- May 13, 2013
- 22
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We have two old Isa brown hens which were given to us by an acquaintance. One of the hens is walking in an upright posture, sort of like a penguin. She was like that when we picked her up a couple of days ago, but no idea how long she's been that way. There was a third hen who died before we were able to fetch them. I have no idea how old these hens are or their history, apart from being somewhat neglected. They stopped laying some time ago which is why the owner wanted to get rid of them.
The hen is looking quite dirty around the vent area. Her hips are sort of sticking out from her body and her legs look quite abnormal. They're in a quarantine pen of with about 5m2 floor space, so I haven't observed if she can fly. She doesn't seem to be in any pain. Eats and drinks normally and comes to the door to greet us. No signs of lethargy.
I've searched the forum and most posts suggest the hen might be egg bound. I don't think that's the case here. First because she's still alive and alert after a couple of days. Second because she hasn't laid eggs in years.
Any idea what might be the issue? I'm giving her vitamin supplemented water and Greek yoghurt with normal chook feed. She has plenty of access to shell grit. We're going to give her an exam tonight but I've never seen anything like this before in almost ten years of keeping chickens. I suspect she might just be old and worn out and lack of calcium has cause bone problems/arthritis.
The hen is looking quite dirty around the vent area. Her hips are sort of sticking out from her body and her legs look quite abnormal. They're in a quarantine pen of with about 5m2 floor space, so I haven't observed if she can fly. She doesn't seem to be in any pain. Eats and drinks normally and comes to the door to greet us. No signs of lethargy.
I've searched the forum and most posts suggest the hen might be egg bound. I don't think that's the case here. First because she's still alive and alert after a couple of days. Second because she hasn't laid eggs in years.
Any idea what might be the issue? I'm giving her vitamin supplemented water and Greek yoghurt with normal chook feed. She has plenty of access to shell grit. We're going to give her an exam tonight but I've never seen anything like this before in almost ten years of keeping chickens. I suspect she might just be old and worn out and lack of calcium has cause bone problems/arthritis.
