I have looked in the archives but do not think what I am looking for is in there. I recently purchased two year old Brahman hens and their rooster. I put them in with mine, Rhode Island Reds and White Rocks..as they didn't have a rooster.. Now I see that one of the new hens is trying to walk on one foot, it doesn't appear to be swollen, she continues to eat but of course will not go far from the pen when let out. Actually she stays very near the door. I do not see any bleeding. I cannot get ahold of her to check really close. They have those feathers on their feet and with all this mud we have now, it is hard to actually see them real good. She has been this way for a week. My husband bought these hens from a reliable source so I didn't see them until they arrived here. I didn't notice any limping when she got here so assume whatever it is happened while here. What am I suppose to do? Should I kill her or what? Wait and see? Thanks.

-- Lynn(MO) (mscratch1@semo.net), February 23, 2001

Answers

Lynn, you need to catch her when she is sleepy and have a look. She may have a cut, or a break. I sure wouldn't kill something because it's limping, but I guess that is an option for some people. You can usually grab a chicken with minimal fuss when they're roosting, just grab her from the top and keep her wings in and it shouldn't be too much of a fight. If you can't see anything , if you wrap her in a towel real snugly and clothespin it together, you can trim the feathers and see the actual leg. Good luck and once you have an idea what it is all the bird folks here can probably help.

-- Doreen (animalwaitress@excite.com), February 24, 2001.

If it's not swollen, it's probably not a break or a serious infection. We often see our chickens limp for a few days and recover without ever knowing what happened. You might check for a sliver in the weak foot when you catch her.

-- David C (fleece@eritter.net), February 24, 2001.

I catch my chickens with a big landing net like you use to catch fish with and it works pretty good. my chickens are calm untill I come out with the net LOL!!

-- lee lynn (dusty29541@yahoo.com), February 25, 2001.

Oh, don't cull her - it doesn't sound serious. Sounds like she might have caught on something (perhaps trying to get away from an amourous suitor(!!)) and may have a little scratch. If she's in the mud, that's good, as if it is a break in the skin, the mud will draw out any possible infections. (Its a GOOD thing... REALLY....)

When mine did that, they usually had a small cut with a piece of dirt or tiny rock in it. If that's the case, she'll be fine.

Sides.... the only thing with gimpy chickens is you want to eat instead of hatching the eggs!!

-- Sue Diederich (willow666@rocketmail.com), February 28, 2001.