Hello everyone!
Recently I've been trying to track down the exact cause of a problem my young cockerel has with his feet and I've decided it might be best to get a second opinion on him. Flash is a Plymouth Rock roo of about 4 months of age who seems to be walking on the very base of his feet rather than spreading his weight equally across his feet. His condition seems to be gradually declining and it is becoming more and more difficult for him to keep his balance, and I imagine it's far from comfortable for my poor boy.
I got Flash and his brother when they were about 2 weeks old and they both displayed no problems and have both grown perfectly well without any problems. They both have nice feathers, healthy combs and wattles, and are about the right size for males of their breed. Originally I didn't pick up on the problem with Flash's legs as he has always had very large feet compared to the rest of his body and I naturally assumed that his stumbling was caused by him catching his own feet - I've had other birds with large feet do that and simply grow out of it - and so I assumed that he would do the same once he'd 'grown into' them.
Unfortunately, I've noticed that Flash's toes seem to be quite weak and since he's started walking on the balls of his feet his legs have gotten swollen which is only making the problem worse. I've been scouring the internet for a while and at first, I thought he might have curled toes, but his feet don't seem to be anywhere near as drastically deformed as most of the examples and I think the only reason his toes tilt inwards slightly is because he's only putting weight on the base of his feet. None of the other chickens are experiencing this problem, so could it still be a vitamin deficiency or could it be something genetic? His ankles seem to wobble when he walks and it sometimes caused him to lose his footing when he's running around with his brother and I'm very worried he could injure himself further.
Does anyone more experienced know what his condition could be and any possible cures I could try? Also, are there any recommended painkillers that could help with the swelling on his ankles?
Recently I've been trying to track down the exact cause of a problem my young cockerel has with his feet and I've decided it might be best to get a second opinion on him. Flash is a Plymouth Rock roo of about 4 months of age who seems to be walking on the very base of his feet rather than spreading his weight equally across his feet. His condition seems to be gradually declining and it is becoming more and more difficult for him to keep his balance, and I imagine it's far from comfortable for my poor boy.
I got Flash and his brother when they were about 2 weeks old and they both displayed no problems and have both grown perfectly well without any problems. They both have nice feathers, healthy combs and wattles, and are about the right size for males of their breed. Originally I didn't pick up on the problem with Flash's legs as he has always had very large feet compared to the rest of his body and I naturally assumed that his stumbling was caused by him catching his own feet - I've had other birds with large feet do that and simply grow out of it - and so I assumed that he would do the same once he'd 'grown into' them.
Unfortunately, I've noticed that Flash's toes seem to be quite weak and since he's started walking on the balls of his feet his legs have gotten swollen which is only making the problem worse. I've been scouring the internet for a while and at first, I thought he might have curled toes, but his feet don't seem to be anywhere near as drastically deformed as most of the examples and I think the only reason his toes tilt inwards slightly is because he's only putting weight on the base of his feet. None of the other chickens are experiencing this problem, so could it still be a vitamin deficiency or could it be something genetic? His ankles seem to wobble when he walks and it sometimes caused him to lose his footing when he's running around with his brother and I'm very worried he could injure himself further.
Does anyone more experienced know what his condition could be and any possible cures I could try? Also, are there any recommended painkillers that could help with the swelling on his ankles?
