Unbalanced chicken

Date sort Score sort
Ximena

Ximena

Chirping
May 14, 2016
72
28
94
I have a 1 yr old hen who's been acting "off" lately - slow, droopy, a little off balance, maybe letting one wing hang down lower than normal. Doesn't keep up with the flock. We have a small backyard flock of 6. She's been acting this way for a week or two, and it might be getting worse. Kind of hard to tell exactly. Any ideas what I should do?
 
She looks egg bound. Run some warm water, place 1/2 cup epsom salt and soak her back end for 15-20 minutes. Make her sit down in it. Perfect time to wash butt. I also with gloves, open vent and splash some of the epson salt water. While soaking, just easily feel under belly in front of legs and massage easily to assist. Epson salt also acts as a laxitive, maybe helping release some exess built up shell gunk, helping to either release amd egg or break down blockage. Good luck... You should improvement in a day. Also, I have a hen doing "odd" behaviors... May be starting to go broody. She will sit in weird areas and holler. She will lay on her sides stretched out or wing hanging. If breast feathers gone, broody is it lol I wash any fluffy bottoms with stuck junk immediately because I read somewhere this is a big factor with egg binding. Bread. Keeps poop dryer, they get yeast needed for gut and mine do well. She is young. May be deciding its time to see what this mama think is about!
 
Ximena said:
I have a 1 yr old hen who's been acting "off" lately - slow, droopy, a little off balance, maybe letting one wing hang down lower than normal. Doesn't keep up with the flock. We have a small backyard flock of 6. She's been acting this way for a week or two, and it might be getting worse. Kind of hard to tell exactly. Any ideas what I should do?
Click to expand...

In addition to trying what the above poster said, I would get a good multivitamin/mineral supplement for her and either dose her individually or the whole flock for several days. Sometimes a deficiency in a certain vit/mineral will cause imbalance issues. I am having trouble remembering which it is. I'm thinking a certain B vitamin or E but not entirely sure. Feed can get old after a few months and lose nutritional value.
If she is low in calcium and having trouble making shells you can try giving her a calcium pill with D. You can just half them and pop it in the back of their beak.
 
700
does this look like mites I've never seen mites before can they cause the hen to be unbalanced if so how do you treat them
 
Last edited:
I separated her from the rest of the flock, she's still has trouble staying balanced
 
I use diatomaceous red clay... Sprinkle on them like Seven dust but much mich better without pestisides. I also lightly dust our coop floor. Flies and bigs at bay. Did you put her in epsom salt bath for about 20 minutes to see if eggbound? I can't tell from picture myself. And she is not going thru a tough molt? A fracture wing?

Great job isolating from all other birds. Any improvement at all?
 
Last edited:
i don't think she's egg bound because she's not squatting. she doesn't have any injuries and she's not molting. I looked again she definitely has mites i see little white specks crawling all over, under the feathers. She hasn't improved. she still seems to eat and drink. Is it weird that non of the other chickens have this problem? What do you do if they have a lot of mites?
 
Last edited:
Im telling you, go to TSC if you have one and ask for largest bag of diatomaceous earth. Works great. I buy Red Clay brand , food grade and just just top of my chickens, in coop and nests. It works because it's fossilized diatoms(algae) when looked at through microscope look like tiny glass shards. I use to worm through their feet. I use to keep flies at bay in, around and under. I also place a "dust bath" of it for them and they get in an dust themselves. It just works.. And natural. I don't like wormer if I don't have to have to. Also, go buy her some probiotics. Human or animal. I use Purinas forte flora that come in packets from vet for dogs. I also give them prebiotics...
 
We also place the metal round domestic mite/lice in each coop. You know, like for regular birds. I deep litter nests with wheat straw so once a week, Ill clean them, put about 1/4 cup of diatomaceous earth at bottom, retop with wheat straw and no problems. I also so a weekly inspection, picking up each one, and just look at them all over. Easiest for me if I sit down in chair, place hen in my lap and start looking. Once upon a time, I had a chicken that had gangrene beneath wing under feathers from a nasty wound from my Roo I just didnt see. By the time I found it was too late. So I take time to really inspect. You know chickens, hide their problems until near death and well, if they decide today is the day the dying, well they are going lol.
 

Similar threads

S
Old hen?
Replies
2
Views
129
Somshine
S
S
Are my chicks sick? Should I be worried?
Replies
3
Views
212
nuthatched
nuthatched
Mini_field_farm
Chicken unbalanced and constant head flicking
Replies
5
Views
777
Wyorp Rock
Wyorp Rock
awagnon
Was this from worming?
Replies
5
Views
220
Wyorp Rock
Wyorp Rock
W
    • Like
Help, just lost 10 month old hen
2
Replies
16
Views
616
Debbie292d
Debbie292d

New posts New threads Active threads

Back
Top Bottom