Sore legs

[Reese]

I have about 40 grown breeders in a wire cage on 1/2 inch hardware cloth. They have started to get knots on their legs. They pick them and they start to bleed. Some stand on one leg and others can barely walk. This is their first year to lay eggs. What can I do and is there any prevention. Reese

[stewaw]

It is an ankle injury caused by pecking. The only time I seem to run into that is when I colony breed my Tenn Reds. I can run them as a colony during the winter (same number of adult birds) and they get along fine on 1/2in wire so I don't think it's crowding. They also get along with no problems during the breeding season provided they are in breeder cages (trios) so I don't think it has anything to do with the wire (both have 1/2in hardware cloth).  I know many folks colony breed fine without any problems but I seem to have fits everytime I try it. Between the dominance fighting and ankle pecking it doesn't work at my place. Anyone else?

David

[Fivehollers]

Geesh I am so glad to not be the only one with the leg knot problem. The only difference is that I think they peck at them because they are oozing stuff, watery puss

Ummmm, I have been putting more greens in the pens and we have gone ahead and have been giving them grain seems to keep them satisfied. Power says that my birds are overcrowed but I do not think so I think they are bored (if a bird can get bored) and if I give them something else to do other than pick on each other then they are happy.

Probably does not help but....oh yeah I have been catching the birds that are the worst and washing the sores with betadyne soap and then putting neosporin on it and if I can a bandaid. Yeah I know....maybe that is a little over the top but by the time the bandaid falls off the sores are healed and not bleeding anymore then I put them back in general population, and they seem to be just fine after that.  

Lori

[stewaw]

The puss is caused by swelling of the ankle.  The ankle joint fills up with excess fluid that has nowhere to go. Once it finds a path and begins leaking then the wound is pecked in earnest (either by the affected bird because of discomfort or the other birds).  Again as to the root cause of the fluid buildup, I'm not certain but I lean toward fighting/pecking by other birds.  When I first noticed it I spent a lot of time observing the birds to attempt to determine what was causing certain birds to be affected.  I looked for things like scaly leg mites, mosquitoes, and mechanical things like sharp pieces of wire, pen etc.. The only reoccuring constant that I noticed is that it primarily affected subordinant females and males. I haven't had a dominant bird of either sex afflicted yet. In my case I don't believe it's overcrowding as my colony cage allows for 3.0 square ft/bird.  In my breeder cages I allow 1.5 square ft/bird. Still looking and learning, but in my case my problems virtually vanished overnight when I gave up trying to colony breed my birds. As I said in an earlier post, I know colony breeding works for many breeders and I don't wish to imply that it is a bad thing or that I don't recomend it, just in my case with my bloodline it doesn't seem to work.  Colony breeding is a time/space saver and has a proven record of great sucess. I offer this simply as an example of what works for one, may not work for all.

David

[pgbirdman]

Are you all talking about one leg?  2?  Or does it matter?  It too have a bird with 1 swollen leg/ankle, its been a week since I separated him but hes really not doing any better, just sort of "flutters" around.  He does eat and drink.  I noticed after reading this topic, it is a sub-ordinate male.  Does the condition go away?  Or is the bird crippled now?

[Fivehollers]

After seperating the birds they seem to heal up and do just fine. It does take a while but ours were pecked almost through. I think the only thing holding on some of their legs is the bandaid.  :shock:

Anyway...We have new cages built and we are in the process of de-beaking AGAIN the whole lot.

Hope this helps

Lori