Mjsirhunter
Hatching
- May 5, 2021
- 6
- 3
- 9
Hello, I am hoping someone can help me out considering I have read almost every post that may be relevant and I'm still not sure what is wrong with my hen.
On Sunday (3 days ago) my husband found one of our chickens laying in the run on her side and bleeding from her head/comb. When we tried to stand her up she fell all over like she had no control of her body at all. We brought her indoors and I addressed the bleeding/injury. I can only assume that the other chickens or one of our two roosters had picked on her. I got her all set up in the "chicken hospital" (dog crate) and watched. She still couldn't move around without falling all over. I finally got her settled back on her side and that is how she stayed for the night.
Monday, I made her a sling and fed her oatmeal with some honey in it and started giving her B12. She also has only had electrolyte water since we brought her in. Since she had pooped in her cage and then lost her balance and fell all in it and knocked over her water she got the full bath/spa treatment as well ( discover she has mites and am addressing that issue with the coop and other birds). After feeding her and giving her a bath she went back into the cage with a heat lamp on to warm her up and dry her from the bath (she wasn't having the blow dryer and it's been raining and cold here). I left her be for a while because all she wanted to do was preen and then fed her the rest of the oatmeal along with some of her layer pellets later that evening. She ate well again and seemed to be a little more "in control" but still couldn't walk. She was very alert and even tried coming across the cage to me when I talked to her. This is when she started sitting with her butt up in the air. I stand her up and she slowly falls forward until she either looses her balance and starts flopping around or until her front half settles to the ground and her but stays up.
Tuesday was more of the same. She ate well (oatmeal, scrambled eggs, layer feed) and finally drank the most I had seen her drink up to that point. She spent some time in the sling standing often and then resting. When I would take her out and try to get her to walk she stumbled/walked backwards...but was also using her wings to balance more. Tuesday evening though when I put her in the cage for the night she I heard a lot of scratching and went to check on her she was flopping all over again. She ended up spending the night in her sling because I was afraid she would hurt herself.
Which brings us to this morning. I gave her oatmeal with some yogurt this morning and she gobbled it right up and was drinking well. I also gave her some aspirin and B2 in addition to the B12....she got another bath this morning as well because of the mess she got herself into last night. I looked her over real good today and other than the head/comb injury nothing feels broken, hot or dislocated. Her toes are kind crooked and her nails are super long. I did trim them but could only do a little because of the quick. She has these like knots on her toe of her left foot. She also had what looked like dirt under the scales on her legs since I had just given her a bath and she had soaked I went ahead and out vasaline on her legs incase it's leg mites....Afterwards back out to the cage with the heat lamp on. She had trouble even settling down at that time...almost rocking on her hocks. Once I got her settled she went to sleep under the heat lamp. She is now resting in her cage. Butt is not as high as it has been.
What is going on with her?
I don't think it's mereks...she is about 5 years old and never had any issues prior.
Been a good layer although has not layed since I brought her in.
Poops seem normal. I will post a pic of her last one.
Eating and drinking well. Alert, talking and pecking at things. She is even preening again..lol. Such a girl.
She does have a lot of feathers missing on her back/ butt...not sure if she is molting or if this is part of what's going on with her.
Any help would be appreciated. I don't want to out her down if she just needs some tlc ...
On Sunday (3 days ago) my husband found one of our chickens laying in the run on her side and bleeding from her head/comb. When we tried to stand her up she fell all over like she had no control of her body at all. We brought her indoors and I addressed the bleeding/injury. I can only assume that the other chickens or one of our two roosters had picked on her. I got her all set up in the "chicken hospital" (dog crate) and watched. She still couldn't move around without falling all over. I finally got her settled back on her side and that is how she stayed for the night.
Monday, I made her a sling and fed her oatmeal with some honey in it and started giving her B12. She also has only had electrolyte water since we brought her in. Since she had pooped in her cage and then lost her balance and fell all in it and knocked over her water she got the full bath/spa treatment as well ( discover she has mites and am addressing that issue with the coop and other birds). After feeding her and giving her a bath she went back into the cage with a heat lamp on to warm her up and dry her from the bath (she wasn't having the blow dryer and it's been raining and cold here). I left her be for a while because all she wanted to do was preen and then fed her the rest of the oatmeal along with some of her layer pellets later that evening. She ate well again and seemed to be a little more "in control" but still couldn't walk. She was very alert and even tried coming across the cage to me when I talked to her. This is when she started sitting with her butt up in the air. I stand her up and she slowly falls forward until she either looses her balance and starts flopping around or until her front half settles to the ground and her but stays up.
Tuesday was more of the same. She ate well (oatmeal, scrambled eggs, layer feed) and finally drank the most I had seen her drink up to that point. She spent some time in the sling standing often and then resting. When I would take her out and try to get her to walk she stumbled/walked backwards...but was also using her wings to balance more. Tuesday evening though when I put her in the cage for the night she I heard a lot of scratching and went to check on her she was flopping all over again. She ended up spending the night in her sling because I was afraid she would hurt herself.
Which brings us to this morning. I gave her oatmeal with some yogurt this morning and she gobbled it right up and was drinking well. I also gave her some aspirin and B2 in addition to the B12....she got another bath this morning as well because of the mess she got herself into last night. I looked her over real good today and other than the head/comb injury nothing feels broken, hot or dislocated. Her toes are kind crooked and her nails are super long. I did trim them but could only do a little because of the quick. She has these like knots on her toe of her left foot. She also had what looked like dirt under the scales on her legs since I had just given her a bath and she had soaked I went ahead and out vasaline on her legs incase it's leg mites....Afterwards back out to the cage with the heat lamp on. She had trouble even settling down at that time...almost rocking on her hocks. Once I got her settled she went to sleep under the heat lamp. She is now resting in her cage. Butt is not as high as it has been.
What is going on with her?
I don't think it's mereks...she is about 5 years old and never had any issues prior.
Been a good layer although has not layed since I brought her in.
Poops seem normal. I will post a pic of her last one.
Eating and drinking well. Alert, talking and pecking at things. She is even preening again..lol. Such a girl.
She does have a lot of feathers missing on her back/ butt...not sure if she is molting or if this is part of what's going on with her.
Any help would be appreciated. I don't want to out her down if she just needs some tlc ...
