Chicken leaning forward, not putting weight on left leg

[chicklynn22]

Hi, My very sweet, usually vocal chicken has gone quiet and it having some problems. I found her yesterday in the coop unable to put weight on her left leg. Her butt is picked clean and is very raw and oozing poop. I thought she was egg bound.. I soaked her and left her overnight inside to rest. No improvement this morning. I put some mineral oil in her and a few hours later she pooped a large marble sized hard poo. Great. She had another soaking, I checked to see if I could feel an egg, nothing. More mineral oil and a regular poo this time. I've massaged her and can't feel anything like an egg shape. However she is still leaning forward and not putting any weight on her left leg. She was vaccinated for Merek's when we got her. I made her some scrambled eggs and she ate them like crazy and she's drinking. I'm not sure what else to do for her, or what could be wrong. Any ideas? This is my first year with chickens and I really don't want to lose her!

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Hi, My very sweet, usually vocal chicken has gone quiet and it having some problems. I found her yesterday in the coop unable to put weight on her left leg. Her butt is picked clean and is very raw and oozing poop. I thought she was egg bound.. I soaked her and left her overnight inside to rest. No improvement this morning. I put some mineral oil in her and a few hours later she pooped a large marble sized hard poo. Great. She had another soaking, I checked to see if I could feel an egg, nothing. More mineral oil and a regular poo this time. I've massaged her and can't feel anything like an egg shape. However she is still leaning forward and not putting any weight on her left leg. She was vaccinated for Merek's when we got her. I made her some scrambled eggs and she ate them like crazy and she's drinking. I'm not sure what else to do for her, or what could be wrong. Any ideas? This is my first year with chickens and I really don't want to lose her!

Welcome to BYC.

Can you post some photos - of her, the vent and the poop?
How old is she?
When was the last time she laid an egg - was it a normal egg, soft shelled, shell-less, etc.?
What type of food/treats do you feed, do you offer free choice oyster shell and do birds have access to grit?

Inspected the bottom of her foot to make sure there are no sores or signs of swelling that would cause her to have problems walking.

 

[chicklynn22]

Thanks for the welcome and for the reply. She's 9 months old. She has pellet feed with sunflower snacks and free ranges almost daily. She laid an egg on Thursday and it had some blood on it. Other than the streak of blood, it was normal. She does have access to oyster shells and grit. I think after doing some additional research she may have a prolapsed vent? I have found a vet nearby that handles chickens but it's pretty expensive. I'll try and post some photos. Any ideas?

 

[ladoo]

Hi is the "poop" a white colored discharge ? Also check her foot for bumblefoot , you can do so by looking for a small black colored scab at the bottom of her foot .

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Thanks for the welcome and for the reply. She's 9 months old. She has pellet feed with sunflower snacks and free ranges almost daily. She laid an egg on Thursday and it had some blood on it. Other than the streak of blood, it was normal. She does have access to oyster shells and grit. I think after doing some additional research she may have a prolapsed vent? I have found a vet nearby that handles chickens but it's pretty expensive. I'll try and post some photos. Any ideas?

Would still like to see some photos.

To treat a prolapse, soak her in a warm epsom salts bath, clean the prolapse well after the soaking. Apply some triple antibiotic ointment or Vetericyn. Then apply some hemorrhoid cream or honey, this will help reduce the inflammation. Gently see if you can push the prolapse back in. You may need to repeat the steps.

Offer her some extra calcium (Tums works well -just crush it up) and add some poultry vitamins to her water. Keep her separated so you can monitor her. Sometimes a prolapse will come back out, so just keep trying.

Here is more detailed info with photos:
http://www.the-chicken-chick.com/2012/04/prolapse-vent-causes-treatment-graphic.html

 

[chicklynn22]

No bumble foot. Some of her poo is white and runny, sometimes she has a more 'normal' poo. I've read a lot and watched some videos and also talked to the folks at the local feed store today. As much as I tried today, it just didn't work. I'll give it another try tomorrow. I didn't want to subject her to too much at one time. I did get the Vetericyn and Preperation H. I'm also giving her bits of aspirin. I just heard about using honey earlier today. Interesting. Oh yeah, and the calcium. I crushed some up and put it on a bit of scrambled egg. The chicken chick is exactly where I got the info I was using. She had a great plan to follow. I'm also keeping her in the dark and limiting her food intake so hopefully she won't be making any new eggs to add to her issues. I'll see about posting pictures tomorrow. She's sleeping now, inside the house, in the bathroom. Yep, I'm that crazy chicken owner who has a chicken living in the bathroom. : ) Luckily we have more than one.

 

[chicklynn22]

I took some pictures but I can't post them. Any suggestions?

 

[Wyorp Rock]

I took some pictures but I can't post them. Any suggestions?

In the page editor (where you normally reply) click on the icon that looks like a mountain scene - it's next to the one that looks like a film strip. (scene, film strip, smiley face, quotes).

Then follow the instructions to upload your photos.