Clumsy Hen??

[silkieluvr]

I have a hen who all of a sudden has started acting either drunk or clumsy. She begins to fall but puts out her wing to stop herself, and sometimes sits down while shes walking. She seems otherwise healthy, eating, drinking, scratching, and playing (or trying to). Anyone know what the problem might be? I'm really worried about her, as she is my favorite hen.

 

[ibpboo]

Oh, poor girl.

Do her legs look ok? Could she have gotten injured somehow? Like maybe her leg stuck and it is sore now?

 

[silkieluvr]

her leg seemed fine, but
i'll check again tomorrow morning. Any other ideas of what might be wrong?

 

[ibpboo]

Oh gosh, I don't know, I hope someone knowledgeable responds to this. I'll hope for the best! Keep us posted.
Is she a silkie?

 

[sammi]

how old is the hen?

please describe the droppings..color and consistency
has she been wormed? if so when? and what was used?
has she been laying eggs?

please check crop for possible impaction..
also check mouth and throat for whitish or yellowish plaque or sores, and any odor.
if you find any lump in the crop, or sores in mouth or throat..
post back and describe.

could she have got into anything that went moldy or bad..(kitchen scraps/spilled feed/dead rodent, etc..)
any access to car oils/chemicals, fertilizers/weed killer/any other toxins?

separate her to a warm safe place.
in her weakened state she is not able to really compete for food and water.

please make up a mix of a little oatmeal cooked with water, layer feed, chopped cooked egg yolk, and plain active culture yogurt.
hand feed if necessary, by rolling mix into pellets, placing in mouth and stroking throat downwards to encourage swallowing.
also have regular feed available.
put vitamins in water and if she is unable to drink..give by drops on beak,,don't pour down the throat.

this could be nutritional..a deficiency of some kind.

wouldn't hurt to check her feet for any sores or scabs..
check legs, back, and hip areas for any possible injury..
check eyes for anything odd, cloudy, or gray.

 

[SpottedCrow]

Have you checked in her ears?
Or could she gotten into something that made her sick?

 

[silkieluvr]

Thanks for the replies, she had been fine all day until tonight. Yes, she is a silkie if that helps at all. She has been wormed within the last month and her droppings are normal. No sores or impacted crop. I don't think she could have gotten into anything, and it came on so fast. She was fine at about 4 then at 5 she was acting strange. Oh ya, and I have been getting an egg every other day fro her.

 

[sammi]

try giving the feed mix and vitamins.

 

[silkieluvr]

Alright, thanks everyone and I'll try to update with any new information!

 

[silkieluvr]

Update! Shes fine today! I'm thinking one of the goats may have accidently head butted her while they were running around to eat. But today she was back to normal! Yay! Thanks everyone