*HELP* hen with 'poopy butt' and walking weirdly? (Pictures)

[Gabrielle]

I've been watching my Rhode Island Red chicken today and it's behavior was very strange. I let the chickens out to free range and they all go around and do their own thing. But I was watching this hen and she looked like she was having trouble walking? Well, she was walking like she had a rash in between her legs. Even running, she ran like she had a rash problem.





I looked at her bottom and noticed the chicken poop covering it. I looked it up and some people call it a "poopy butt" and suggested that I cut off the feathers around it and wash it with warm water because there might possibly be mites (or something) infested in it
.

I did as it said and shaved most of her bottom and washed it

she was quite the good sport

after I was done, I was about to pick her up and let her outside but she managed to poop 4 times under one minute before I could. But it wasn't poop, it was wet greenish/orange diarrhea. We washed her bottom again and sent her outside. She seemed to be walking a bit better but I'm wondering now, was it nothing at all and I cut her feathers just because of messy diarrhea?

I noticed one other thing on her foot that could have been bothering her, which was a little tumorish thing on the bottom of her foot. I don't know if it's just a bit bigger of a chicken toe part or something that's really making her walk funny.

The other chickens seem to pay no attention to her shaved bottom and everything is going fine but I'm not sure if this will help her walking performance. Opinions?

 

[ten chicks]

Check her for vent gleet,the sore on bottom of foot sounds like bumblefoot. Here are a couple of links explaining both conditions.

http://www.the-chicken-chick.com/2011/07/bumblefoot-causes-treatment-warning.html

http://www.tillysnest.com/2012/12/vent-gleet-prevention-and-treatment.html


Check to make sure she is eating,do this by checking her crop(should be full at night after eating all day)should be empty in morning(before eating).

Whenever a hen is walking funny,i always check for egg binding just to rule it out as egg binding can kill. Do this by putting on gloves w lubricant and insert finger into vent,see if you can feel an egg or broken egg.