Chicken walking cross-legged, like she’s kinda drunk, Help!

[Amazonlover]

GM,

I posted yesterday about my hen who is going through a hard molt. She had been walking funny a couple of days ago but this morning it’s more pronounced. She crosses one leg in front of the other when she’s walking, causing her to sort of walk to the side. Does anyone have any experience with this?? Could it be from that hard molt?? I’m posting some pics of her, though obviously cannot show the walking

 

[nuthatched]

What's her normal diet? Have you tried vitamin therapy ?

 

[Amazonlover]

What's her normal diet? Have you tried vitamin therapy ?

Her normal diet consists of laying pellets, and leftover organic parrot chop (which consists of organic fruits, veggies, greens, and grains). I’ve been giving her scrambled egg (which she ate at first but now only picks at) and tuna fish (also only picks at). This morning I gave her oatmeal with some gelatin powder and powder baby parrot formula mixed into it-she’s barely picked at it.

 

[Amazonlover]

What's her normal diet? Have you tried vitamin therapy ?

I have not tried vitamin therapy and don’t know what that it

 

[nuthatched]

Her normal diet consists of laying pellets, and leftover organic parrot chop (which consists of organic fruits, veggies, greens, and grains). I’ve been giving her scrambled egg (which she ate at first but now only picks at) and tuna fish (also only picks at). This morning I gave her oatmeal with some gelatin powder and powder baby parrot formula mixed into it-she’s barely picked at it.

In a bad molt, her body is under a lot of pressure.
I would stop all the extras for now, especially the oatmeal-its not great for chickens, get her on a higher protein feed and get some poultry vitamins and make a wet mash for her with the vitamins and feed.

 

[Amazonlover]

In a bad molt, her body is under a lot of pressure.
I would stop all the extras for now, especially the oatmeal-its not great for chickens, get her on a higher protein feed and get some poultry vitamins and make a wet mash for her with the vitamins and feed.

Thank you @nuthatched. Have you ever seen a chocked walking cross legged? Can that be attributed to the molt?

 

[nuthatched]

Thank you @nuthatched. Have you ever seen a chocked walking cross legged? Can that be attributed to the molt?

Usually in chickens, when the body is over extendended, it will show up in the legs and/or neck. Hard molting is very taxing on their resources so during that time they may need extra vitamins and especially protein.

 

[coach723]

Birds in molt sometimes feel lousy and don't eat well. That can result in some vitamin deficiencies that can cause coordination or neurological symptoms, or make them walk like they are drunk. I would get a b complex or super b complex tablet or capsule, human ones, any brand or generic, doesn't matter. Put one in her beak daily and push back a little and she'll swallow it (they can swallow a frog, the pill size is not an issue. I've had them bounce back in as little as one dose sometimes. The b's are very safe, extra will be excreted, no worries on too much. I would give it daily until she's more normal, and then for 2-3 days more. And then just monitor to make sure she's eating and holding her own. Sometimes if they are really miserable I will pull them aside once or twice a day and feed them separately so they don't have to compete, scrambled eggs, canned tuna, a little cat food, whatever works and is high in protein that she'll eat.