HELP! I don't know what's wrong?!

[chickenjones]

Ok we have this two year old hen. She has been laying, eating, being normal until the last few days. The first night she seemed lost. All the other hens and roo went to roost at dust. She was just kind of wandering around rubbing her beak on the ground, etc. She is one of our least tame hens and I walked right up to her. She wouldn't let me pick her up but she let me herd her all the way back to the coop. She tried unsuccessfully to fly up to the roost. We put her up there. In the morning, she was still there after the others had got down. The next day She was walking funny. Like stumbling around. They stay in the coop during the day (the indoor/outdoor inclosed coop) so I checked on her at my lunch. She was up and around with the others. Today she was on the ground when I opened the coop, nesting in the corner. She stood up and fell down. I made sure she had water and food. On my lunch break nothing much had changed. I put her separate from the others and when I got home she was still on the ground. She seems sleepy. My DH got home and he picked her up to inspect her again. One thing we had not noticed is how LONG her toenails are! My gosh! Everyone elses toes are pretty short for digging/scratching I guess. Hers are so long. We trimmed them as much as we could but that didn't help her walk. She looks droopy, seems sleepy but doesn't seem to be in any pain. Any suggestions would be welcome. Thank you! Please don't bash me if I have done something wrong. We are relatively new to chickens and and we have had her since the beginning. Thank you.

 

[seminolewind]

It could be alot of things. Cardiac?
Have you added new chickens in the last few months?
do you think it could be coccidiosis?
Can you feel her breast bone? Is her crop full at night? Is it empty in the morning?
What does her poop look like?

 

[chickenjones]

We added two chicks last spring. They are laying now. We have had no issues with them. My DH thought her crop felt really full. Her pooped looked pretty normal but she hasn't been going as much or eating as much. she mostly sits. She will move if she has to. I will check for the breast bone in a few minutes when we lock the coop up for the night. We will check her crop in the morning. we have her in a nest box with a heat lamp for the night. I don't think its coccidiosis. I have the Raising Chickens for Dummies book. Alot of the symptoms of disease match her symptoms but none of the actual diseases/ailments seem to match up.

 

[Davian]

Egg bound?

 

[chickenjones]

that is what I originally suspected but would we be able to feel anything if she was? My DH thinks its something else because her toenails are so long. She is one of four very wild chickens we have so we don't get to inspect them often. We had no idea they were like that.

 

[welasharon]

Make sure you check her for mites or lice. THat can run them down pretty quick too.

 

[chickenjones]

We did check yesterday and we have also wormed them recently. A few years ago, when she wasn't very old, our neighbors dog got her but we caught him. He had already killed 7 hens but for some reason dropped her. She has always had a little limp. My husband thinks it migh have something to do with that. like her leg is finally giving out maybe? I don't know. The limp has never really affected her in any way.

 

[welasharon]

Can she see?

 

[chickenjones]

That is an interesting question. a few nights ago when this started I told DH that it seemed like she didn't even see me there. or like I was a shadow to her. She seemed to see me today because she didn't want me to pick her up. I wonder if its arthritis setting in because of the old injury?

 

[welasharon]

Hmmm. I guess just watch her and make sure she gets food and water. Maybe concentrate on getting some high quality food into her and observe her really well. Scrambled egg is very good for them. Also, when she falls does she fall toward the bad leg or other directions too? As was mentioned watch her crop and check her poop. Wouldn't it be so much easier if they could talk? Diagnosing a chicken is like solving a puzzle sometimes.