Chicken won't stand, panting

[DuckGirl77]

My 4 yr old RIR/EE mix suddenly became wobbly and wouldn't stand while we were soaking her foot for a mild case of bumblefoot. It was very sudden, she was fine before, but became wobbly and could barely stand and toppled over. She also has labored breathing. She will not move her feet at all.
She seems otherwise semi-alert but confused or something. She pooped right before she fell over, and the dropping looks normal. I put her in a dog crate in the coop with food and water.
They're on fermented layer pellets and have calcium supplemented.
She is my smallest chicken, and the lowest of the pecking order, but they have plenty of space to get away from each other and two separate feeding stations.
Any help greatly appreciated! Thank you!!

Edit: Forgot to add, sometimes she seemed a little "off" in the past couple weeks, just not as active as the others, but she snaps out of it, so not sure if that has anything to do with it. Never anything like this, but sometimes just stands around more than the others and not as excited for treats

 

[Eggcessive]

Sorry about your chicken. She might have been frightened or stressed, but she may have some underlying disorder where the stress pushed her over the edge. Does she still lay eggs? Reproductive disorders are very common in older hens. How does her crop look and feel? Could you have accidentally pressed on her crop and some food came up and slightly choked her? Were you holding her tightly to keep her in the soaking water? Hopefully, she will get back to normal after she spends some quiet time separated. In the meantime, feel her crop to see if it is full and hard or puffy, or if it is empty. Then feel of her lower belly between her legs to see if it is enlarged or swollen.

 

[DuckGirl77]

I don't think she's laying.
Her crop is squishy and body feels normal. Her comb is turning a purplish color! Is this a sign of choking, if so, what do I do? I can hear her heavy breathing too

 

[DuckGirl77]

I had someone else holding her, not sure if they pressed on her crop. She was trying to get away so is possible

 

[Eggcessive]

A purple comb is a sign that she is not getting enough oxygen. That could be from a heart problem or she might have choked and aspirated some crop contents. She also could be suffering from ascites or internal laying that is putting pressure on her ability to breathe. I would just leave her in a calm and quiet environment. Watch for her to get too excited by being confined. If that happens, she might be better off back with her flock. Bumblefoot is usually not an emergency, so I would ignore that until she is acting better.

 

[DuckGirl77]

Thank you! Her comb only looked slightly purple so could've been my imagination but I'll watch for changes and keep her separate like you said She's stopped panting after I massaged her crop to feel it

 

[EggSighted4Life]

I don't think she's laying.

Is she standing up or acting normal at all yet? Eating and drinking?

She needs (technically), to get a different feed if she isn't actively laying as "layer" feed is for layers and already has added calcium. It *can* cause gout or kidney issue.. including possible sudden death... if fed LONG term to birds not in lay... MOST often in birds somehow genetically predisposed to kidney issues.

Since I have birds in many stages.. and since learning the difference.. switching to flock raiser with oyster shell on the side for active layers.. my birds enter molt less harshly and recover more quickly.. as they have more nutrients on board already.. which also translates to more nutrients in the eggs my family is consuming.. just food for thought. Any grower, starter, flock raiser, all flock, even meat bird formula.. Something with around 1% calcium would be preferred.

 

[DuckGirl77]

Is she standing up or acting normal at all yet? Eating and drinking?

She needs (technically), to get a different feed if she isn't actively laying as "layer" feed is for layers and already has added calcium. It *can* cause gout or kidney issue.. including possible sudden death... if fed LONG term to birds not in lay... MOST often in birds somehow genetically predisposed to kidney issues.

Since I have birds in many stages.. and since learning the difference.. switching to flock raiser with oyster shell on the side for active layers.. my birds enter molt less harshly and recover more quickly.. as they have more nutrients on board already.. which also translates to more nutrients in the eggs my family is consuming.. just food for thought. Any grower, starter, flock raiser, all flock, even meat bird formula.. Something with around 1% calcium would be preferred.

About 10-20 minutes after it began, she suddenly regained control of her legs and stood up. Then realized she was in a crate, and was mighty perturbed about being stuck in there, so I let her out. I am completely confused - don't have a clue what it was, but she seems mostly ok now, maybe slightly out of it. Maybe she had food stuck in her throat and it became freed when I picked her up to feel her crop?

She picked at some food but didn't seem interested in water, so I'll be keeping an eye out tomorrow as well.

Interesting about the food. That does make complete sense when I think about it though, and would work perfectly since my flock is 4 years and up, so many no longer lay regularly. Thank you!

 

[Eggcessive]

I also feed Flock Raiser to my 7 to 9 yesr old hens and rooster. Only 3 hens still lay occsionally, and they have crushed oyster shell and egg shells available.

 

[DuckGirl77]

I also feed Flock Raiser to my 7 to 9 yesr old hens and rooster. Only 3 hens still lay occsionally, and they have crushed oyster shell and egg shells available.

This is very good to know. I had no idea you could feed flock raiser to laying hens, but on looking at it, the nutrients are basically the same besides calcium. I'll try that instead.

Thank you both for all your advice! I appreciate it very much!