Buff Orpington - Help!

[beccakaye]

Hello,
I have been raising a buff for a month and a half. She has been doing great but suddenly yesterday she was not able to bend down to preen her lower half or reach her oil gland. She still stretches out, peeps (she doesn't quack yet,) preens her upper half, walks around, eats, drinks, and poops just fine. She is still friendly and does not cry out when we touch her or when I softly prod about to see if there is anything obvious. She chases after my dog and nibbles at his toes, as usual. I've searched high and low but cannot find anything to explain why she would be so stiff/uncomfortable when trying to reach her lower half. Please help. I am very worried about her.
Thank you so much!

 

[BayBay Peepers]

Welcome to BYC!

Do you see any obvious leg injuries? Any swelling? My drake had this happen once. It ended up being like a sprained muscle (no so obvious to a newbie at the time) but with about a week of trying to keep him calm (he's a free ranger) he did much better. How long has this been going on? Have you been able to let her go in water at all? That could take the pressure of her joints if you think that could be the problem.

 

[beccakaye]

She swam a fair bit yesterday. She is a free ranger during the day but has a large dog crate she sleeps in at nightm. We give her about an hour of swim time every day and she stays pretty calm. I'm hoping it's something as "simple" as a sprained muscle, not that having any problems is good.

 

[beccakaye]

Also, it started yesterday while she was in the tub.

 

[Amiga]

If she is free ranging before she quacks, I hope she's protected from predators. Ducks can pull muscles - leg muscles, wing muscles, back muscles, neck muscles. You may actually want to keep her in a comfortable but more confined place with plenty of fresh water and food, so she will rest up a bit.

 

[beccakaye]

I apologize, free range in the sense of wandering around the house at will. The only would-be predator is afraid of her.

 

[Amiga]

I apologize, free range in the sense of wandering around the house at will. The only would-be predator is afraid of her.

Whew! I don't always keep up with the details of everyone's setup . . . . thanks.