Swollen knee joint is one of the problems facing the chickens in the yard. It brings about lameness in chicken.
You must be worried when you see something like this on your chickens. So does with everyone else.
In this blog post, you are going to discover the reason chicken legs have swollen joints on the knee. You also learn some of the things you can do to treat swollen joints.
Why is my chicken’s leg joint swollen? Swollen leg joints on chickens are caused by infections. Swollen knee joints can occur as a result of rheumatism in chickens. Also deficiency in vitamins can also lead to swollen knee joints in chickens.
Table of Contents
How do you treat a swollen chicken leg?
It can be worrisome to see your chicken is being affected with swollen joints on the knee.
Most people often isolate the chicken from the rest but I will not recommend this. It might be difficult for the chicken to integrate with other chickens once the swollen joints on the leg have gone.
However, if you discover that the other chickens will be tramping on the affected chickens with swollen joints, it will be good to isolate the chicken.
You need to fill the spot with your hand to discover if the temperature is higher compared to the other parts of the chicken.
The first step is to reduce the inflammation on the spot. You are going to do this by mixing aspirin with water and serving the mixture to the chickens. This will help to reduce the burden on the spot.
The next thing is to add a sufficient amount of vitamin b complex to the feed you serve the chickens. Vitamin b complex will help to strengthen the tendon on the knee joint of the affected chickens.
You just have to do this consistently and watch out for the progress on the chicken. The joint should return back to normal after three weeks of serving them vitamin b complex riched feed.
Can a swollen knee go away on its own?
Swollen joints on the knee can go away if it happens that the chicken only sustained minor injury at the spot.
If it happens that the swollen joint happens as a result of rheumatism, it might not go on it own unless you do the appropriate things.
It might even worsen the case if you leave the chicken with the hope that the leg will heal on its own.
It can lead to complete paralysis in which the chicken will not be able to work again if you just leave swollen joints to heal on its own
This happened to one of my chickens in the past. I have the false belief that swollen feet will go on its own. After a while the joint became stiff and the chicken could no longer work again.
How long does it take for a chicken’s leg to heal?
If it happens that you notice the swollen joint on time then you tend to it appropriately, it shouldn’t take more than two weeks maximum for the leg to heal from swollen joints.
It is very important to attend to the chickens with swollen joints on time, this will speed up the rate of healing on the chickens.
You need to always check on your chickens especially when they are sitting longer than usual. Some chicken owners don’t notice swollen joints until it becomes too late to rectify.
How do you treat a chicken with leg pain?
If it is a minor cut on the chicken’s leg, you need to first clean the blood with cotton wool and apply hydrogen peroxide to the spot.
You can wrap around a blister at the spot so as to prevent it from external bacteria that may feed on it.
It is very important to use pain relief supplements for the chickens. You can mix the supplements together with the water you serve the chickens.
What does it mean when a chicken can’t walk?
There are some cultures that have a meaning for a chicken that can’t work. But in my own perspective, it means the chicken is not feeling well when you find it difficult to walk around.
A chicken that can’t work needs urgent attention in order to discover the causes of lameness in the chicken.
You must be responsive to your chickens if you notice unusual behavior in them and then this includes staying on a spot for a long time.
Your chickens and other birds you have in the yard deserve your attention and care all the time.
You should not wait until the chickens it’s getting closer to the point of death before you can realize that something bad is happening to them.
Why is my chicken holding her leg up?
One of the unusual behaviors exhibited by the chickens is to hold one leg up at a spot for a long time.
Well, there are so many reasons for this behavior, you just have to observe closely in order to determine what exactly you need to do when you discover that it is holding a leg up for a while.
Sometimes the chickens exhibit this behavior when they are tired and exhausted from browsing around.
You might notice that some chickens often fall asleep with this gesture. There is nothing to worry about, it is just taking time to recuperate some energy to continue browsing around.
Chickens can also raise one of the legs up and stand on the other one when they are sick. You are going to notice this when the eyes of the affected chickens are red.
Foods rich in vitamins & calcium for chickens
It is good to serve your chickens with treats that are rich in calcium in order to strengthen the bone at the legs and other parts of the body.
Oyster shell
Oyster shells are rich in a good amount of calcium essential for the body system of the chickens. You simply gather some oyster shells, grind them into smaller particles mixed with the feed you serve the chickens.
Eggshell
Eggshell is another good source of calcium for your chickens. Try to grind the egg shell you have into fine particles and mix with the feed of the chickens.
Sardines
Chickens are fond of eating fish and this includes Sardines. Sardines contain a sufficient amount of calcium for the chickens as well as some vitamins.
Yogurt
Yogurt is a good source of vitamin as well as calcium for the chickens. You should serve yogurt to the chickens as a treat regularly when they are experiencing swollen joints on the knee.
Conclusion
Chickens will experience swollen joints when they are having infections on their legs. When you notice this on your chickens, you can mix aspirin together with the water you serve them.
Make sure you include vitamin b complex in the feed you are serving the chickens as this can help to minimize the swollen joint on the birds.
Reference
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/chick-with-swollen-red-leg-joint.1175645/
