When I see that penguin-ish stance, I think of an egg issue first. But there are a lot of possible egg issues, often jello/soft shelled eggs being “stuck”. I think the egg tract that would normally squeeze/contract around a solid object to expel it struggles if the object is NOT solid. So...
Here, when I’ve had hens with egg issues, I’ve given them a warm bath and blow dry (I think the heat relaxes them a bit), and then kept in a warm, dim area with food/water. At least here, it’s always resolved within a day. If I‘ve suspected difficulty passing an egg, I’ll also rub a little...
I linked a lower end model on my reply to Rurumo…it’s one pretty commonly used by folks newer to testing who don’t want to spend bigger bucks until they know for sure whether fecal testing is for them or not…
Amscope has some of the best budget scopes, imo. There are similar (low end) brands with similar scopes, but I’m most familiar with Amscope for those price ranges. I’m linking one from amazon that includes the three basic features I would want for reading fecals: a mechanical stage, a light...
If alert looking and not puffed up, then my guess would be that whatever is wrong with it’s leg/foot has become too painful to want to move???
You’ve done a thorough inspection of the leg, toes, and foot pad?? Felt along the bad leg and compared to the feel of the good leg?
And this is why I’m a huge proponent of running your own fecals - eliminates guesswork on whether a certain med is needed…and a post test for knowing whether the med of choice actually worked!! A basic fecal float is quite simple. For around $100-$125 (or less if you buy a used microscope of...
Wowza!! Fecals are high in my area (southern Indiana) but still around $25. I’m thinking your vet must send them off to a lab or something?? That sounds like human insurance scam pricing!! LOL!!
My vet will run a fecal on an unseen bird, as long as I have my animals in the system already...
Most likely your friend uses McMasters method for testing her goats 🤔. But she might use a basic float or even modified Wisconsin.
A basic float (the steps here) would be a simple task for someone use to testing goats and/or large livestock, so she should have no problem using these steps...
I’d keep her in a warm area that’s kind of dim for a day (24 hours). Warm helps relax muscles, and dim helps delay the egg cycle.
Is the slight protrusion of flesh still there? You can (latex glove or not) lube up a finger really well with Vaseline and gently push/tuck that protrusion back...
If you can’t have a fecal checked, you might ‘guess treat’ with fenbendazole (safeguard) for several days, in case high parasite load is partly the cause of her low weight?? Skip the scratch for now, as it’s notoriously low nutrition…a spoonful won’t hurt her, but make sure she’s getting high...
It’s possible that the mites were opportunistic rather than cause. Often when I bird becomes sick, they become more susceptible to parasites, both internal and external, due to lowered resistance and just not feeling well enough to groom.
Here, I’d isolate to a warm environment for supportive...
I would suggest getting some Poultry Cell into her daily for at least a week. Vitamin deficiency (especially vit B/thiamine) can cause neurological symptoms, including wry neck, loss of balance, and possibly seizures. I’d direct drench 1/2 cc into her beak daily. Or if she likes oatmeal, mix...
Some questions have been asked that might help answer your question...how large is the coop, and how many linear feet of roost space is there? If you only have one roost, you might add a second.
With the hens blocking the entrance, by the time the hen(s) get up on the roost, it's darker...