Hen getting stuck on her back

[Shezadandy]

So my oldest hen, a 6yr old Speckled Sussex has now been found multiple times stranded on her back with her feet in the air unable to right herself. A rooster stands guard over her until I find her in the morning when this happens, now it's been just a few days apart - this week the weather might not be helping if it's arthritis, very very cold (well below normal).

Once she's helped up, she stays on her feet and gets where she wants to go, albeit stiffly, including down the ramp and wherever she wants to go in our hilly enclosure.

She's always been in the top 5 size wise in the flock, and near the top of the pecking order- nobody messes with her, not even now. She's not fat and gets no treats, she's just a large framed bird. I can only speculate this happens to her because she gets bumped by other chickens and is having an "I've fallen and I can't get up" type deal, maybe just extra stiff first thing in the AM.

Wisely, she spends the night on a very low (6" off the ground) roost or she'll bunk in a bottom level nesting box for the night. Her same age EE friends from the same group are doing just fine and still jump to the very top roost- though they are much smaller in every way.

What I want help with is thoughts on ways to improve her mobility and spare her these episodes as possible. This has only happened inside on flat ground and is always a morning thing, never outside which is set on a hill. Cosequin came to mind by I couldn't find a dose for chickens - looking for ideas (no soup pot, she is a PET).

 

[Eggcessive]

It is hard to know the exact cause of her problem falling over and getting stuck, or not being able to get up and down. It could be a case of salpingitis with egg masses putting pressure on abdominal organs or the leg nerves. It may be arthritis. Does she have any enlargement of her lower belly between her legs that could be fluid?

If you are looking for an anti inflammatory for arthritis, Rimadyl or carprofen is used in dogs as well as in poultry. Many of my older dogs have lived longer and better lives because of rimadyl. Your vet would need to prescribe it. If I was considering condroitin or cosequin, I would probably give about 1/4 dose of a dog. Or check with a vet.

I had an older hen become imbalanced and not able to stand without falling once. She had been vaccinated for Mareks as a day old chick, as had my others. I kept her in a recycling basket with clean shavings on the coop floor for 5 weeks, bringing her watery food, egg, and canned cat food. She finally was able to get out of the basket and walk around outside again. The flock turned on her though, so she had to be on the other side of the fence during the day, and go back into her basket at night. She lived 2 years, and we thought that she had some internal laying issue that had affected her balance, but hard to know.

 

[Shezadandy]

It is hard to know the exact cause of her problem falling over and getting stuck, or not being able to get up and down. It could be a case of salpingitis with egg masses putting pressure on abdominal organs or the leg nerves. It may be arthritis. Does she have any enlargement of her lower belly between her legs that could be fluid?

If you are looking for an anti inflammatory for arthritis, Rimadyl or carprofen is used in dogs as well as in poultry. Many of my older dogs have lived longer and better lives because of rimadyl. Your vet would need to prescribe it. If I was considering condroitin or cosequin, I would probably give about 1/4 dose of a dog. Or check with a vet.

I had an older hen become imbalanced and not able to stand without falling once. She had been vaccinated for Mareks as a day old chick, as had my others. I kept her in a recycling basket with clean shavings on the coop floor for 5 weeks, bringing her watery food, egg, and canned cat food. She finally was able to get out of the basket and walk around outside again. The flock turned on her though, so she had to be on the other side of the fence during the day, and go back into her basket at night. She lived 2 years, and we thought that she had some internal laying issue that had affected her balance, but hard to know.

There are definitely no masses or fluid of any kind in her abdomen, not even a hint.

I think we're down to arthritis as the most likely culprit. I found her down again this morning, the first time it's happened two days in a row. She ends up on her back with her legs paddling in the air, however it happens. She's been developing something of a wind-up toy walk over time and is more 'squat' if that makes sense. I think it's a case of aging larger animal. Definitely not carrying any extra weight, eating and drinking well.

So today I've put her in a crate, which isn't great because the confined quarters - even as an extra large dog crate - isn't all that easy for her to move around in as tight corners are difficult. I can come up with something bigger and better in a couple days.

Of course I don't have rimadyl around- but I do have gabopentin - might that be worth a try along with cosequin?