Sitting Funny

[AnnPann]

I have a 12 week old Orpington that sits funny. I haven't been able to get a good picture of her doing it but the best way to describe it is that she sits down on her fluffy butt and stretches her feet out in front of her, very deliberately. Nothing clumsy about it. Like she'd be right at home sitting in a chair. She's otherwise healthy as far as I can tell - eats, drinks, active, normal motion, perches OK when she chooses to, stays close to the others. She's been doing this for quite a while - it's not new behavior. She tripped the other day pretty bad and has been holding that foot up (but also puts her weight on it just fine and is not limping). I just started to wonder if the 2 things are related - her tripping and her sitting funny. Has anyone else seen this odd sitting position? Is this something to be concerned about or is she just silly?

 

[MadGardener]

Welcome to BYC!

I took in a cockerel who had some balance issues and he sat like this as well. In my case I worried a lot about Mareks and Mycoplasma, but his condition stayed fairly stable. My flock is closed for awhile due to this and limited space.

I'm not an expert, but I suggest you not add or rehome any birds while you observe. The foot issue could be related. I'd check her foot & entire leg over really carefully, looking for any cuts, bruising, swelling or heat. If she continues to favor her leg, forced rest through confinement and human Vitamin B Complex may help.

Anytime I have a bird acting off I try to give them a thorough check for external parasites and keep an eye on crop function & droppings. Behind the neck, under wings & around the vent are common areas for lice/mites. Part the feathers and look for movement or egg clumps near the skin. Check the crop during the day to ensure she's eating, and first thing in the morning to make sure it's emptying. Poops can have obvious worms in them, or look mucousy or foamy if worms are an issue. Some folks have a vet do a fecal float (some will do this even if they don't treat chickens).

What do you feed your flock (including treats)?

 

[AnnPann]

Thank you so much for all the advice! I'm headed out to do some inspecting now.

I should clarify - she started doing this since a couple weeks old. I thought at first it just appeared odd to me because her feet/legs were so much bigger than the other chicks. So I thought maybe they just stuck out more from her body than the others and she'd grow into them, but now that she's older, it's clear she's definitely sitting differently.

They are all still on chick feed (the chicks aren't laying yet), so the 4 older hens (3 are laying) have access to free choice oyster grit. I let the 3 young ones mix with the 4 older hens a few hours a day (more than that, and there's still some trouble). They get occasional treats (mealworms mostly), and maybe once a week some watermelon or cantaloupe rinds to pick at. They get a few blackberries each day. This particular chick is not real big on treats - she's always been pretty cautious/suspicious of new things, so the others usually eat the treats before she's make a decision. This chick seems to eat her feed and drink normally though - the others don't keep her from eating/drinking.

Droppings seem normal - nothing foamy or weird. It's hot here so they are all drinking a lot (and poop is runnier than normal).

No plans to expand or reduce the flock right now, and I don't have visitors or visit other flocks.

 

[AnnPann]

Chick inspection complete. No signs of lice, mites, cuts or scabs. Crop felt semi-full, and she ate and drank and pooped (normal) while I was out there. BUT I got a good look at her foot and there's a bit of swelling on her foot/toe joint (see photo). It's not hot, but those 2 toes are less responsive/have less tension when I move them (compared to her other foot). She uses it OK when she has to (including jumping down, perching, and walking), but holds it up when she can, toes curled. I couldn't get a photo of the underside of her feet, but they both looked normal/healthy.

I don't think she's sitting funny b/c of this injury, since that started at 2-3 weeks old. Just thought maybe she tripped b/c she's got something else going on that also makes her sit weird. I got a few photos while I was out there of her sitting.

 

[MadGardener]

Seems very similar to what I went through with my cockerel. That swelling does look pretty localized, though.

I'd advise you to familiarize yourself with Marek's and Mycoplasma Synovae symptoms.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/the-great-big-giant-mareks-disease-faq.66077

 

[AnnPann]

:: shudders :: thanks for the link. i'll keep a close eye on her and try supplementing with vitamin B for a bit and see if there's any improvement.

 

[AnnPann]

I suppose it's possible it's Marek's, but she started showing the sitting funny deal so early on, I'd think it would have affected at least one of her other hatch-mates (her + 3 other chicks, all unvaccinated), and they are all completely healthy as far as I can tell, as well as my other 4 hens who share a divided run.

She's been worsening each day in terms of favoring the foot, and is visibly limping now. The swelling looks to be a bit bigger this morning, but not spreading - it's still the same place. I tried to get her to take some vitamin B yesterday (in yogurt, on blackberries, in water, dropped from syringe... she wasn't having any of it). I did get her to eat some nutritional yeast sprinkled on her regular feed, so I guess I'll keep doing that for now, and see if I can find some other vitamin B supplements that are more palatable (the one I got has a very strong vitamin-y odor... not sure if chickens are sensitive to that, but I sure wouldn't want to eat it).

I'm going to isolate her from the other chicks in a dog crate next to the run during the day for a while, as I can't keep her off the perches, and I'm afraid she'll injure herself further hopping down.

Is there anything else I should do to help her recover faster? She's going to be miserable not being able to snuggle with her bestie.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Can you get a video of her walking?

Upload video to youtube and provide a link.

If she's always sat like that, then it's likely "normal" for her. I'd have to say she may have some developmental issues, but if she's able to move about, eat/drink and is fairly active, I'd observe her to see if she stays the same/gets worse. As she matures, she may have more difficulties, hard to know.

Marek's is possible, but if she's exhibited this behavior since a week or two old, then likely genetic or developmental.

 

[AnnPann]

Getting a video of a chicken is like trying to video a toddler! So frustrating. I was out there setting up her "recovery suite" in the run so I got to observe her more while I worked. I noted that after she's been lying down for a while, her limp is worse. Like her leg/foot stiffened up. Limp is much more dramatic the first few steps, then she levels off a bit (still limping, but not as bad/unstable). I gave her some more nutritional yeast mixed in her food and she gobbled it up. Attached is a photo of the swollen part of her foot. There's still no wound or scab that I can find. She has very clean feet and easy to handle, so it was easy to look her over well.