CHICKEN WALKING LIKE PENGUIN

[ETHAN210]

I was feeding my chickens yesterday morning when I noticed one of my White leghorns was walking funny and it has a big lump in between its legs. What's going on?

 

[Eggcessive]

I believe your chicken could be egg bound. If you have some rubber gloves you might find some lubricant (vaseline is ok) and gently poke a finger into her vent. Be careful not to break an egg if one is present. If it breaks you need to get every bit out of there.

 

[Eggcessive]

After doing some reading, I think you should put her in a bathtub or sink with warm water. Hopefully that will cause her to lay the egg. Stay with her and hold her in their--she should calm down and enjoy the soak.

 

[ETHAN210]

How long should I put her in the warm

 

[azygous]

When this happens, it's common to assume the hen is egg bound, but there is another reason for the "penguin" walk. She may have acites, which is a liver condition similar to cirrhosis of the liver in people. Fluid builds up in the abdominal cavity, and grows larger and heavier. It become almost impossible for the hen to walk.

Feel the bulge between her legs. Does it feel hard, or squishy like a water balloon? If it soft and squishy, it's probably acites, especially if it appears to be pushing her legs apart. Look at the other hens. Is the distance between your leghorn's legs farther apart than theirs? If so, she probably has acites and isn't egg bound.

But you can go ahead and place her in a warm bath for about half an hour, then leave her in a quiet place apart from the others, and she should lay the egg within a couple of hours if she's egg bound.

If not, and the fluid-filled sack keeps growing, you might want to ask about this on the emergencies and injuries forum.

 

[ETHAN210]

I think it's acites because its been laying eggs, but how should I help it?

 

[azygous]

There really isn't much help for your hen if it's acites. Her liver is badly damaged, from who knows what cause, and there is no cure. If you have a vet who works on poultry, you could ask him to try to release some of the fluid to make her more comfortable. It requires a large hypodermic needle and you need to stick it in the fluid and suck it out. This also risks infection, as happened to my hen with acites who I tried to help. An infection from the needle killed her earlier than she would have died from the acites.

If you want to read about my hen and the operation, click on this link. https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/633037/acites-operation-a-huge-success

Even if you manage to reduce the fluid in her tummy, it won't cure the acites. It will only come back again.

If you aren't emotionally attached to this hen, it would be a kind act to cull her. She probably isn't suffering any pain, but she will find it harder and harder to walk and get around. My hen could no longer jump up on the perch to roost, and needed help getting down, too. Life will be very hard for her until she finally dies from this.

 

[ETHAN210]

Sadly her died over night,

is acites contagious?

 

[speckledhen]

Ascites is a symptom of a complete symptom shutdown, not a disease in and of itself. She was possibly laying internally, which frequentlycauses infection and fluid buildup in the abdomen.

However, she could have been eggbound, which means a stuck egg-that penguin walk is common with that. I've never had a hen with ascites walk like that; they usually drag a huge belly around, not walk upright.