CFTOKEN=74030876
Kidney Lesions in Poultry Diseases

http://www.himalayahealthcare.com/pdf_files/ahp/nefro003.pdf
Therapeutic Efficacy of Nefrotec Liquid Against Renal or Visceral Gout in Broiler Chickens - A Field Report
(excerpt) ..."The incidence of gout in broiler birds has been speculatively blamed on the high protein levels in diets. Gout in birds can be in two forms, visceral gout and articular gout. Visceral gout is the most common form in poultry, wherein the plasma uric acid levels are high and urates are deposited in the visceral organs. Sillers (1959) suggested that this form of gout is the result of physiological changes in the kidneys, which affect the kidney functions in general. Visceral gout was experimentally induced in chickens by feeding diets deficient in vitamin A (Elvehjem and Neu, 1932), and with diets containing excess calcium (Shane, 1969). Articular gout is characterized by the accumulation of urates in the synovial capsule and tendon sheath of a joint. It has been experimentally produced in chicks genetically prone to this disease, fed with high protein (80%) diets (Peterson et al., 1971). Researchers have
demonstrated that the incidence of articular gout is highly influenced by heredity. Both visceral and articular gout in birds are associated with elevated plasma uric acid. However, according to Schlumberger (1969), these two conditions are separate entities and do not occur
together. Uric acid is the main end product of nitrogen metabolism in birds, accounting for approximately 80% of the nitrogen excreted (O'Dell et al., 1960). Thus, uric acid content in blood should be influenced by dietary protein, protein quality, protein metabolism and
nutritional state.

Several predisposing factors may be involved in urate deposition. These includes:
1) Nutritional causes viz., vitamin-A deficiency, water deprivation, excess of sodium bicarbonate, calcium and protein, poor quality mineral mixture and adulteration of
protein supplements with urea;
2) Infectious causes viz., infectious bronchitis virus and avian nephritis virus;
3)Toxic causes viz., antibiotics, mycotoxins, minerals, vitamins, chemicals and pesticides, which can increase uric acid levels in the blood and lead to precipitation in the tissues and impair renal function"

http://www3.sympatico.ca/davehansen/gout.html
(not specific to poultry but same principles apply in general)

http://www.2ndchance.info/gout.htm
(excerpt)
"Allopurinol (Zyloprim) is used to treat gout in birds and humans. This drug inhibits purine catabolism, which prevents the production of uric acid. A 100 mg tablet is crushed in 10 ml of water. Add up to 1ml of this diluted suspension to 30ml of drinking water. Change the water twice a day. This will hopefully lower the concentration of uric acid within the bird’s body and help prevent more crystals from forming. Try to keep the bird lean and not fat. Excess weight puts added strain on inflamed tendons and joints. Blood Uric acid levels need to be monitored periodically to determine if theallopurinol is working. If allopurinol is not effective, two other medications called Colchicine and Probenecid can be tried. The effective and the safe doses of all three medications are still in question. A technique called allometric scaling, developed by Dr. Sedgwick, can be used to approximate the dose"

 

[KatinAL]

Thank you so much for the detailed information!

He does have access to layer pellets since everyone is together. I just started again with the daily layer pellets again a few weeks ago. It is a blend of layer pellets, scratch and cat food with vegetable and fruit scraps.

However this began before he came to live with us. He was limping with this at my mom's farm--several years ago. She was not giving layer pellets but scratch and they were free ranging.

Any help is appreciated!

 

[dlhunicorn]

I suggest you not give him the cat food... scratch as the mainstay for your birds is really illadvised. Keep him separate and offfer him a grower or finsher feed...if he finds it unpalatable then cook up some thick (human) oatmeal in water (I do this a couple minutes in the magnetron) and mix it through (just enough so it clumps)...mine really like this especially when it is still a bit warm...I also add wheatgerm oil which is fantastic source of vit e amongst others. Poor ole Henry...hope he is feeling better soon! (BTW I am not big on including catfood as a daily addition to their diet...if you want to up the protein then give them some (farmed) mealworms you can get this at a bait shop or petshop or online from Worman.com for instance). Too much protein will also cause gout/urolithiasis and there is also too much salt as well as the vitamins and such being thrown out of their correct ratio to each other when using cat food in this manner. (I would not give Henry the extra protein however!!!...I meant this for your other birds as it is advised to LOWER the protein when you are dealing with a bird with leg or lameness problems or gout)

 

[justusnak]

I have read, and re erad, and stared at poor Henrys feet for a few days now. I was thinking.....could it be leg mites?? I mean.....it sorta looks like it. I would try the vaseline on his legs and feet....and keep him in a small cage by himself....for a few days. Just to see if that COULD be it. Doesnt hurt to try.

 

[Cheri]

He is handsome!

 

[dlhunicorn]

oiling the legs and feet regularly (after cleaning them preferably) is always a good idea , however the mites would not have cause those (internal) bulges you see .