Hen can't walk anymore???

The Chickeneer

~A Morning's Crow~
9 Years
Jan 9, 2011
976
52
138
Central Valley California
I have a young hen, about 5-6 months. I started realizing some odd behaviour this week. She would hardly walk, and carried herself very top-heavy. It was like she was leaning all the way foward all the time. She also had kind of a limp, and tried to stay off her right foot. Yesterday, she couldn't walk at all. I now have her in a separate pen with food and water. She tried to take step, but was leaning forward so much that the poor hen toppled over and did a front flip/ roll.

I think I know what may have caused this. Our male duck probably tried to mount her, I've seen him chasing the hens sometimes, though we have 5 female ducks. Im almost positive this was the case. Today, the ducks are sleeping in a separate coop, and will be until we find a rooster for the hens. When we used to have a rooster, he would defend them against the ducks, but we don't have him anymore.

How do I treat this hen? Nothing seems broken, I felt all throught her legs...will it heal on it's own? Should I give extra calcium for her bones? I intentd to keep her separated until she is fully recovered. But I really need some help right now.
 
Extra calcium is always good in cases of injury. I would give it to her ad-lib, in crushed eggshells though, not add it to her food so she can't take only what she wants. Too much calcium is bad too.

Given the reproductive habits of ducks, it's possible he mated with her and damaged something internal. After all roosters don't have penises but some waterfowl do. You would have heard about the explosive erection, no doubt?

From the sounds of it, I think muscle and/or tendon has been torn and she is unable to right herself due to this; if you let her sit in peace somewhere with food and water within easy reach, separated from other birds but preferably where they can see her and she them, (so the recognition and bond is not lost) and give her time, she may recover. But it may take months. She may also die. I suggest you do something about that drake, perhaps restrict him to an area the hens do not share.

Best wishes with her.
 
Thank you. I have her separated to her own pen with some calcium. She is healthy overall, and when I pick her up she still kicks her legs and flaps her wings like any other chicken. I also gave her some ACV with a needleless syringe in her mouth. She has perked up since then, and is now able to stand a little bit for short periods of time. She lies down most of the day though.

If it is an internal issue, will it heal on it's own? What other things can I do to help her?
 
There could be many things causing this. Injury, or disease. The following diseases can cause limping or lameness, and even paralysis:
Marek's Disease, Avian Lymphoid Leukosis, Lead or other heavy metal toxicity, Botulism, Viral Arthritis, Mycoplasma Synoviea, Moldy Feed (causing aflatoxins), bumblefoot, etc.

As you can see, there are many things it can be. Watch her closely for any other symptoms. If you feel she is in pain, you can offer baby aspirin or a stronger (but safe for birds) pain reliever / anti-inflammatory such as Metacam.

Is she showing any other signs of distress, illness? Is she eating and drinking well? What are her droppings like? Is she laying eggs?
 
Mareks disease can cause weakness in a leg progressing to paralysis of leg or wing. Did she have the vaccine? She could have a sprain or even a broken leg also. Look over the entire length of the leg for any swelling around the joints or upper leg. Other things that could be the cause are mycoplasma synoviae or viral arthritis, but there would be swelling. Keep her in a crate with food, water with vitamins in it (especially B complex) and let her rest it for a week, then re-evaluate. I would get rid of the drake unless you want other hurt chickens.
 
She started doing better yesterday, but today she was doing much worse. She couldn't stand anymore, she kind of squirmed and spasmed out on the ground when I was trying to pick her up. She doesn't have bumble foot or moldy feet, they are perfectly clean and fine. I couldn't feel any swelling on either of her legs. She was also behaving weird today by opening her mouth and panting constantly. Well, it looked kind of like panting, but it wasn't. I know how a chicken panting looks like, and it wasn't that, besides it wasn't hot today. I've never seen this type of behaviour, it is rare when one of my birds is injured or sick....and I'm kind of stuck on what to do. Im not sure now if she's injured or sick.??
 
Please help me my hen can't walk tell me what doing for it
Welcome to BYC. How old is your hen? Are her legs moving or paralyzed? Has she been weak from not eating or drinking? Many things can cause lameness in a chicken from injuries, to an infection causing weakness, to Mareks disease, or others. A lot depends on her history and symptoms. Can you describe some of her symptoms, and any other details that might help?
 
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