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Any one give me any ideas what i can do about Bob....he is a lovely cockrel, but just lately has started limping! then is got worse and he will only walk so far before he rests....today he even let me pick him up! which is unheard of! i have inspected the leg and he has a lump between his knee and his hip...its obviosly the cause but i am not sure what i can do with it! any ideas?

Hi, I am no expert on chickens but general husbandry practice that I use might give you a starting point.

1. Does he look normal i.e., bright and alert (just not walking)
2. Is he eating/drinking normally
3. Are his stools (poo) normal

if all of these are OK then it is more likely an injury, so then go to -

4. Is there heat in the swelling
5. Is the swelling hard or soft
6. Is there any cut or show of anything entering the swollen part

At that point you can either have information if you wish to talk to a vet or a knowledgeable chook person or it may give you a course of action for a localized injury with either western or herbal remedies.

General tips:

At the first sign of any illness in poultry I automatically add garlic to the water or if you want to crush some in a little water and then syringe the garlic down the throat or add it to a mash. (Remember though that the quality of the garlic will most definitely affect the medicinal values).

I am a great believer in comfrey/lavender plus various other herbs for injuries as a treatment for swellings and wounds. If you are interested I can give you a recipe that I use with some variants for specific problems.

Anyway I hope this helped.

thanks mauzi...i use herbal remedies alot myself...never thought to use on chooks etc! lol make mental note kimmie !

yes comfrey has the nick name of bone knit, and aparently can be used like a bandage type thing, if you were to wrap comfrey leaves round and round his leg, and then tie a bandage around that so it stays on, and then leave it on for a few days, or longer if necessary then it fixes the broken bone, only problem is is that 1 you dont know whats the problem, so it might not be the best thing in your case, and 2 its a job finding comfrey leaves at this time of year, up hear it is any way