Hen wouldn’t put weight on one leg- now she won’t move.

[DatCrazyChickenLady]

Hi! So last week one of my hens stopped putting weight on one of her legs, and I couldn’t figure out why- there was no swelling or redness or anything. But she was in great spirits, and just got stressed out when I tried to keep her in a kennel to let her rest, so I have just been letting her be with a close eye. Today when I went out to feed everyone, she will not even move, and can’t seem to put weight on either leg.

I looked at her legs again and did notice some anomalies- Im not entirely sure which was the first to be injured, but I think it was Leg 1. Leg 1 has a small black scab that looks kind of like bumble foot, but no swelling or lumps or anything? Leg 2 has swelling near the ankle that’s hot to touch.

She’s a few years old and acting very lethargic- won’t move, eyes half closed. She’s drinking water, ate a little bit but not much. She’s currently napping in my lap in the sun for a bit.

Any ideas?? I’m leaving for a trip tomorrow and have no idea what to do

 

[azygous]

I need you to test her leg strength and balance. The scab certainly wouldn't cause paralysis in both legs.

First, stand her up on her feet. Does she stand briefly before slowly sinking to a sitting position?

Next, while holding her in your lap, slowly exert upward pressure on the bottom of one foot. Does she feel as if she's pushing back? Do it with the other leg next.

Next, while holding her in your lap, lay her on her side with her legs freely hanging off your lap. Gently tap one leg sideways. Does she resist it or does the leg swing loosely without any resistance? Do the other leg.

If during any of the tests she shows resistance, stand her up and coax her to walk toward you by tempting her with a few live meal worms or raisins. Does she fall over? Does she try to walk to you? If so, does her balance seem way off?

It would help to take a photo of both legs side by side for comparison so we can judge the degree of swelling. Do you see any faint greenish bruising around the swelling?

 

[DatCrazyChickenLady]

I need you to test her leg strength and balance. The scab certainly wouldn't cause paralysis in both legs.

First, stand her up on her feet. Does she stand briefly before slowly sinking to a sitting position?

Next, while holding her in your lap, slowly exert upward pressure on the bottom of one foot. Does she feel as if she's pushing back? Do it with the other leg next.

Next, while holding her in your lap, lay her on her side with her legs freely hanging off your lap. Gently tap one leg sideways. Does she resist it or does the leg swing loosely without any resistance? Do the other leg.

If during any of the tests she shows resistance, stand her up and coax her to walk toward you by tempting her with a few live meal worms or raisins. Does she fall over? Does she try to walk to you? If so, does her balance seem way off?

It would help to take a photo of both legs side by side for comparison so we can judge the degree of swelling. Do you see any faint greenish bruising around the swelling?

Hi! Thank you so much for your reply. I did the tests:

- she would not stand up at all- when I pick her up or try to put her down, her legs do not move, and stay tucked up to her chest.

-she does not seem to be pushing back at all

- when I tap the legs they dont move much because they’re tucked against her, but she does not seem to be resisting it if that makes sense

- she did not show any resistance, nor would she attempt to walk when coaxed.

I do not see any greenish bruising, but it is difficult to tell because her leg scales are a sort of greenish grey. It will not let me attach a photo for some reason, but on the last photo on the original post the swelling is on the left foot/ bottom foot on her ankle- more of a reddish color than green.

 

[azygous]

Final question. When you dangle her legs and gently swat them, do they seem lifeless, as in zero tendon or muscle reaction? Normally, when you do this, the chicken will move the leg, however slightly, in response. If her legs are lifeless, she is paralyzed, not simply lame. And paralysis to that extent often point to an avian virus.

But, let's try a quick remedy for lameness caused by low blood sugar. If she responds to this, it's more likely a vitamin deficiency or blood sugar/electrolytes issue. Give her one cup of sugar water with a teaspoon of sugar stirred in to drink over the remainder of the day. If she has low glucose, this will cause her to start using her legs again pretty quickly. By tonight or tomorrow morning.

 

[DatCrazyChickenLady]

Final question. When you dangle her legs and gently swat them, do they seem lifeless, as in zero tendon or muscle reaction? Normally, when you do this, the chicken will move the leg, however slightly, in response. If her legs are lifeless, she is paralyzed, not simply lame. And paralysis to that extent often point to an avian virus.

But, let's try a quick remedy for lameness caused by low blood sugar. If she responds to this, it's more likely a vitamin deficiency or blood sugar/electrolytes issue. Give her one cup of sugar water with a teaspoon of sugar stirred in to drink over the remainder of the day. If she has low glucose, this will cause her to start using her legs again pretty quickly. By tonight or tomorrow morning.

I cant quite tell- she refuses to let them dangle when I pick her up- she’s still keeping them curled up- but I can’t see any noticeable movement when I swat them.

Thank you so much, I will definitely try that and see how she responds !

 

[azygous]

If she keeps her legs curled under her instead of them dangling uselessly, she still has muscle control. This is encouraging. This may be a low glucose issue after all. Let's keep our fingers crossed.

 

[Razzlefrazzle]

That one foot does look like a bumblefoot scab to me. The staph infection can spread up the leg into tendons and joints causing swelling and lameness. I'm just (finally) getting one of my hens over bumblefoot and while she mostly pretended she was completely fine there were a few seemingly random times when she decided she couldn't walk and would hold her feet up like that when I tried to get her to stand. I would soak her feet and take a closer look at that scab when you have the chance, although if it was just a bumblefoot issue I'd expect the scab area to look more infected. Don't think it could hurt to give her rooster booster or another vitamin supplement. I'd also check the rest of the flock for bumblefoot if you haven't recently.

 

[DatCrazyChickenLady]

If she keeps her legs curled under her instead of them dangling uselessly, she still has muscle control. This is encouraging. This may be a low glucose issue after all. Let's keep our fingers crossed.

So far no improvement. Getting very worried because I have to leave tomorrow, and the person feeding my flock will not be able to give her individual care. Would it stress her out way too much to potentially bring her with me?? It’s a 12 hour drive, but idk what else to do.

 

[azygous]

You can minimize the stress of travel if you decide to take her with you. If she's in a crate already, that would be familiar, and then all that you need to do is cushion the floor of the crate with about six inches of towels below and on the sides to absorb the motion of the vehicle and prevent her from being tossed around. You would drape a light cover over the crate so she would not be able to see that the environment is changing. Her world would be reduced to just what she sees inside the crate. Then you would give her wet feed whenever you stop for gas or a rest stop.