Description of the best treatment methods and for what reasons chickens fall on their feet

Many farmers and poultry farmers who are involved in domestic farming have more than once encountered diseases in chickens and chickens. Disorders of the musculoskeletal system are fraught not only with reduced productivity and high treatment costs, but also with a high probability of bird mortality. This is why it is so important to know the causes and treatment if chickens fall on their feet.

Possible reasons for hens and chicks falling on their feet

Hens and chickens fall on their feet due to many reasons: lack of vitamins, an uncomfortable place to live, diseases and disorders, or if they do not receive the necessary food. In order to prevent the development of the disease and subsequent death of the animal, you should be aware of the accompanying signs of a particular disorder.

Marek's disease

If hens or chicks are sitting on their legs, the cause may be Marek's disease. The causative agent of the disease is the herpes virus. Clinical manifestations are as follows: unnatural gait, twisting of the neck, drooping tail and wings. The bird begins to limp and ends up falling on its feet. You should pay attention to the iris of the eyes - the color may change. Over time, the bird loses a fair amount of weight, becomes apathetic and dies.

Curvature and curly fingers

When the toes are bent, the chicken begins to move on the side of the foot. Curliness in birds is manifested by curved toes that point downward. This disorder is provoked by injuries and hypothermia, but curliness is also often transmitted genetically or occurs during the incubation period. There is no cure for this.

Knemidocoptosis

If the chicken falls and does not get up, this may be a late stage of knemidocoptic mange. With this disorder, scaly growths form on the paws, which are accompanied by dermatitis and scabies. The causative agent of the disease is the subcutaneous mite. An infected bird must be isolated.

Chicken lameness

Lameness in chickens is associated with mechanical damage to the paws, which was obtained as a result of injury, dislocation or sprain. If your bird is having difficulty walking, it most likely has a swollen joint or an open wound. When a limb is damaged, chickens lie motionless or limp.

Incorrect conditions of detention

One of the main mistakes in keeping birds is the overcrowding and high population density of the chicken coop. But also quite often the chicken coop does not meet sanitary and hygienic standards. Without ventilation, infections spread easily and high perches can cause injury.

Low temperatures lead to hypothermia, causing pets to lose limbs.

Poor nutrition

If the bird's diet is not enriched with minerals, nutrients and vitamins, it becomes weak and gets sick. The diet should contain greens, as well as sources of calcium: bone meal, chalk, shell rock. Often falling on the paws is associated with vitamin deficiency. What to do in this case? Enrich your diet with vegetables: cabbage, beets, carrots.

Frostbite

Frostbite on a chicken's paws can be easily determined by the following signs: the skin has a bluish-black tint, and the limb itself is swollen. This phenomenon occurred after walking during the cold season. Pallor of the comb and earrings also appears, the bird has a convulsion, it breathes heavily and staggers. If the paws fail, necrosis may develop.

Perosis

In the case of this disease, birds experience weakening of the ligaments and displacement of the tendons in the limbs. As a rule, the disorder occurs in broilers that grow quickly. But the disease also develops due to insufficient content of B vitamins, manganese, valuable acids, choline and biotin. A characteristic symptom is unnaturally turned paws. A sick bird hardly eats, moves little or does not get up at all.

Gout

If the bird sits on its feet and does not move, most likely, an excess amount of salts and uric acid has accumulated in its joints.Obvious signs of such a disorder are enlarged, hardened joints with lumps. The reason lies in long-term feeding with mixed feed, including fish or meat and bone meal.

Rickets

Due to vitamin D deficiency and lack of sunlight, you can observe that the chicken has fallen on its feet and is not moving. Such a disorder is called rickets. Metabolic disorders occur due to vitamin deficiency and usually affect young animals. The bird has chronic weakness and impaired bone formation.

Reovirus infection of chickens

This disease includes several disorders that are provoked by a reovirus. Clinically, they do not have pronounced symptoms, but pathology can be determined if the chicken is limping, breathing heavily and eating little. Late stages of the disease are accompanied by ruptures of the tendons of the limb and cartilage.

Tenosynovitis, arthritis

Both diseases are characterized by inflammatory processes. For tenosynovitis, the localization area is the articular sheath and tendons, and for arthritis, it is the joints. Often the cause is an infection or injury. Arthritis develops as a result of an unbalanced diet, injury, or a virus entering the chicken’s body. Sick birds lame and move little.

Injuries

In case of a fracture, cut, dislocation, rupture or sprain of ligaments, the chicken can sit on its feet. If chicks are injured, it is essential to treat the wound, otherwise the condition may worsen over time. Without proper care, affected chickens die.

Treatment of diseases

As soon as the first signs are noticed, you need to immediately start treating the bird:

• in case of joint disorders, the diet is supplemented with tricalcium phosphate;
• in case of inflammatory processes in the tendons, the food is enriched with vitamin B and manganese;
• for arthritis and tendovaginitis, birds are fed multivitamin supplements, antiviral and antibacterial drugs are used for a week, and their paws are lubricated with syntamycin ointment or fish oil;
• Knemidocoptic mange is treated with acaricidal agents: the solution is heated, poured into a basin and the paws of the sick chicken are immersed;
• for perosis, adult chickens are given vitamins B4, B12 and B7;
• In case of injuries and lameness, the bird is removed and the wound is treated.

It is recommended to immediately separate a weak and sick chicken from its relatives, since stronger ones can peck at it.

Disease Prevention

Preventive measures include creating comfortable conditions for keeping birds, rational nutrition and timely vaccination. In the poultry house, it is necessary to maintain the cleanliness of the bedding, as well as the feeders and drinkers.

One of the main conditions for comfortable keeping of chickens is normal temperature conditions and ventilation - chickens do not tolerate cold and drafts well. It is also important to maintain a balanced diet - food should be enriched with vitamins and minerals.

It would be a good idea to add calcium-containing mixtures to your diet.

As for nests and perches, their height should not exceed 0.5 meters. Another significant preventive measure is regular walking, during which chickens receive vitamins from pasture.