High step/some balance issues

[Snazz18]

I've had this 7-8 month old chicken for 3 weeks. I always thought she was a little round, and goofy, but now I'm beginning to get concerned. She seems to have a healthy diet, and is relatively active. She walks funny, and stumbles sometimes. She still roosts at night, and has not started laying eggs yet. I started giving her vitamin e and b yesterday, and I'm offering her oyster shells for calcium. I also gave her a warm soak for 15 minutes, let her dry, and another soak for 15 minutes. I have her in a warm heated bathroom in one of my old brooder boxs until she dries. She has not passed anything since she soaked.
I keep seeing posts about Merrick's disease, but her eyes look clear to me. I also dipped my flock of six and elector PSP a week and a half ago. Any ideas?

 

[Snazz18]

I've had this 7-8 month old chicken for 3 weeks. I always thought she was a little round, and goofy, but now I'm beginning to get concerned. She seems to have a healthy diet, and is relatively active. She walks funny, and stumbles sometimes. She still roosts at night, and has not started laying eggs yet. I started giving her vitamin e and b yesterday, and I'm offering her oyster shells for calcium. I also gave her a warm soak for 15 minutes, let her dry, and another soak for 15 minutes. I have her in a warm heated bathroom in one of my old brooder boxs until she dries. She has not passed anything since she soaked.
I keep seeing posts about Merrick's disease, but her eyes look clear to me. I also dipped my flock of six and elector PSP a week and a half ago. Any ideas?

I also looked her feet over good. The one leg seems mildly swollen, but they otherwise look clean and in good shape.

 

[Eggcessive]

Do you see any signs of scaly leg mites? Which leg is swollen, her left which she high steps or the right? It is odd that she hasn’t started laying yet. She should not get extra calcium unless she is laying. That can cause kidney issues and gouty arthritis. She might be laying internally or having a reproductive disorder. What do her droppings look like? Pictures are sometimes helpful. Does she have any yellow urates in her droppings, or is it the normal white cap?

 

[Snazz18]

Do you see any signs of scaly leg mites? Which leg is swollen, her left which she high steps or the right? It is odd that she hasn’t started laying yet. She should not get extra calcium unless she is laying. That can cause kidney issues and gouty arthritis. She might be laying internally or having a reproductive disorder. What do her droppings look like? Pictures are sometimes helpful. Does she have any yellow urates in her droppings, or is it the normal white cap?

Her right foot is slightly swollen, but she high steps her left. She hasn't had free choice calcium until this started. I was wondering if there was an internal egg problem. Hence the calcium. I will try to get pictures of her droppings. As far as mites, I feel like the elector PSP should have taken care of that last week if that were an issue. I will post them as soon as I can. Thank you for bringing this up. I just want her to be okay. She honestly seems worse today than yesterday.

 

[Snazz18]

Her right foot is slightly swollen, but she high steps her left. She hasn't had free choice calcium until this started. I was wondering if there was an internal egg problem. Hence the calcium. I will try to get pictures of her droppings. As far as mites, I feel like the elector PSP should have taken care of that last week if that were an issue. I will post them as soon as I can. Thank you for bringing this up. I just want her to be okay. She honestly seems worse today than yesterday.

All six chickens roam the yard when I get home from work. I've also wondered if she got into something.

 

[Snazz18]

All six chickens roam the yard when I get home from work. I've also wondered if she got into something.

She must have impeccable timing. This is post soak poop. I also noticed she is holding her tail down after her soak.

 

[Eggcessive]

Calcium given once would be fine just to see if she is having trouble laying. Elector works on body mites and lice. If you ever see gray crusty material and lifted scales which would indicate leg mites, those are treated with something like Vicks, vaseline, or Nustock applied to the legs twice a week until scales are regrown.

Edited to say:The urates are a bit yellowish, and watery yellow, but I would watch them. She might have a reproductive disorder.

 

[Snazz18]

Calcium given once would be fine just to see if she is having trouble laying. Elector works on body mites and lice. If you ever see gray crusty material and lifted scales which would indicate leg mites, those are treated with something like Vicks, vaseline, or Nustock applied to the legs twice a week until scales are regrown.

Edited to say:The urates are a bit yellowish, and watery yellow, but I would watch them. She might have a reproductive disorder.

Thank you for your help. Do you mind clarifying what I should watch for to change in her poop?
I know she is tipping backward more today, and tucking her tail more possibly to stabilize. That also was leading me toward reproductive problems. That, and her legs seem to be spread wide.

 

[Eggcessive]

Many times a hen with infection or salpingitis will have runny droppings and if you see the yellow urates, that can be a sign that the liver is affected. That can lead to water belly (ascites.) Salpingitis is where the egg goes backward and is deposited in the abdomen, and they may develop large masses of egg material inside the belly. Lash eggs can sometimes be seen in the droppings or nest box. A hen with salpingitis or reproductive infection may walk with a wide step or like a penguin, or walk more upright in some cases. They may lie down a lot and rest. The lowered tail position is another sign. We can only guess what is wrong. If you don’t mind using an antibiotic, that might be good since she is young. Amoxicillin 250 mg orally twice a day for 7-10 days is sometimes used. Here is where you can get them at this time:
https://hardypaw.com/products/fix-m...vJMTj8_eBTBKU84pCBRs1-DF5D-cRXUkG1P7Z5W2TXwjY

 

[Snazz18]

Many times a hen with infection or salpingitis will have runny droppings and if you see the yellow urates, that can be a sign that the liver is affected. That can lead to water belly (ascites.) Salpingitis is where the egg goes backward and is deposited in the abdomen, and they may develop large masses of egg material inside the belly. Lash eggs can sometimes be seen in the droppings or nest box. A hen with salpingitis or reproductive infection may walk with a wide step or like a penguin, or walk more upright in some cases. They may lie down a lot and rest. The lowered tail position is another sign. We can only guess what is wrong. If you don’t mind using an antibiotic, that might be good since she is young. Amoxicillin 250 mg orally twice a day for 7-10 days is sometimes used. Here is where you can get them at this time:
https://hardypaw.com/products/fix-m...vJMTj8_eBTBKU84pCBRs1-DF5D-cRXUkG1P7Z5W2TXwjY

I gave a good run from her neck down to her belly, and everything feels normal. Nothing is swollen or puffy, and the vent feels empty. I will continue giving the vitamins until that amoxicillin shows up. Thank you for your help.