lameness query

[outwardbound]

Hi, I have a Buff Orpington who lifts one leg unnaturally high while stepping, she is less than a year old. I can't seem to find any reference to this as a symptom. It slows her down a bit but she seems otherwise normal. Any ideas?

 

[chrismahon]

Welcome to the forum Outwardbound. Assuming she has no bumble foot pad damage. We have two BO cockerels that do that and had a Legbar that developed a funny walk like John Cleese and stopped 6 months later! If she is happy otherwise it won't be a problem I think, but check the pad for swelling or damage anyway.

 

[outwardbound]

Thanks for your reply, Chris, it was very useful. In the event I took her to the vet - we have one who keeps chickens herself - and she found a small patch of rough skin on the pad which was not bumble foot and contained no septic fluid. She cleaned it up, gave me some antibiotic and advised keeping her apart and on clean flooring for a week in case the rough skin sloughs off and leaves an open wound. The cause is still a mystery! Mud, though, has been a huge problem this winter.