Dislocated knee

[GreenGoddess]

I have a 3 mo old dark brahma pullet who I have named "Shoshanna" (Inglorious Bastards reference) because she walks funny.. She can lay down just fine, but when she walks, she does not bend her knees, so she looks like a German soldier with a limp.. I've been giving my flock rooster booster in their water because they just came off a round of Corid a few weeks ago due to Cocci..

In less than 2 weeks time, she has dislocated her knee twice! I don't know how it's happening or how to fix it (if possible).. Twice now, I've gone into the coop to check on them and found her like this.. The first time, she was on the floor with her leg up.. I put her back against me and gently manipulated her leg, and heard and felt a pop.. She immediately started moving it and was able to walk..

Tonight I got home from work, and she was on the nest box, so I moved her to the roost bar (a have to do this nightly with several of them!).. She would not put her leg down and was having a hard time balancing.. Again I picked her up and manipulated her leg, and heard/felt a pop.. Afterwards, she was good to go..

Of course, she still walks like a German soldier with a limp.. Could this still be a deficiency? Is it fixable?

 

[GreenGoddess]

She's now dislocated it three times as of last night!

 

[tripletfeb]

I'll tag some people who might be able to help @Wyorp Rock @casportpony @azygous

 

[GreenGoddess]

I'll tag some people who might be able to help @Wyorp Rock @casportpony @azygous

Thank you so much!

 

[azygous]

It may be due to a vitamin B deficiency. It can't hurt to put her on B-complex. I would get Walmart B-50 and give half a tablet daily if she's half size, or one tab if she's nearly fully size.

The joint or tendon and surrounding tissue are likely inflamed. A vet could prescribe a strong anti-inflammatory or you could give her half a tablet of ibuprofen or 81 grain aspirin twice a day.

Then she would probably benefit from a chicken chair to reduce her activity which would help the tissue stop being injured and help it to heal. "Chicken chairs" can be googled for ideas. The idea is to support her body to reduce strain on the injury while allowing her to still eat and drink and poop.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

I agree, I'd give Riboflavin.

Chick chair is a good idea. If the tendon is slipping, then splinting it may be helpful. Hard to know. Slipped tendon can be hard to correct, but it sounds like you are able to correct it each time.

I'm sure the limping is probably due to pain, you're having to put the joint back into place. Stabilizing it along with some pain meds may help.

Usually, I'm one to let the bird do as they please and self limit activity, but in your situation, since she keeps re-injuring herself or the tendon is not staying in place, I would consider confining her to limit activity, at least for most of the day. Caging within the coop/run would be best so she's near her friends.