Chicken makes a crunching sound when walking

[hayley3]

She has always had a dirty behind...for years and she's been overweight and she has always walked funny but she does have a different color to her dirty behind which is a recent thing.
I'm thinking she has a broken egg inside her which is causing the crunching sound. How can I most help her? My vets don't help birds.

Thanks,
Cheryl

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

I would cull her because of her chronic problems. Otherwise you might want to put her on a diet to see if weight loss would help, she could be internally laying. I don't think a broken egg inside her would crunch, the noise must be coming from somewhere else, is she breathing right? Does she have arthritis? Sometimes it's kinder to end their suffering.

 

[hayley3]

She's about 10 yrs old which I forgot to mention earlier. I did use a baster and douched her with some vinegar water and got out some egg yolk. The minute I got that out her vent relaxed. But she has a mushy spot below, despite the water running clear. I don't think that should be mushy there.
And regards the crunchy noise, I can't think of what else it would be besides an egg. You couldn't hear arthritis, like this sound. This is a crunching sound, like egg shells which is what made me even suspect a broken egg.
I'm not sure how to end her suffering. I can't even kill a fish.

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

Sorry 10 is a pretty old chicken. My husband culls for me when necessary, I don't know if I could do it either. She will eventually pass or recover for a while.

 

[hayley3]

It's odd that I did get some egg yolk out and after that the water was clear. But she is clearly not doing well. Thanks for kind replies....I really appreciated having someone to talk to.

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

I get attached to my old girls too, and it's hard to watch them be sick. I much prefer to just find them dead than having to try to help them, because I always fail. I wish I had some better advice for you, or that someone with a bit more knowledge would help out.