We are new to poultry keeping and have been keeping chickens in a run in our garden for nine months now without difficulty. This morning we noticed that the smallest of our bantam pullets was holding one leg up and staying very still. She had been fine the day before. We have got her indoors now and have examined her, the legs seem unbroken and otherwise undamaged, manipulating the legs doesn't seem to cause the bird discomfort. She isn't showing any obvious signs of ill health and has never given us any worries before. I have looked in my book but havn't really been able to come to even a wobbly conclusion from that.
Any suggestions?

More information would help. Is it cold where you are? Was it a time of day when she would be sleepy? Does she have an appetite? Is anyone else behaving that way? Does she respond to treats? Has feed changed or deteriorated in any way? Is there opportunity for her to eat without competition? Can she reach her water? Has she been excluded from the roost and chilled during the night? People on this site can probably help more with a more complete description of her situation.

Thank you for your message, the answers to your questions are covered below:
1. We live in London, England which is at the moment wet and cold (about 0 degrees C at night).
2. We noticed the problem at about 9am, the birds are usually active at this time.
3. She still eats well.
4. The other chickens are behaving normally.
5. We don't give our chickens any treats, what would you suggest?
6. Feed has not changed recently. The birds currently get a warm mash every other day and prepared dry food in between.
7. We did not think there was a problem with her getting food but there certainly isn't now as we have seperated her from the others.
8. She has always been able to reach her water bowl.
9. We don't think she has been excluded from the roost but we do not close the roost door at night.

Additionally it may be a better description of her condition to say that the leg droops rather than that it is being held up.

Thanks for your help,

Cara Jones (11) and Evan Jones (older).

Why don't you take a look after dark and make sure she is on the roost. I would look after any dampness on the ground, as this will increase her sense of feeling cold. Is the roost up in the shelter in such a way that it will be warmer up there than on the ground? Considering the climate there, cold and damp may be affecting her, but may not affect the other birds the same way. Do you use bedding of some kind?

I feed scratch grains as a treat in the afternoon or just before roosting time. Here I use whole barley and rolled corn half and half, but you can use what is available locally to you. Our birds like apple peelings and popcorn, too. Since they get warm mash (chickens like to be spoiled!) that probably serves as a treat for them.

Overall, I would look to their comfort for the source of the problem, if it is one. It is entirely possible that she may be holding a foot up to rest in the morning after eating. I recently exchanged messages with Jean from Montana on this site, and she recommended a day roost to get the birds up off the cold ground a little. This is a good idea I think I will try. I hope this helps. Let me know if she improves, or if the situation changes. Good luck to you.

Are you absolutely positive that the leg is not injured? One of my pullets got a dislocation a while ago, and acted in a similar manner (read--Dislocation). At first, we couldn't figure out what was wrong, until I felt up into the joint--it wasn't popped out noticeably, but i could feel it. Check for this.

Good point above, but if you're sure there is no injury, then after thinking about it, I still think she might be cold. In the morning when she was like this, was she standing in a sunny place or against a surface that could reflect a little heat? With no door closed at night, I think she could be getting chilled and then be trying to absorb whatever warmth she can find. Considering that she's small and might not be bunching up for warmth on the roost, I think it's where I'd look. Here in Upper Michigan the cold is a serious problem that we go to great lengths to deal with, but even though it's much milder where you live, cold and damp are not good for chickens.

If it's a stress injury of some kind, it ought to get better in a week or ten days. If being warm and inside doesn't change it, then she might have wrenched a joint somehow, but it ought to improve.

Many thanks to both of you for your suggestions. Our bird has been indoors in a fairly restricting box since I wrote my first message. She is still eating well and looking well. Her leg is still weak and she will try and stand when we let her out.
For the time being it is just `wait and see' I suppose.

Evan Jones

I too have a bantam pullet who has a problem with her leg/foot. I also live in England - Rutland - and my bantam is a silkie cross, I explain this as the only relevance is that she has feathered feet.The problem started around Christmas when one morning she did not want to put her foot down, and hobbled around just enough to get food. I kept her indoors, kept her warm (she actually took over one of the dogs baskets) and massaged the leg gently with warm olive oil. After a week, she was no better, but anxious to be with the other chickens, so I let her out. She is obviously in pain with this injury -nothing noticeable at all - and I have put it down to a sprain - they tend to explore the wood pile and then jump down. However, the only remedy that seems to help her at the moment is a quarter tablet of Zenecarp, which are pain-killers left over from treatment of one of the dogs. Unfortunately, this is only (I believe) available on vets prescription, and my small supply is nearly out, and I am now using a small amount of aspirin as a substitute. I put the tiny bit of pill into a very small (less than pea-sized) piece of cheese, and roll it together, then (after having caught the chicken -I usually find it easier to get her first thing when I open the hen-house) I wrap her fairly tightly in a towel, and place her on her back on a table. it is then fairly easy to gently open the beak and place the cheese in the back of her throat.
This treatment has been going on for about three weeks now with no ill effects (except no eggs) and the hen clearly gets pain relief. I would like to know from anyone who can help what is a good/prescribed pain-killer by weight for hens. Trying to get advice or treatment is very difficult.

I too have a bantam pullet who has a problem with her leg/foot. I also live in England - Rutland - and my bantam is a silkie cross, I explain this as the only relevance is that she has feathered feet.The problem started around Christmas when one morning she did not want to put her foot down, and hobbled around just enough to get food. I kept her indoors, kept her warm (she actually took over one of the dogs baskets) and massaged the leg gently with warm olive oil. After a week, she was no better, but anxious to be with the other chickens, so I let her out. She is obviously in pain with this injury -nothing noticeable at all - and I have put it down to a sprain - they tend to explore the wood pile and then jump down. However, the only remedy that seems to help her at the moment is a quarter tablet of Zenecarp, which are pain-killers left over from treatment of one of the dogs. Unfortunately, this is only (I believe) available on vets prescription, and my small supply is nearly out, and I am now using a small amount of aspirin as a substitute. I put the tiny bit of pill into a very small (less than pea-sized) piece of cheese, and roll it together, then (after having caught the chicken -I usually find it easier to get her first thing when I open the hen-house) I wrap her fairly tightly in a towel, and place her on her back on a table. it is then fairly easy to gently open the beak and place the cheese in the back of her throat.
This treatment has been going on for about three weeks now with no ill effects (except no eggs) and the hen clearly gets pain relief. I would like to know from anyone who can help what is a good/prescribed pain-killer by weight for hens. Trying to get advice or treatment is very difficult.

Have you checked carefully to see if there is any swelling around the foot, particularly on the pad underneath where the toes meet? Bumblefoot can be caused by a bruise, much like a stone bruise with horses, perhaps when she hopped down from a perch. If the bruising stays internal, it can set up a nasty infection that can be hard to treat. Perhaps some antibiotics in the drinking water may be helpful. Good luck with your hen, anyway.