Hen with balance problems

[Feathered Luv]

Hi Fellow Hen Lovers,

I have a Sebright Hen who is about two years old and she is living free range on my big organic section enjoying all the scratching she can cope with. She lives with a little red hen and a Blue Orphington. They always have a daily meal of seeds and maize available with blood and bone and oyster shells, fresh water and daily food scraps.

Yesterday morning she came out of roosting for the night and she was having trouble standing and it appeared her left side was weaker and she would fall and flap her wings and get up again, every minute or so while eating she will make a strange squalking noise and go back to eating. Her food intake has not dropped. She went out with the other hens for the day yesterday as per normal and roosted at night. Today I put her in a small cage with some good food and water and left her for the day resting.

We are in the spring here in New Zealand and she laid a healthy looking egg today.

When I let her out she spent time with the other hens tonight but with the same symptoms of falling and squalking.

I picked her up and checked her leg and it does not appear damaged. It is not good to see her like this as her normally perky tail is now pointing to the ground and I am not sure what step to take with her next.

In the past 6 weeks I introduced baby goats to my section and they have been locked up so not in contact with the hens, but they have had mites which I am treating them for. I have not noticed the hens scratching any more that their normal cleaning.

Thanks for any advice anyone may have in advance,

 

[Feathered Luv]

Unfortunately she has not got better after three days. Her head and responses are normal and eating normal but she falls over all the time and I dont think I have any option but to put her to sleep. Of all things my Little Red Hen went clucky yesterday so I will put some fertile Aracana eggs under her and hatch some new chicks into the family

 

[ChickensAreSweet]

Unfortunately she has not got better after three days. Her head and responses are normal and eating normal but she falls over all the time and I dont think I have any option but to put her to sleep. Of all things my Little Red Hen went clucky yesterday so I will put some fertile Aracana eggs under her and hatch some new chicks into the family

I am so sorry she isn't getting better. There are many conditions that can cause unilateral lameness, and I don't have the experience to tell you what the cause is.

You might check the underside of her foot, however, to check for bumblefoot (you should see a black scab looking thing on the underside of her foot if that is the case) or swelling.

It is possible she has a joint infection or a neurological problem. (And certainly I am sure there are other possibilites.)