Hen with a stiff leg and toes, help appreciated

[C_621]

Could she have a head injury? It looks like the leg is painful and she doesn't want to put any pressure on it, but maybe it could be neurological?

How would I check/treat for that? I don't feel anything on her head and nothing but the leg seems impaired, but I haven't ruled out neurological damage. She's getting vitamin B complex and vitamin C at the moment, I've ordered Chinese Skullcap extract as a desperate attempt too

 

[TOMTE]

How would I check/treat for that? I don't feel anything on her head and nothing but the leg seems impaired, but I haven't ruled out neurological damage. She's getting vitamin B complex and vitamin C at the moment, I've ordered Chinese Skullcap extract as a desperate attempt too

Honestly, I have no idea... With my limited experience with chickens, I'm just throwing possibilities out there. I hope she feels better soon, she looks uncomfortable

 

[C_621]

It is up to you whether or not to use the painkiller. With an injury, it may be better to withhold it to limit her activity. However aspirin can reduce inflammation. If a vet rayed it and found a fracture, then it could be splinted. Let us know how she gets along.

I'm thinking about trying to give her painkiller tomorrow, but would it conflict with the vitamins I'm already giving her? I don't want to overdose on medication. And how long will it be before I start noticing any changes from the vitamins? She seems to be getting worse, not better, but I'm not sure if it takes time for the vitamins to kick in. She walks/leans on the upper side of her feet for support with the toes all curled up, then straightens them out and pulls them up to stand one leg again

 

[theoldchick]

Isolate her so she isn't jumping up on roosts. Allow her to rest for a week to see if there is an improvement. She looks like she strained/sprained her hip/hock.

 

[C_621]

Isolate her so she isn't jumping up on roosts. Allow her to rest for a week to see if there is an improvement. She looks like she strained/sprained her hip/hock.

Could that be it despite the odd foot behaviour? I'm not feeling much difference between the legs in warmth or swollen-ness, but she's pointing the bad one forward more and it gets less mobile each day.

She's spending all her time in that cage currently with only the log to sit on at night, is that too much? I only have a tiny cat carrier as an alternative, but she mostly lies down and doesn't want to eat much if I put her in there alone

 

[theoldchick]

You can give her something a bit larger to move about. You can add one chicken friend to keep her company-just make sure there is enough room and she's not getting picked on. I've used nylon puppy pens as hospital cages and they work well. A trip to a vet is always recommended. https://www.aav.org/search/

 

[C_621]

You can give her something a bit larger to move about. You can add one chicken friend to keep her company-just make sure there is enough room and she's not getting picked on. I've used nylon puppy pens as hospital cages and they work well. A trip to a vet is always recommended. https://www.aav.org/search/
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She's got a cage a bit smaller than that but with some space to move around, and a calm flockmate to keep her company. She prefers to stand on one leg or lie down but moves around to eat and drink sometimes, I'll see how it develops tomorrow

I did find one semi-local vet using that link, I'll see about getting in contact after the weekend. Thanks!

 

[Eggcessive]

I would not let her jump up and down. It does seem like a sprain, and that can take weeks to heal. An xray can rule out a sprain.

 

[C_621]

Update 3: Not much has changed in the last 4 days, she moves around quite a bit, but has to "swing" her leg into position for the first steps. She curls her toes up and supports herself on the top of the foot if she eats something from the ground. She seems to be a bit stiffer in the foot if she's been still for a while, massaging the foot gently or letting her walk around for a few steps seems to make it better. Sometimes she gets really mad if you touch her around her right hip (she's normally happy to be held) so it's possibly something there. Haven't ruled out Marek's or similar illnesses yet, but since it's not getting worse I hope she'll heal with time

I would let her jump up and down. It does seem like a sprain, and that can take weeks to heal. An xray can rule out a sprain.

The local vets aren't very good with chickens other than holding them for syringes, would they be able to splint her if it's a fracture? It would be pretty expensive

 

[theoldchick]

A vet could radiograph her and see if there is a fracture or a dislocation. She does look alert which is a good thing.