Young hen keeps stepping on her own feet when walking...?

[BeccaLeigh]

One of my younger hens ("Pip") is roughly four months old, and she's also the smallest hen in her flock. I notice that when she's walking, she keeps stepping on her own feet, sometimes making her stumble or trip. She acts perfectly normal otherwise, and is one of the friendliest chickens I've had. I guess my question would be if anyone else has had this issue, and if so, is there anything I can do to help her correct it? Some kind of vitamin Supplements maybe?
Thanks a bunch!

 

[Eggcessive]

There are many leg bone deformities in chickens, especially in meat chickens, but also in some layers. They come usually from vitamin or mineral deficiencies in the chickens, or more often from the parent stock. I would treat with Poultry Cell vitamins and minerals. Here are some links to read about leg deformities, and the second one may take 20 minutes or more to download:
http://ps.oxfordjournals.org/content/79/7/982.full.pdf
http://nhjy.hzau.edu.cn/kech/synkx/dong/2bao/Bone disorders in poultry.pdf
http://www.jefferspet.com/products/poultry-cell-16oz

 

[BeccaLeigh]

Oh my goodness... Sorry for the delay in thanking you for the info Eggcessive! I've been having serious issues with my internet this past week :/
So update on Pip... She's limping even worse now, and I did a more thorough check up on her. I found a lump, the size of a large grape, that seems to be growing on her under-side where her leg and body meet. I'll post a pic of it in the morning. It's under her skin, and is now most definitely interfering with her gait.

 

[BeccaLeigh]

 

[BeccaLeigh]

Is there anything I can do?? It seems like it's close enough to the skin... could I possibly try to drain it? It looks yellowish in color like a yolk..?

 

[Eggcessive]

Just make sure it's not the crop. It's possible it could be an abscess or pus under the skin. Is it directly on the breast bone where it could be a breast blister from lying on it? Are there any sins of a peck or wound? Is a vet possible?

 

[BeccaLeigh]

It seems to be lower on her body, (I stink with chicken anatomy, so bare with me!) closer to where her leg is..My pictures Don't really show it very well though. It's firm, but squishy at the same time, if that makes any sense I don't see any peck marks/wounds on her at all. It's also definitely not her crop. She's definitely favoring the leg that's near it, and she went from just tripping a little, to almost hopping now. I carried her around most of the day today, because I feel so bad for her. Unfortunately a vet isn't an option at this time. (My hubby doesn't see the point in spending a lot of money on a $5 chicken.. but she's a total sweetheart pet to me)
I have penicillin, and would be willing to try and drain it myself if it looks like a puss bubble of some sort. I just want to make sure I don't rupture something vital.

 

[BeccaLeigh]

Alright, so I checked her over yet again, and I have no idea how I missed what appears to be an even larger lump located in what I would call the "armpit" of her leg. Its even closer to the leg than the other lump, and actually seems to be causing her leg to "jut-out". It feels a little more firm than the first lump does, and a little deeper, and more connected. Does this sound more like a tumor?? And if I could put together enough for a vet, does it sound like something that can be fixed permanently? I don't want her to be in unnecessary pain, and I'm worried that she wont be able to walk on her own much longer if its something that's growing. Any thoughts??

 

[Eggcessive]

I just hope it's not Mareks disease. The lumps could be lymphomas or tumors which can be common in Mareks. Did she have a Mareks vaccine? Could the lump be part of her leg joint that is enlarged? With the first lump being close to her breast like a breast blister, I would wonder a bit about mycoplasma synoviae. Since I'm not an expert and can't really diagnose these things, and just a lay person like you, I would rather just have you read some of the links about these diseases to see what you think:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/the-great-big-giant-mareks-disease-faq
http://www.merckmanuals.com/vet/pou...nfection_in_poultry_infectious_synovitis.html

 

[BeccaLeigh]

Oh my goodness. Thanks for the links. I was just reading up on them, and I really hope it's not Marek's disease!

My poor girl! I don't believe they were vaccinated before I got them (from a small, local feed store that was selling them for 4H students). Pip's always been smaller than the rest of the chicks from the flock, but just as active. She's worse than a cat when it comes to sneaking in behind me when I come inside the house. She's also a total lap chicken! These growth things really worry me though. I never see her sitting, or acting depressed, but if the mobility gets any worse, I wouldn't be surprised. She tries her best to keep up with the rest of the flock, but this is really starting to slow her down, and pretty quickly at that. Whatever it is causing this, the growths are getting bigger by the day. I wondered at first if it might be an enlarged leg joint, but I just can't tell for sure. It feels pretty large, considering her petite size. Thankfully I haven't noticed anything going on in any of my other birds yet.
Thanks again for your help. I'll be keeping a very close watch on her