Chicken won’t walk after laying her first egg

[Mary SL]

A few more checks you can do on the leg - confirm if there's any feeling in the toes. Does she react when a toe is pinched or squeezed? Numbness or lack of feeling in the toes would be indicative of paralysis, spinal swelling or injury. I've not seen passing eggs to be an issue with hens, but in reptiles, large stool or egg issues can cause temporary paralysis due to putting too much pressure on the spinal cord.

Also, if you extend and retract the leg, do the toes curl and uncurl? If not, this would be a slipped tendon.

Is she intentionally keeping weight off the, or is she attempting to still walk as though nothing's wrong? I'm assuming you have checked for bumblefoot, yeah? Typically, you'll still find them getting around with bumble, just treading carefully and avoiding putting weight on it.

She curls her toes around my finger when I place it under but will check for feeling-thank you.

No bumble foot as I checked that right away. She tries to stand like everything is normal but struggles to stay upright and won’t walk on it. Still a little wobbly when standing but she tried to come to me while I was sitting next to her eating pasta; she loves spaghetti. She didn’t walk but she did stand for a few minutes

 

[TwoCrows]

No, nothing. I am truly stumped. I just checked on her and she is panting less. I put electrolytes in her water and she is drinking.
It has been REALLY hot the past few days, so she may be susceptible to heat stroke. I will continue to monitor her.

Thank you so much for your thoughts and insight! I have referred to this site often but this is my first post. You have made me feel less inept in my chicken care-giving skills. Thank you again!!

Hopefully, if we had to choose between over heated and injury, she is only struggling with the heat. And if so she should heal over night. They do become more susceptible to heat stroke in the future after an episode of it, so you will need to keep an eye on her from here on out. I like to feed watermelon and berries, other chilled veggies or fruits on hot days. Ice in the water fronts too.

Let us know how she is tomorrow morning, keeping my fingers crossed she is ok!

 

[TwoCrows]

I use big turbo fans too in the coop and run, they love to sit right in front of the hurricane winds. Young birds are still developing their abilities to stay cool, they will get better at it as they age.

 

[Mary SL]

Also, you can give her 1 baby asprin if you think she has pain. Put it in a raisin or blueberry, it will also help thin the blood to help cool her if she is overheated. It can take a bird several hours to recuperate from heat stroke.

This is great to know about the aspirin and recovery time. I will definitely do that tonight. THANK YOU!

 

[Mary SL]

I use big turbo fans too in the coop and run, they love to sit right in front of the hurricane winds. Young birds are still developing their abilities to stay cool, they will get better at it as they age.

This is all fantastic information; hoping this is what it is. I will definitely let you know and I appreciate all you time and knowledge

 

[Lizzy733]

Heat stressed tend to have runny poos as well, don't they?
Can you check her hips to make sure they're aligned? Move the leg around from the hips and listen\feel for any clicking or odd movements? Any areas where the bone seems 'thicker' than it should be?

I've had a vet walk me through trying to feel a known break on a bird and it can be really hard to distinguish. Use other birds or the known good side as your 'control' for what normal should feel like.

Keeping her isolated and still is best for now until you can confirm if it's heat or an injury. You can also offer her treats like thawed frozen berries or apple sauce to get her energy up. Coordination issues can also be caused by vitamin deficiencies, which some breeds are more susceptible to. If you have access to a 'rescue' tonic like polyaid, that would be ideal for getting her a quick nutrient boost. - I would recommend administering this by tube\syringe feeding though, so may not be something your comfortable with or have the supplies to do safely.

I'd err on the side of caution with asprin - I've been told by avian vets that it's actually not very effective.

Oh also, chickens DO bruise, but it can take up to 3 days to really start to show - they bruise 'green' so keep an eye out for bruising over the next few days as well.

 

[Mary SL]

Heat stressed tend to have runny poos as well, don't they?
Can you check her hips to make sure they're aligned? Move the leg around from the hips and listen\feel for any clicking or odd movements? Any areas where the bone seems 'thicker' than it should be?

I've had a vet walk me through trying to feel a known break on a bird and it can be really hard to distinguish. Use other birds or the known good side as your 'control' for what normal should feel like.

Keeping her isolated and still is best for now until you can confirm if it's heat or an injury. You can also offer her treats like thawed frozen berries or apple sauce to get her energy up. Coordination issues can also be caused by vitamin deficiencies, which some breeds are more susceptible to. If you have access to a 'rescue' tonic like polyaid, that would be ideal for getting her a quick nutrient boost. - I would recommend administering this by tube\syringe feeding though, so may not be something your comfortable with or have the supplies to do safely.

I'd err on the side of caution with asprin - I've been told by avian vets that it's actually not very effective.

Oh also, chickens DO bruise, but it can take up to 3 days to really start to show - they bruise 'green' so keep an eye out for bruising over the next few days as well.

Her stool was very watery yesterday but solid this afternoon. I will check her hips before bed tonight and I keep jars of baby food in the cabinets for the girls just in case so I will give her that too.

Her legs and beak are black so I doubt I will be able to notice any leg bruising unless it is in the upper are la surrounding her leg. Thank you again!

 

[TwoCrows]

How is your girl this morning?

 

[Mary SL]

How is your girl this morning?

Thank you for asking! Still panting but not as much but still won’t stand on leg. I am thinking some kind of injury but I cannot identify anything wrong. She is eating, drinking and pooping like normal and still chatty. Tail feathers are up and she looks alert.

I am going to keep her inside with the a/c again today and let her take it easy in our chicken spa. Wish we had an avian vet in our area-I am not a confident diagnostician and I worry it is something more serious than heat stroke

 

[Wyorp Rock]

My sapphire gem just laid her first egg today. I noticed when I went into the coop she was panting and laying down. When I came near, she stood up, albeit wobbly, and was hopping on one foot; she won’t put weight on the other leg. I felt for injury, but nothing seemed amiss.

She is eating well and still chatty but I don’t know if she could have injured herself laying her egg.

Any ideas if these are related?

Are you sure she laid an egg? Was it a hard shelled egg?
I would get her hydrated, but also offer her some Calcium. 1 TUMS or 1 Caltrate Tablet.

I do have to wonder if she's trying to expel another egg and it's pressing on a nerve.