Cornish Hen Can’t Walk

[LoveMyCornishHen]

I’ve had a Cornish Hen for about a few years now. She’s always been at the bottom of the pecking order of about 10 chickens and is very scrawny. Although she’s a Dark Cornish, we had her for eggs (we didn’t know she was a Cornish at all until recently). A few months ago, we came back from a hurricane and found my hen lying on the ground on one side, covered in decomposes and water. I thought for sure she would die soon, but I picked off the worms and ants and roaches. Basically, she’s been in a cage for a few months and is still alive. She can walk a few steps, and then either falls or slowly sits down. She extends her wing torwards the ground loosely when she walks. She hardly moves and stands with her feet crossed to support her standing. It’s like her whole right side is messed up. Even though she’s a Cornish, she is not an any way a large chicken so I don’t think it can be growing too large. Does anyone know what this is and how I can fix it? She’s still kicking and doesn’t seem to be going anywhere soon so I want to do what I can to get her out of her isolation cage. (she chooses to stay in there, she’s picked on a lot by the other chickens).

 

[Little Chicken Girl]

Hello and welcome to BYC!
Glad you are here but I am so sorry to hear about your hen.

I am not an expert but there are many here that I am sure know more than I
However, these few questions might help others who view this thread discern what is wrong by narrowing some possibilities:

Could you post a pic of her and her droppings?
Do you think it possible that she could have broken any bones on her side/legs?
Have you checked her for external parasites recently?
When was the last time she was dewormed?

What I can say I do know: Keep her separate from the others. I would advise adding a vitamin-supplement/electrolytes to her water.

Hope that whats wrong with your chicken comes to light! I will be watching this thread to see how it turns out.

 

[micstrachan]

If you want this hen to have a chance, you need to determine why she is so weak. What color is her comb? Is she eating and pooping normally? What do you feed her? When was her last egg?
Please examine her closely from beak to tail. Are her wyes bright and ckear? Nares (nostrils) clear? Is her breath stinky? Is her breast muscle wasting away? (Is her breast bone sticking out sharply under her feathers?) Does she hold her tail up or down? Is her back hunched? Is her vent clean and clear? Feel her abdomen (fluffy butt area). Is it bloated with fluid at all? How do her feathers look? How about her skin when you part the feathers? Is it oink or red anywhere? Look very closely for lice or mites, paying special attention to under her wings and around her vent. If you can answer as many of these questions as possible and report back, that will help us help you. Good luck. I hope to hear back soon.

 

[LoveMyCornishHen]

Thanks for your replies!
I bathed her today, and the feathers around her vent were very, well, gross, but the vent itself was clean. I bathed her in warm water and a very small amount of dawn. I also used a Q-Tip to clean out some white gunk from her nares- I actually didn’t notice her nostrils were clogged until today. I found she had mites or lice on her back between her wings, and there were lots of eggs at the base of her feathers there and around her eyes. I used Diatomaceous earth on her feathers and am ordering Vetericyn to spray. She had a lot of oatmeal and grit, which was great because she hasn’t eaten much. She also ate some blueberries rolled in Diatomaceous earth.

And now to answer the questions asked:
The comb is pinkish red
She hasn’t been eating as much as she did before she got hurt
Her last egg was about a year ago ( she’s about three years old and stopped laying)
Her eyes are bright and clear, but she has mite eggs around the feathers surrounding her face (I’m treating this now)
Her breath smells ordinary
I can’t tell if her breast bone is wasting away, but if you flip her over there is a prominate bone protruding from the rest of her stomach
She holds her tail down, aimed straight at the ground
I’d say her back probably is hunched, but I’m not certain about this
Her feathers look pretty good to me, but some have turned white (I’m not sure if this is because of stress, I know humans can lose pigment in hair due to stress but I’m not sure how that works out with chickens)
Her skin looks fine to me

Keep in mind she’s somewhat elderly and therefore isn’t going to be as healthy as some younger chickens. My best guess so far is that she hurt or maybe broke her leg during Hurricane Harvey (when we found her). She was under an area she tends to roost on so she may have fallen. I felt around her legs and feet though and nothing felt out of the ordinary. Also, I realized what she was doing with her wing was using it to support her, like a cane. I’ll keep y’all up to date as she heals, and I will probably use a bandage and popsicle stick splint on her leg to be safe.

The attached photo is of her using her wing to support her. I’ll try to get a picture of her foot tomorrow if I can.

 

[Birdinhand]

it sounds like the hurricane was tough on her and she is lucky to be alive. based on history and what you have observed, I'd say this bird is infested with external and maybe internal parasites as well and that has got her down. It's also possible that it suffered some internal injury, perhaps a broken leg? I'd closely and carefully examine the underside of the wings looking for heat and swelling and tenderness then also look carefully at her hip and knee joints also looking for heat and swelling and tenderness. at the same time I'd start with aggressively getting rid of the parasites and I bet she will be walking with a lot more pluck even if she is getting over an injury!

 

[Wyorp Rock]

I found she had mites or lice on her back between her wings, and there were lots of eggs at the base of her feathers there and around her eyes. I used Diatomaceous earth on her feathers and am ordering Vetericyn to spray.

She had a lot of oatmeal and grit, which was great because she hasn’t eaten much. She also ate some blueberries rolled in Diatomaceous earth.

She looks very unwell.
Can you take her to a vet?

I'm sorry but Diatomaceous earth and vetericyn will not treat or eliminate mites/lice. You can find Permethrin based poultry spray or dust at most feed stores. Read the directions on your product, but usually you need to repeat treatment in 7-10days to kill the eggs that hatch. Sometimes you may need to repeat treatment 2X if the infestation is heavy. Clean out her living quarters and treat that as well.

Does she normally eat a balanced poultry feed like layer feed? That would be better to give along with some chopped egg or tuna. If you have chick starter you can use that.
Add some poultry vitamins to her water. Personally I would not feed her DE or add it to any of her foods either, I see no benefit to that, it's also very dusty so could be irritating if inhaled.

I hate to say this, but if she does not perk up once the lice/mites have been treated and she gets some food/water into her, then you may want to consider putting her out of her misery. It's a very difficult decision to make, but if she has been like this for 2months, then if she does not show a marked improvement in a week or so, I would say she is not going to. The photo you posted, to me, she is clearly not well and is most likely is in pain and is suffering.

Just my thoughts.

 

[micstrachan]

I agree she looks very unwell. I’m sorry. Perhaps since she’s been in a cage for two months, unable to dust bathe, the lice and/or mites have become quite infested. Honestly, I think you need to knock the parasites out with permethrin right away or they are going to suck the life right out of her.
Poultry vitamins and extra protein would be good for her right now. I would also supply supplemental heat, like a heating pad that she can get away from if she wants, since she may not be able to regulate her temperature on her own.