Chicken’s tail all the way down, weak, can’t feel egg

[Kimberlass]

Hello! I have a three year old black star who as of this evening is having difficulty walking and has her tail all the way down to the ground. I just noticed after work (husband says she was fine this morning.) She did eat some today.

I soaked her in an Epsom salt bath as soon as I noticed, and felt around in her vent with some KY. I couldn’t feel anything, but I may not have gone in far enough. I gave her calcium in her food and isolated her in a quiet place.

Recently my girls endured some trauma when a tree fell on their coop and run (and my house!) They survived without injury by some miracle but have been in temporary housing in my garage for the past two weeks. I put some nesting boxes in with them but no one has used them - they just molted and it got cold so they had slowed down a lot, and after all of this they just stopped. My theory is that she is egg bound because she is retaining it due to not liking the new nesting box situation.

I used part of their old coop as her isolation box in hopes it will encourage her. I don’t really know what else to do. No chicken vet nearby, so we’re on our own. If she makes it to the morning, any advice on other things to try? Thanks!

 

[Eggcessive]

She might have a reproductive problem, such as egg yolk peritonitis or salpingitis. It is sometimes hard to know for sure what is going on. Hens with EYP can walk like a penguin, or have difficulty walking, similar to an eggbound hen. If you inserted your finger 1-2 inches inside the vent you should have felt something hard if she was egg bound. Also if she is able to poop, she is not egg bound. I would watch her in a warm humid place overnight.

 

[Aapomp831]

Chickens don’t hold in eggs bc they don’t know where to lay and become egg bound. I would check her poop in the morning as well as her crop - make sure it’s nice and flat. Their crops empty overnight so I wouldn’t put any food or water in with her overnight so you can double check. Is it possible she ate something while confined to the garage? Something she shouldn’t have, something that could impact her crop or poison her?

 

[B-Goock]

She may have gotten injured and thats why she's doing that. Or being in the garage sampled something she shouldn't have.

 

[Kimberlass]

Chickens don’t hold in eggs bc they don’t know where to lay and become egg bound. I would check her poop in the morning as well as her crop - make sure it’s nice and flat. Their crops empty overnight so I wouldn’t put any food or water in with her overnight so you can double check. Is it possible she ate something while confined to the garage? Something she shouldn’t have, something that could impact her crop or poison her?

They are in a penned area of the garage so I don’t think it’s possible that she got into something. She is still alive and just can’t walk - I am stumped. Physically she seems fine. I’m running the gambit of cures for whatever it could be, it’s so weird.

 

[Kimberlass]

Chickens don’t hold in eggs bc they don’t know where to lay and become egg bound. I would check her poop in the morning as well as her crop - make sure it’s nice and flat. Their crops empty overnight so I wouldn’t put any food or water in with her overnight so you can double check. Is it possible she ate something while confined to the garage? Something she shouldn’t have, something that could impact her crop or poison her?

Ah, I’ve read that egg retention can be caused by general unhappiness with living situation. It is very unlikely that she got into anything in the garage - they are in a penned area, and even if she got out there really isn’t much in there.

 

[B-Goock]

One thing that makes a chicken happy is a dust bath. Ive had my quail lay in the dust bath when I've left the pan in too long.

Pittsburg? Ever eat at a place called beer nuts? The ruination burger! Yum

 

[Kimberlass]

One thing that makes a chicken happy is a dust bath. Ive had my quail lay in the dust bath when I've left the pan in too long.

Pittsburg? Ever eat at a place called beer nuts? The ruination burger! Yum

Thanks for the advice. Also YES, beer nuts had the best nachos and the ruination burger was good, but I was much more of a “ruebanation” fan They closed a while back and I am still extremely sad about it!!

 

[B-Goock]

Thanks for the advice. Also YES, beer nuts had the best nachos and the ruination burger was good, but I was much more of a “ruebanation” fan They closed a while back and I am still extremely sad about it!!

I loved that place. Great brews & food.
Covid has put the hurt on alot of places.