[WoodlandsDevon]

just found my buff Orpington POL with quite a bad limp. She's living with another POL and a young cockerel. could she be over mated? on the other hand the ramp to their pophole is quite steep + slippery could this be the cause? I felt her leg and couldn't feel any break or dislocation. Is it a pulled muscle or tendon then?
I'd be glad of any advice as to what to do next.
Thanks

[Alicenz]

Hi there, I suggest regardless of what it is, place her somewhere quiet, warm and safe (from the other chooks as well as predators). Sometimes when a hen is hurt or sick, the others will attack it.   Give her food and water, so she does not need to move too far to find it.  If you think removing her may cause heirarchy problems, and apart from the sore leg she is happy enough, and the others are being nice to her, you could just make sure she has food in her house and keep her shut inside until it heals, of course allowing the others back in at night. (Basically this is cage rest.  Make sure there are no cuts higher up on her leg, and keep an eye on her that she is alert and happy.  If not I would talk to a vet and see what they suggest.  Good luck. ...and happy new year, may this one be a good one for you and your chooks!

[suziequeue]

What do the cockerel's spurs look like? if they are needle sharp and long then he may have speared her with them whilst treading her.

[WoodlandsDevon]

Thanks for all the advice.  I've isolated her to prevent the cockerel from mounting her and doing more damage.  Not checked his spurs but he's young so they're not likely to be long or sharp.  There isn't any blood or anything.

Happy New Year 

[suziequeue]

It's often difficult to see blood/cuts on those fluffy buff orpingtons as it usually occurs under the wing feathers and therefore out of sight.


I would agree - if he is a 2013 hatch cockerel then his spurs are unlikely to be a problem.

[dyedinthewool]

Just a thought have you checked the bottom of her feet?  sometimes they can cut/scratch their feet when walking on stones or scratching in the dirt.

Other thought was has she bruised her foot maybe jumping down from nest-box/perch.  Orpys are quite a heavy bird. (I've got five 'old' ladies now and they weigh a ton, they don't lay anymore just eat me out of house and home.  They were the first henny's I got,  guess that's why I haven't the heart to knock them on the head....)

even so I agree with the others to keep separate from your other chooks until she's better, last thing she wants is a cockbird jumping on her....!!

[madchickenlady]

I have the same problem with my young Black Sussex, wondered like you if my young cockerel may have been a little over zealous, his spurs haven't developed properly yet so not likely to have been punctured (!!! ) I brought her in and washed her feet and checked them over, no sign of anything but I did spray with purple spray just to be sure. I think the problem is higher up, I have placed her in a house with a small run on her own so she can rest and have given her some tonic, she is still laying but remains lame, no idea what is wrong. 

[HesterF]

I haven't had it with chickens yet but several of the ducks have developed limps at various times. Mostly they recover within a couple of days on their own but if they don't, I do just what the others have suggested and isolate them with food and water close at hand. One young duck needed vet treatment and after no response to anti-inflammatories, it turned out to be an infection and she improved within hours of starting on antibiotics (making catching her to finish the treatment hard). I've got a collapsed duck in the kitchen at the moment with her food and drink close at hand but I think she may be close to the end of her days (probably slightly more than the 2 1/2 years I was told when I got her last year). The vets always check closely for bumblefoot as their first port of call, then for any signs of damage higher up but if she can put weight on that leg, it's a good sign.

H

[chrismahon]

Lots of possibilities here WoodlandsDevon. My bet would be on the weight of the cockerel has damaged the pullet. Could be any injury in the legs, feel for hot joints. It may be a hip injury and she will need a lot of time to recover. I personally wouldn't introduce a cockerel that early and would separate him rather than the pullet. Leaving him with just one pullet will result in her being trodden far too much and you may well have two injured birds soon.


Alternatively it could be bumble foot as said or again a leg or hip injury due to the height of the perches. Orpingtons generally don't like perches much and only half of ours use them. They shouldn't be more than 12" high because of the risk of injury with such a heavy bird on little feet. We had 18" perches and had a hip injury (took 6 weeks to heal) and several cases of bumble foot (so we used wood shavings to reduce the impact).


Slippery ramp to the pop hole sounds like an accident waiting to happen. Wide steps are better. Some of ours will walk up the steps and others just fly to the top. Perhaps you don't need the ramp at all?

[madchickenlady]

I have one cockerel with 18 hens, and only because I haven't had the heart to dispatch him yet! he sleeps on his own and is only out with the girls during the afternoon so I don't think over treading is the problem. You are right though one hen and one cockerel would be asking for trouble!

[Big Light]

You are right though one hen and one cockerel would be asking for trouble!

Depends on the breed and the disposition of the cockerel i have pairs of some breeds in enclosed pens and they are fine, not even a broken back ( including big Orps) - i could run one cock with 10 hens in a field and he damages them catching them or being too rampant - it really depends on what you are seeing your self.

Orps due to their size and weight can damage legs especially if they are of good type, give it a chance but unfortunately they often dont repair and if after a period of time she doesn't repair and she appears in pain then the fairest thing is to euthanase her.

Some high protein pellets ( or chick crumbs) and a bit of poultry spice / cod liver oil whilst contained in a small run  / cage might give you the best chance
best of luck
BL

[madchickenlady]

Thanks BL

[WoodlandsDevon]

The hen seems a bit more mobile today, putting more wait  and walking a bit more on her lame leg. Also eating more so I'm hoping she's on the road to recovery