Chicken Can’t Stand/Walk - Please Help!

chippycheeks

Chirping
Oct 1, 2021
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Hi everyone, this morning I discovered my bantam EE named Mila sitting on the ladder to our coop falling and very unbalanced. Upon further investigation, I found that she could not walk or stand. It seems to be her right foot/leg. She is vaccinated against Marek’s disease. She hasn’t laid since June when she had a swollen vent. She seems perky at times and lethargic at other times. She is my favorite chicken.
1) What type of bird , age and weight (does the chicken seem or feel lighter or thinner than the others.) Easter Egger Bantam, just turned one on September 20th. I’m pretty sure she is skinny/thinner than the others and maybe lighter, the others are full sized
2) What is the behavior, exactly. She is unbalanced and unable to use her right foot/leg. She was laying mainly on her side the whole day. Seems out of breath/breathing heavily. Puffed up and shuts eyes sometimes. She can move her wings and left leg/foot. Below the vent seems swollen, but I’m not sure.
3) How long has the bird been exhibiting symptoms? Just since this morning. She was fine yesterday.
4) Are other birds exhibiting the same symptoms? No, there are four other full sized chickens and they are all fine.
5) Is there any bleeding, injury, broken bones or other sign of trauma. No
6) What happened, if anything that you know of, that may have caused the situation. I’m not sure, maybe she got her foot stuck in something? :confused:
7) What has the bird been eating and drinking, if at all. She has eaten purina layer crumbles, I read that if the feed is old it can cause this? The feed was just opened, not new by any means, we got it in bulk because our local farm store doesn’t sell it. She had some cheerios and I am going to give her more as well as some scrambled eggs. She had a few sips of water.
8) How does the poop look? Normal? Bloody? Runny? etc. A little gooey bit came out of her vent when she flew out of my hands, it was green :eek: Pictures below
9) What has been the treatment you have administered so far? Nothing, she has been inside in a crate isolated from her flock.
10 ) What is your intent as far as treatment? For example, do you want to treat completely yourself, or do you need help in stabilizing the bird til you can get to a vet? Sadly I don’t think that the vet is an option, she was taken to the vet recently because she had a swollen vent and was put on antibiotics in June.
11) If you have a picture of the wound or condition, please post it. It may help. Pictures below
12) Describe the housing/bedding in use She lives in an Omlet coop/run and has bedding from tractor supply (not cedar but changed somewhat recently)
Sorry for the long post, and thank you so much in advance.
-Chippycheeks
 

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It’s possible that she is egg bound, or that she was injured. I would give her a human calcium tablet with vitamin D3 or a Tums orally to help her push the egg out. Is there any redness, green bruising, or swelling on the leg or foot?
 
Thank you so much for replying. Would these work? And do I give her the whole pill? She is really tiny, being a bantam Easter Egger. I don’t see anything of alarm of the foot, she may have scaly leg mite?
 

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Thank you! I gave her half a pill yesterday, today she looks really lethargic with shut eyes. She hasn’t really eaten anything, but she drank some water. Still no poop. I just noticed that her right foot is curled but I can uncurl it manually. I also gave her an Epsom Salt bath yesterday and will repeat soon. She still is breathing heavily. Is there anything else that I can do? Thank you!
 
I would repeat the 1/2 calcium tablet today. Try some scramble egg bits, wet chicken feed, and you can also try canned cat food, tuna, or ground meat bits to tempt her to eat. Water is most important though, and I wet anything that she will eat. You may want to insert a clean or gloved finger into her vent an inch or two, to feel for a stuck egg. Let us know what happens.
 
Okay thanks, I tried feeling for an egg yesterday and just felt her leg-bone on the left I think but I didn’t go that far.
 

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