Chicken Problem III

dominobrown

dominobrown

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I am a novice chicken owner so bare with me...
One of the chicks, which is now fully grown, and bigger than all the other chickens, has gone lame :(
I noticed a few days ago, so me and my friend caught her and checked her foot. We couldn't see anything out of the norm. My friend had a farm with free range chickens and she confirmed it wasn't scaly leg and that there was nothing abormal. I sprayed both feet with purple spray incase a thorn or something, or bumblefoot?
Anyways a couple a days later the chicken is even lamer. Caught her again and there seemed to be no obvious sign on her.

If she was a horse I think I would put on box rest but I don't believe you can do that with chickens :o
I don't want to stress her any more, and she is quite wild. Any ideas? or do I get the vet/poultry showing breeder lady?
 
She might just have bruised herself jumping down from her perch especially if she is a big girl. I would put her in a restricted area and just keep an eye on her for a few days, its amazing how they can spring back. If she is wild she would probably find the trip to the Vets very traumatic.
 
If it is Scaly Leg then purple sray will not get rid of it at all im afraid.

The only product ive found really good at getting rid of Scaly leg is Benzyl Benzoate. Get a small brush & coat the legs making sure you get it right into the scales.

Here's where i bought my last lot from dont think it was a bad price.

http://www.hyperdrug.co.uk/prodinfo.asp?number=BENZYLEASI&Variation=

Personally if it is Scaly leg i would not be bothering with Vets, unfortunately with chickens you have to do a lot yourself.

BTW Scaly leg mites do have the ability to make chickens incredibly lame, you would also be wise to treat the rest of your flock with Benzyl Benzoate at the same time, you will need to repeat treatment every few days if it's bad then once a week until legs are clear.
 
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THanks people! I have phoned the vet and she thinks it is mycoplasma and has given me injections for the chicken. (Never injected a chicken though! :? )
I need to get some Benzyl Benzoate anyways, thanks for the tips Dressagecrazy.
Nettle123- Its intersting you say that. When I let the chickens out, the big hen attacked me jumping onto my back and then fell off, I noticed she was lame later that day. Shes a pest!
 
Am sorry to say this but you need to google Microplasma, it doesnt cause lameness.
If you do have Microplasma (which i think is unlikely due to your description as you would of heard the birds chest rattling, sneezing, coughing & most probably seen disgusting runny pooh's).
But if Microplasma is deffinate then you need to treat your whole flock with anti B's. It's expensive & time consuming.

I preffer injecting chickens than any other way of treating with Anti B's, im sure the vet will of let you practise but it is very easy. I am concerned though with the diagnosis.
 
dressagecrazy said:
Am sorry to say this but you need to google Microplasma, it doesnt cause lameness.
If you do have Microplasma (which i think is unlikely due to your description as you would of heard the birds chest rattling, sneezing, coughing & most probably seen disgusting runny pooh's).
But if Microplasma is deffinate then you need to treat your whole flock with anti B's. It's expensive & time consuming.

I preffer injecting chickens than any other way of treating with Anti B's, im sure the vet will of let you practise but it is very easy. I am concerned though with the diagnosis.
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Yor worrying me now! The vet thought mycoplasma, and I have just injected the chicken with antibiotics for it.
According to Haynes Chicken Manual by Laurence Beeken "Many infections, such as Mycoplasma, can settle in parts of the leg, including the tendons, joints and bones and can be treated with antibiotics when prescribed by the veterinarian"
Also I think it is this:
"Mycoplasma synoviae (MS) infections could progress as either acute or a chronic systemic disease with symptoms of arthritis, synovitis and bursitis especially in hens and turkeys. The earliest signs are lameness, lying down and retarded growth. Often, oedemas of tibiotarsal joints and the drumstick are observed. The morbidity and death rates are moderate, under 10%. Young chickens at the age of 4-12 weeks and turkey poults at the age of 10-12 weeks are susceptible. Synovites are encountered all year round, but are prevalent during cold humid seasons or when the litter is wet."
 
You wont of done any harm by injecting Anti B's, but what im saying is if it is Microplasma then you need to get the rest of the birds on Anti B's also.

Microplasma spreads around a flock like wild fire, i know 2 of mine came down with it 2 years ago & it cost a fortune in Antibiotics to clear it up as i had to treat the whole flock. I injected the acute birds and isolated them & treated the rest with Antibiotics in water.

Ive just never seen lameness as part of Microplasma, you tend to notice rattling weezing chest & lots of sneazing first ime.
 
EAST KENT said:
We always found the cure for most chicken problems was to eat said bird:D
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Tempting, she is by the far the biggest and the worst layer!

Dressagecrazy- All the other chickens seem as wild as normal. I have ordered a new hen house but I am STILL waiting for it to be delivered, then I could shut her away in current small chicken house (with a run).
I think the strain a mycoplasma my chicken has got probably is the rarest, knowing my luck!
 
I doubt it as it's very common, all my others where fine also but i had no option but to treat as a prevention as me & my vet both know how fast it spreads. However your getting Vet advice so i will bow out & hope you've got a Vet who knows something about chickens:).
I breed & keep chooks so im very used to treating & unfortunately PTS ill birds.
Hope she gets better soon.
 
Hi again, I had mycoplasma in my flock a few years ago and they had flu type symptoms, treated with tylan soluble at the time and they all recovered.

I have a lame hen at the moment but she is recovering well, I know her problem was caused when a too heavy cockerel jumped on her, needless to say they are no longer together. Why he fancied an elderly warren when he has plenty of beautiful young wives I do not know, fingers crossed that your girl makes a swift recovery.
 
just thought i'd put in my share, i don't know loads about chickens (my lot are thankfully qu ite low maintence) but my girly besty got trod on/ kicked by my mini shettie last year. she couldn't put any weight on her leg at all and i thought it was curtains for her to be honest. took her to the vet and we had her on 'box rest' as it was in our little coop with another chicken who was thankfully broody at the time, after a few weeks and physio done by myself (yes i am that sad!) she was fully walking again. give the chicken time and rest away from any other more active or bullying chickens and she might be ok! good luck
 
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