Cockerel with leg issue please help

[Bigmike13]

This is my first year raising chickens and the forums on this website have helped every step of the way until now.
Meet Greenbean (my kids named him)
Greenbean is a 22 week old regular grey green legged gamefowl and I noticed him limping a few weeks ago and I though he would walk it of but his left leg is in bad shape it doesn't seem to be bumblefoot or scaly leg mites but I did treat him for legmites with oil because some of the chance that he had scaly leg mites. His left leg looks fatigued and slightly smaller than his right leg he holds it up when he stands and it trembles. All 6 of the game fowl I have in my flock like to jump/fly to the roof of my house roost and crow and jump down so it could be a broken leg or sprained ankle is there any way to tell the difference without an x-ray should I am worried about him I really love this little guy any insight is appreciated thank you

 

[Farmgirl283420]

Poor guy! @Eggcessive @azygous @fluffycrow can you help this poor little guy?

 

[azygous]

Cute little guy. I love the name.

Look for very faint green bruising on the leg. You can give him a 81 grain chewable aspirin twice a day for pain.

In case this is from a vitamin deficiency, try giving him a tablet of B-complex once a day for a couple weeks to four weeks to see if that improves his leg weakness.

If the leg continues to get weaker and he loses the ability to use it in spite of the vitamin B, then we will suspect an avian virus such as Marek's or lymphoid leucosis.

 

[Bigmike13]

Thank you for your help but do you think I should wrap it or put him in a sling or something? I have removed him from the rest of the flock so he will stop flying/jumping and running to prevent further injury.
For the asprin and vitamin B do I open his beak and down the hatch? Or crush it and add it to his food?

 

[azygous]

Pills go down the hatch in chickens with no problem. Did you look for green bruising? If you see no bruising, it probably is not an injury causing this problem. In either case, wrapping won't accomplish anything other than adding to his annoyance and discomfort. If you do see bruising, restricting his activities would help more than trying to wrap the leg.

 

[Bigmike13]

No bruising on the shank that I can see but if I spread the feathers at his ankle the skin looks reddish might that be a bruise or an indication of leg mites or something?

 

[azygous]

No, the reddish on legs of cockerels and roosters is a sign of active hormones. It becomes more pronounced in spring when hormones surge.

 

[Eggcessive]

A wire dog crate with bedding, food and water, near the other chickens would limit his activity and keep him from getting lonely. Hopefully, it is just a sprain that will heal.