Hen sitting a lot, not walking properly, panting...?

Metanoia

Chirping
10 Years
Aug 4, 2009
134
2
99
South Australia
I am going to see if anyone might have any suggestions regarding this issue.

In early january I seperated a hen and kept her inside during a heat wave as she seemed to have a sore leg and wasn't moving around much and I wanted to ensure she was hydrated.
After 5 days of foot baths in salty water and keeping her inside in a small area she seemed better.
She told me she wanted to go back outside by escaping her box.

We're a month on now and she has gone backwards again. Another hen has the same symptoms to a slightly lesser extent. The other 4 are fine.

She can't get to the perch and sleeps on the floor of the coop
She spends most of the time sitting on the floor of their enclosure
She can run if she thinks she's missing out on food, and still has a healthy appetite
She walks on tip toes and balances with her wings - she stands with her head down and tail feathers flaired out and looks wobbly
She pants a lot
Sometimes when she stands she places one foot over the other like she is cross legged.

We don't feel an egg, and I am reasonably sure that while she isn't laying much as it is an off season here she has layed at least one egg in the past month. Therefore I ruled out the possibility of her being egg bound.

We also can't see anything wrong with her feet. They look the same as the other girls and I get no reaction when playing with her toes or moving her legs. I have looked at pictures of bumble foot and it doesn't look like she has an infection anywhere on her legs or feet.

They get a variety of foods:
- wheat with small amounts of sunflower and oats
- shell grit readily available all the time
- fresh rain water from our tanks
- most days they get kitchen scraps - today was grapes from the vine (because we can't eat them all), carrot peel, celery
- most days we pick them a little fresh grass - it is the middle of summer and they have eaten just about everything in the garden

I have been keeping them locked in their yard for the last week and a half to keep her close to water in this summer weather and to ensure there is no mischief - nothing being over the fence from neighbours or nothing she is stepping on.
I also completely mucked out their yard 2 weeks ago to ensure there wasn't anything in the dirt of their enclosure.
There is straw on the bottom of the coop and in nest boxes
There is a cement floor in their yard with dirt on on side deep enough to dust bath.

If you need any other information please ask. I have no other idea what this could be.
 
i had a hen with the exact same sypmtoms. that was about a month ago. i came to figure out she had broken her leg flying off the roost.(that would explain the cross leg)
i cant really help but i would also like to know what this is.
 
Does she get any poultry feed? Her symptoms sound odd and I'm wondering if she's missing some important nutrients in her diet. I think hens do best with chicken feed for their main diet with grapes, carrot peels, etc as occasional treats. If she's not being fed layena (or some other brand of chicken feed) she may have a nutritional deficiency.
 
Quote:
Totally agree! It sounds like they very well could be protein deficient, as well as other nutrients. I would start adding a layer crumble. Give them some high protein treats such as meal worms, good quality cat food, washed cottage cheese, etc...Cut out any high carb treats such as bread, rice, pasta, scratch,etc...this are very nutrient deficient for their bulk. I would give the hen that has problems poly-vi-sol (without iron), 2 drops per day by her beak. Make sure they have food and water available 24/7.

Also when you say you have a cement floor--this should be covered at all times with a thick layer of litter or sand (or dirt), at least 4" thick. Cement is very hard on their legs. Could she have jumped down to the cement?

There are some other diseases that cause lameness, but not as likely, please keep us posted on her progress!
 

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