Help! Chicken high stepping and walking very slowly.

[Ginntonix]

I've just returned from holiday (neighbours fed and changed bedding etc) to find one of my hens standing separate from the other 3 in the flock. She is walking very slowly, and pulling each foot up to her tummy with every step she takes, almost like she's riding a bicycle. She is reluctant to walk. Looking at the egg rack the neighbours left she is still laying, but at a reduced rate (2 in 4 days, rather than one/day). Her comb is a little pale and dry. She's still fairly chunky, she's never been the fattest hen and she's thinner than the others but I don't think she's lost much weight. I don't think she's moulting because I can't see many feathers.

It is winter where we are, but has been very warm and wet. There is an avian flu warning in the area, but I told the neighbours not to let them out of their secure run. They didn't empty old straw out of the run so it was piled high and quite dirty (has been changed & scrubbed since).

I've separated her in a box in our spare room with food and water and a blanket. We would prefer to treat her at home. Does this sound like anything obvious?

 

[Banana01]

Nothing obvious
Gout
Scaly leg mites
Injury on bottom of feet

Please Check this thread it may be mites:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/chicken-lifting-legs-high-when-walking.731367/

 

[Ginntonix]

Nothing obvious
Gout
Scaly leg mites
Injury on bottom of feet

Please Check this thread it may be mites:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/chicken-lifting-legs-high-when-walking.731367/

Thank you! Possible stupid question: are the online photos of scaly leg mites and gout worse than it might be for her??? Compared to those she's fine but there is a small swelling on two of her knuckles

 

[Banana01]

How is she doing? You should treat for gout and also for scaly leg mites. Swollen knuckles reaffirms both of them.

Scaly leg mites are treated various ways. It is easy to treat your hen, but harder to eliminate mites in your environment. Proper treatment may be Ivermectin to treat the hen, and dusting the environment with special treatments to eliminate them. There are TONS of threads on BYC or you could post your own with photos of your place and get lots of advice on mites.

Gout may be treated with medicine, but there are also lifestyle changes and foods to avoid if you dont have a vet to help. Water and vitamin C supposedly help, but proper treatment is NSAID anti-indlammatory medicine.

Maybe a vet can help, but there are lots of self help threads. If it is not gout or mites, then it may be an internal infection, so best to treat the easy things first since you still dont know the causes.

 

[Ginntonix]

How is she doing? You should treat for gout and also for scaly leg mites. Swollen knuckles reaffirms both of them.

Scaly leg mites are treated various ways. It is easy to treat your hen, but harder to eliminate mites in your environment. Proper treatment may be Ivermectin to treat the hen, and dusting the environment with special treatments to eliminate them. There are TONS of threads on BYC or you could post your own with photos of your place and get lots of advice on mites.

Gout may be treated with medicine, but there are also lifestyle changes and foods to avoid if you dont have a vet to help. Water and vitamin C supposedly help, but proper treatment is NSAID anti-indlammatory medicine.

Maybe a vet can help, but there are lots of self help threads. If it is not gout or mites, then it may be an internal infection, so best to treat the easy things first since you still dont know the causes.

How is she doing? You should treat for gout and also for scaly leg mites. Swollen knuckles reaffirms both of them.

Scaly leg mites are treated various ways. It is easy to treat your hen, but harder to eliminate mites in your environment. Proper treatment may be Ivermectin to treat the hen, and dusting the environment with special treatments to eliminate them. There are TONS of threads on BYC or you could post your own with photos of your place and get lots of advice on mites.

Gout may be treated with medicine, but there are also lifestyle changes and foods to avoid if you dont have a vet to help. Water and vitamin C supposedly help, but proper treatment is NSAID anti-indlammatory medicine.

Maybe a vet can help, but there are lots of self help threads. If it is not gout or mites, then it may be an internal infection, so best to treat the easy things first since you still dont know the causes.

Thank you! That's really helpful.

She's ok, fast asleep in her box at the moment. Eating and drinking ok and pooping (with a lot of white in it?) but not laying. I took her outside for a scratch today away from the other girls and she was still very ginger on her feet.

I'll do some research on the mites and get the oil & vaseline out to try and make her a bit more comfortable. And I'll shove some vit c in her water tomorrow. We just have a standard eglu with a large run (usually free range, but bird flu warning). It's been very wet lately so I've put some straw down to protect them from the mud.

Thanks again, so much. It's horrible to see her sore and I really appreciate your help

 

[Eggcessive]

Do you have any pictures of her feet and legs cleaned up?

 

[Banana01]

Thank you! That's really helpful.

She's ok, fast asleep in her box at the moment. Eating and drinking ok and pooping (with a lot of white in it?) but not laying. I took her outside for a scratch today away from the other girls and she was still very ginger on her feet.

I'll do some research on the mites and get the oil & vaseline out to try and make her a bit more comfortable. And I'll shove some vit c in her water tomorrow. We just have a standard eglu with a large run (usually free range, but bird flu warning). It's been very wet lately so I've put some straw down to protect them from the mud.

Thanks again, so much. It's horrible to see her sore and I really appreciate your help

Yea the way you describe the warm weather and nkw straw makes me think mites is likely. Where I live, mites are living in organic material, like straw, dried leaves, etc. If you confirm mites I hope the treatment goes easy for you and she returns to norml. All your chickens may need it eventually.

You may get more questions answered posting a new thread because there are a lot of people that can help with scaly leg mites. Ive tried coconut oil and permethrin on the legs but am not sure what is best for you.

 

[Banana01]

One of my very first roosters walked like that back when I fed only corn and I was new to chickens. I also have a rooster walking like that now, but he has visible injuries and is being treated for mites now. Back then I thought it was gout so diagnosed it as gout, before I ever knew about my mite problem. I started buying vitamins and feeding him supplemenntal foods that i thought would help. I know he ended up dying unexpectedly and his weight may have been low. So I am sure that he probably had mites. He could no longer walk up to any of the perches, and it was obvious something was very wrong by the way he walked.

I hope the treatment goes well. How is her weight now?

 

[Ginntonix]

Do you have any pictures of her feet and legs cleaned up?

These are terrible photos, sorry! She's a squirmer

 

[Ginntonix]

Yea the way you describe the warm weather and nkw straw makes me think mites is likely. Where I live, mites are living in organic material, like straw, dried leaves, etc. If you confirm mites I hope the treatment goes easy for you and she returns to norml. All your chickens may need it eventually.

You may get more questions answered posting a new thread because there are a lot of people that can help with scaly leg mites. Ive tried coconut oil and permethrin on the legs but am not sure what is best for you.

Brilliant, thank you again. How long did it take for you to see an improvement for your hens with coconut and permethrin?