Chicken limping but can’t find an injury

[$pent_Hens]

My Golden Comet started limping 3 days ago. She was spending a lot of time laying down in the run, then during free-range hour (also known as happy-hour) she laid down again. She never lays down when free-ranging. When she does walk, she limps and has a strange gait. I can’t find any swelling. No redness, no cuts or bruises. Toes are warm and have circulation.

So far I have put her in our M*A*S*H crate to keep her calm and still. And gives her easy access to food and water without having to walk. I gave her diluted aspirin water and electrolytes yesterday and today. At night I place her in the coop. But she can’t or won’t jump down in the morning.

Do I just give her more time to heal on her own? She looks healthy otherwise. Comb has good color, she eats, drinks and poops. But I hate to see her in pain. And I don’t know how long I can keep giving her aspirin. Here is her strange gait / limp.

Thank you in advance for any thoughts or advice.

 

[orrpeople]

Ugh... that looks suspiciously like the neurological form of Marek's walk.
If she were my girl, I would begin with vitamins (I use Nutri drench) and up her protein intake with scrambled egg, meal worms, etc. Is she still laying? It's a good sign if she is. The encouraging bit of news is that sometimes this "walk" goes away (The author of Storey's Guide, in the Chicken Health Manual, says the Neuro form is the least fatal... ) and the bird goes on to live for quite some time. Sometimes it worsens...
I'll tag a couple folks who can also contribute to this discussion. @rebrascora @casportpony @Wyorp Rock

 

[rebrascora]

How old is she?
I'm just heading off to bed as I've already burnt a weeks worth of midnight oil.... it's 3.30 am. Interesting what you quote from that book. That is my experience with the neuro Marek's I have but I wasn't sure it was replicated elsewhere. I was under the impression that most forms of Marek's were more severe in the states from the threads I read here. Really gotta go but will check back tomorrow.

 

[rebrascora]

Can you check her vent area for any swelling.....feel it rather than just looking (feathers can hide such a lot) and compare against other chickens. When they are roosting at night, walking along behind them and "copping a feel" makes the job easiest and enables a direct comparison from one chicken to the other. I cup my hand between heir legs and below their vent. I am thinking she may have a reproductive disorder which is putting pressure on her sciatic nerve. A red sex link hen not laying is always a red flag even if she is several years old. They should have enough follicles to last them into old age but they are unfortunately particularly prone to reproductive malfunction or disease once they get past 2 years, so when they stop laying it usually indicates a problem rather than a natural end to their fertility like menopause. These issues can rumble on for many months before it becomes obvious that there is a problem... hens are very stoic. How does her comb colour and texture compare to your other hens that are laying? Best to compare with other red sex links like her. If her comb is more or less the same colour and plump rather than dry and wizened, then the chances are she is still ovulating and those eggs are not coming out for some reason.... either impacted in her oviduct or internal laying. A plump red comb is caused by hormones and indicates that she is fertile and ovulating.
How long have you had her or how long do you know for sure she has not been laying?

 

[rebrascora]

Unfortunately that water balloon feeling is ascites (water belly) and is often caused by internal laying, which is where egg yolks released from the ovary fail to enter he oviduct and instead they drop into the abdominal cavity and float around in between the intestines and sometimes up around the liver. This happens on a daily basis for weeks and even months and usually once it starts they rarely manage to lay normally again. The yolks have no where to go once they are in there but from necropsies I have done they seem to get squashed into flatish rubbery yellow discs and I believe the fluid from them may well leach out and pool in the bottom of the abdomen creating that water balloon feeling. Over time the abdomen becomes very distended with all the egg yolks and fluid and it starts to put pressure on the organs like the intestines and respiratory system or in this case perhaps the sciatic nerve. Hens often start to have difficulty pooping as the gut is constricted and they pass mostly white urates which soil their feathers due to the swelling making a bulge below the vent. Eventually the bird will sadly die from this disorder but you can do things to make her more comfortable like draining the fluid. Hormonal implants to prevent further ovulation can be very beneficial but at $100-150 a time and needing to be replaced every 3-6 months that can be beyond many people's finances. If you have money to burn, and can find a really good avian vet, they can open up the abdominal cavity and clear it of the yolks and fluid but it is very risky and extremely expensive and the bird would still need to have the hormonal implants to prevent further ovulation but that would be closest to "a cure". A temporary home remedy option would be to restrict the birds exposure to daylight in the hope of triggering a moult. At this time of year it is drawing closer to that season and an early moult and associated shut down of the egg production system should buy her several extra months and often the body can manage to reabsorb some of the fluid so they actually can improve but once they start to ovulate again in the spring, they become a ticking time bomb.
Anyway, that is what I believe her problem to be in a nutshell. There is a really good You Tube video of a lady draining her hen for the second time..... did I mention that the fluid build up will recur after draining.... and she explains everything really well and shows you how to go about draining them in the kindest way possible. I have watched several videos on this subject, some of vets and I feel that this one is the best..... I will find it and link it for you. Hopefully things will make a little more sense when you watch it. Of course a vet can drain the hen for you but the costs with these things can soon mount up.
There are risks associated with draining, the main ones being the introduction of infection into the abdominal cavity and the bird going into shock due to the sudden pressure drop. If you accept the view that the bird is on a one way ticket anyway and you take precautions to prevent infection and go steady, it is usually worth while and you often see a significant and immediate improvement.

Anyway, here is the link....

 

[orrpeople]

Also, for what it's worth, I rarely separate birds from the flock.
It really does cause them a ton of stress.
Of course, there are always cases of injury where pecking might ensue, or severe meducal needs that can't be met in an outdoor coop occur where there is no alternative. But usually in viral situations, by the time a chicken "lets on" that they're sick, they've already spread it to everyone.
In your case, I don't think she's any risk to your flock, just watch her for signs she's being bullied or hurt by the others.

 

[orrpeople]

Thanks for the up close image. That looks like it might be a soft shelled "Fairy egg" rather than a "lash egg", so all may not be lost, especially if you have only had her a month. It would not be unusual for a hen to go off lay for several weeks at a new home and difficult to know why she was not laying at her previous home. Is that blood on the outside or just a bad "spray tan" ie an uneven application of shell tint by her system?
Soft shelled eggs are really hard for hens to pass and makes them feel pretty out of sorts. The poor shell quality shell is a concern, particularly with such a small egg which would not require a lot of shell to surround it. Can you give her a calcium supplement. Ideally a dose of liquid calcium or a calcium tablet crushed up and sprinkled onto some scrambled egg or other yummy treat?
What do you normally feed them?.... main feed and treats? Diet can be very important for high production birds so treats need to be strictly limited to prevent a dietary imbalance messing up their system. To be fair chickens in general need to have a precisely balanced diet because they have been selectively bred for their bodies to produce far more eggs than nature intended, so they are at maximum performance, a bit like a top athlete.
At the moment I'm not sure I would go with the antibiotic. It may be that her egg production system is starting back up and this is an initial hiccup.....

What do you think @orrpeople ?

Great advice.
I'd order the antibiotics to have on hand since you have a breed commonly known for reproductive infections.
I'm still wondering about the swelling though. Did it dissipate once she laid the egg? Or does it still feel mushy and swollen?

 

[$pent_Hens]

Ugh... that looks suspiciously like the neurological form of Marek's walk.
If she were my girl, I would begin with vitamins (I use Nutri drench) and up her protein intake with scrambled egg, meal worms, etc. Is she still laying? It's a good sign if she is. The encouraging bit of news is that sometimes this "walk" goes away (The author of Storey's Guide, in the Chicken Health Manual, says the Neuro form is the least fatal... ) and the bird goes on to live for quite some time. Sometimes it worsens...
I'll tag a couple folks who can also contribute to this discussion. @rebrascora @casportpony @Wyorp Rock

Thank you for taking the time to reply. She does not lay, but never has since we got her. I will give her nutri drench starting today.

 

[$pent_Hens]

How old is she?
I'm just heading off to bed as I've already burnt a weeks worth of midnight oil.... it's 3.30 am. Interesting what you quote from that book. That is my experience with the neuro Marek's I have but I wasn't sure it was replicated elsewhere. I was under the impression that most forms of Marek's were more severe in the states from the threads I read here. Really gotta go but will check back tomorrow.

We don’t know how old she is. Previous owners were vague on that. At the time I didn’t really care as I just taking in a few “retired” birds. Can’t stand the thought of people culling them as soon as their production wanes. They just replied “a few years old” when asked.

 

[orrpeople]

Can you check her vent area for any swelling.....feel it rather than just looking (feathers can hide such a lot) and compare against other chickens. When they are roosting at night, walking along behind them and "copping a feel" makes the job easiest and enables a direct comparison from one chicken to the other. I cup my hand between heir legs and below their vent. I am thinking she may have a reproductive disorder which is putting pressure on her sciatic nerve. A red sex link hen not laying is always a red flag even if she is several years old. They should have enough follicles to last them into old age but they are unfortunately particularly prone to reproductive malfunction or disease once they get past 2 years, so when they stop laying it usually indicates a problem rather than a natural end to their fertility like menopause. These issues can rumble on for many months before it becomes obvious that there is a problem... hens are very stoic. How does her comb colour and texture compare to your other hens that are laying? Best to compare with other red sex links like her. If her comb is more or less the same colour and plump rather than dry and wizened, then the chances are she is still ovulating and those eggs are not coming out for some reason.... either impacted in her oviduct or internal laying. A plump red comb is caused by hormones and indicates that she is fertile and ovulating.
How long have you had her or how long do you know for sure she has not been laying?

Yes! I hadn't thought of reproductive issues also putting pressure on the nerve, but you're so right with this breed.
Also, a poop picture would help in the diagnosis.