Chicken having trouble walking and eating

[Cyber]

A few days ago, we noticed one of our chickens with a bit of a limp. The source seeming to be a minor injury, we washed and bandaged it. The next day, her condition had gotten much worse and she couldn't stand upright. We've had her inside since then and the issue doesn't seem to be going away. She's got full or near-full mobility in her legs as far as I can tell (which she has been taking advantage of to make it much harder for me to examine her), but they just don't seem to be supporting her weight. They're not splayed out, but if I set her on the ground she quickly falls to her side.

Additionally, and more concerningly, she's eating very little if at all. She seems to still be drinking properly at least, though. (it's hard to get her in a stable position where she can easily reach the water but if I'm holding her at a better angle she happily drinks her fill)

She doesn't seem notably physically weak otherwise, no issues with her neck or wings, although she does seem to be exerting herself a bit more quickly than expected when she tries to move.

We haven't had any luck finding accounts of similar issues, does anybody know what the cause might be?

 

[Loving my girls]

Looks like she has lost a toe - balance maybe ?

Doesn’t look angry so I would suggest no infection.

Sorry I can’t be of more help

 

[Kiki]

How old is she and have you brought any new to you birds home in the last few months?

 

[Cyber]

Looks like she has lost a toe - balance maybe ?

Doesn’t look angry so I would suggest no infection.

Sorry I can’t be of more help

None of her toes are missing or visibly unnaturally deformed. Assuming you're looking at the furthest back toe on her right foot, the camera seems to have made it look worse than it is in person. (Note she's got polydactyly, which in our flock at least always seems to result in a stubby-looking toe or two.)

Although while I was giving her toes a closer examination I did notice one of her talons is a bit long, we'll try clipping it slightly and see if that helps her.

How old is she and have you brought any new to you birds home in the last few months?

Don't recall her exact age, but I've got photos of her from 2019 with chicks, so she's middle-aged at least.
Last new birds acquired were about 9 months ago (two Isas)

My biggest concern currently is mainly how little she's eating, although she still isn't lethargic by any means.

 

[Kiki]

Have you lost birds to something similar before?
Do you have Marek's disease in your flock?


You could learn how to tube feed her if you are sure she isn't eating enough. If she doesn't eat enough she will go downhill fast.

 

[Eggcessive]

She has some scaly leg mites as seen by the missing scales on her left legs an gray crusty appearance. If she has been having trouble getting to food and water, she might be weak or dehydrated. If you have added any new birds to your flock, they could have brought something in to affect her. Do you have a rooster? When I have had a chicken with overgrown nails and leg mites, they have not been using a dust bath for some reason. I would feed her at least twice a day, and wet and some dry chicken crumbles or pellets, some soft cooked egg, and you can add 1/2 tablet daily of human b complex vitamins crushed into the mix. Nature Made brand at Walmart is a good buy as well as this
https://www.amazon.com/NatureWise-B...292895653-B0CHKVFDVN-&hvexpln=73&gad_source=1

To make it more interesting or if she is not eating, tuna or canned cat food may be alternated, but only a little. Chicken feed is perfectly balanced for her. If she becomes more lame, a chicken sling chair may be helpful to get her into for periods throughout the day with time out of it to rest. Some will not tolerate it and escape. Here are some examples and a basic design on the first 2 pages of this link:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/versions-of-chick-chairs-please.1166308/

 

[Cyber]

Have you lost birds to something similar before?
Do you have Marek's disease in your flock?


You could learn how to tube feed her if you are sure she isn't eating enough. If she doesn't eat enough she will go downhill fast.

In early June we brought inside a chicken with trouble walking, it looked like scaly leg mites. She was recovering mobility quickly but one day her health decreased very rapidly and she passed away. Our best guess was an internal injury caused by one of her falls, though we really aren't sure.
It's possible Marek's is in our flock but if so it's been asymptomatic in most of the birds.

I'll look into tube feeding.

She has some scaly leg mites as seen by the missing scales on her left legs a gray crusty appearance. If she has been having trouble getting to food and water, she might be weak or dehydrated. If you have added any new birds to your flock, they could have brought something in to affect her. Do you have a rooster? When I have had a chicken with overgrown nails and leg mites, they have not been using a dust bath for some reason. I would feed her at least twice a day, and wet and some dry chicken crumbles or pellets, some soft cooked egg, and you can add 1/2 tablet daily of human b complex vitamins crushed into the mix. Nature Made brand at Walmart is a good buy as well as this
https://www.amazon.com/NatureWise-B...292895653-B0CHKVFDVN-&hvexpln=73&gad_source=1

To make it more interesting or if she is not eating, tuna or canned cat food may be alternated, but only a little. Chicken feed is perfectly balanced for her. If she becomes more lame, a chicken sling chair may be helpful to get her into for periods throughout the day with time out of it to rest. Some will not tolerate it and escape. Here are some examples and a basic design on the first 2 pages of this link:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/versions-of-chick-chairs-please.1166308/

No rooster, last birds were 9 months ago and came from right next door.
We've been mixing vitamin B supplements into her pellets already, we'll see how she does with wet food.
I'll look into a sling chair (although given her general attitude I doubt she'd enjoy it )

Further observations: Her condition's been largely holding steady since I made the most, no significant improvement or worsening. She seems to be doing better at drinking water on her own, although she's still not touching her food much. Her issues seem to be more prominent in her left leg than her right (I tried holding her just above the floor and observed much better grip with her right leg), and she's more comfortable lying on her right than her left.

 

[Cyber]

She's been in here for over two weeks now, and while at least her condition's steady, it doesn't seem to be improving.

She's been eating and drinking, although still a bit less than seems ideal. Although she's still spending most of the time in the box, I try and take her out when I can, either holding her in my lap so she can be properly upright for a bit or setting her somewhere in the yard so she can get some sun. We've spent some time trying to put a sling together, but we haven't managed to get her comfortable in it yet.

 

[BDutch]

Sorry, I don’t have a clue what is wrong with her and can’t help.

I have a chicken that got injured/in shock 10 days ago’s. She didnt return home in the evening. A neighbor found her the next morning. Found no external wound but she was in a bad shape. With rest, extra nutritious food and time she recovered. And now she comes along with the rest of the flock again.
Sometimes chickens seem to have the ability to heal even after we don’t have high hopes. I hope your chicken will make it too.

There is another story about a poor cockerel named Apache. People gave the advice to cull him. But the owner did everything she could to make him better again. Made a kind of wheelchair and he finally recovered completely. Should be easy to find the thread with a search if you are interested.