2 year old hen with paralysis in one foot

[Rkim]

I have a black sex link hen that is 2 to 3 years old that has paralysis in one foot. I let them out every day in the late afternoon. Everyone exited the pen just fine, when I went to close them up for the night she was laying on the floor of the coop. I have had an issue with coyotes in the past and this is why I leave them in till later in the day when I am home. She had poop all over her butt so I brought her in and let her soak in the bath and have kept separate from the rest for 3 weeks now. She is still the same. She will not eat her chicken food but she will eat catfood, scrambled eggs, mealworms, and I have given her a fresh ear of corn everyday that she has pecked clean. I have given her vitamins. The flock has been dewormed with diatomaceous earth on a regular basis. Can anyone give me any ideas? Maybe she just has an injury? I think the poop on her butt has been from pooping while laying down.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

I have a black sex link hen that is 2 to 3 years old that has paralysis in one foot. I let them out every day in the late afternoon. Everyone exited the pen just fine, when I went to close them up for the night she was laying on the floor of the coop. I have had an issue with coyotes in the past and this is why I leave them in till later in the day when I am home. She had poop all over her butt so I brought her in and let her soak in the bath and have kept separate from the rest for 3 weeks now. She is still the same. She will not eat her chicken food but she will eat catfood, scrambled eggs, mealworms, and I have given her a fresh ear of corn everyday that she has pecked clean. I have given her vitamins. The flock has been dewormed with diatomaceous earth on a regular basis. Can anyone give me any ideas? Maybe she just has an injury? I think the poop on her butt has been from pooping while laying down.

Welcome To BYC

I'm sorry about your hen.
Do you know when she last laid an egg?
Any swelling/bloat or fluid in her abdomen?
Have you added new birds to your flock in the last 30 days?

If you have photos you wish to share that would be good (hen and her poop).

It can be a challenge determining the cause of decline in some hens. Reproductive problems top the list - Peritonitis, cancer, Salpingitis, tumors, etc. are some common problems that hens have. These can also cause difficulty walking or if inflammation/a mass is pressing against a nerve paralysis would be a possibility.

Marek's disease is also something to consider. While it does usually affect younger chickens, it can strike at any age.

3 weeks is a long time for a hen to not be mobile, so quality of life needs to be considered as well. You can try placing her in a chicken sling for monitored periods of time to help keep her upright and cleaner.

If you happen to lose her, getting a necropsy or performing one yourself can sometimes give some answers to the cause of their decline.

 

[black_cat]

For the food issue-try mixing some of their food with water so that it's a wet mash.
DE only works in dry environments, so that rules out the inside of a chicken. I don't know the symptoms of worms, but don't rule it out as an issue.
I'm sorry that I can't be of more help!