Injured Bird, Possibly Also Sick

[urbanhomesteader_shiona]

So I have a hen who has two separate issues. The first is that she is being bullied in the flock (I have isolated her to treat her injury). The second is that she has always had sort of weird behavior regarding her legs. She has always walked a little differently and done a lot of sitting/falling backwards onto her butt but recently I’ve noticed that behavior being almost constant and it seems like she has trouble using her legs. No signs of scaly leg mites that I can see and is vaccinated against Marak’s. The one thing is that she still hasn’t come into lay (was born late April). Flock dynamics aside, should I be concerned about an illness/disease?

 

[ChickenCanoe]

That first picture is a concern. Vaccinated birds can still get Mareks. Flock dynamics, which we see as bullying is often a sign they see a problem with the bird that is viewed as a threat to the overall health of the flock and they try to drive it away.

 

[urbanhomesteader_shiona]

That first picture is a concern. Vaccinated birds can still get Mareks. Flock dynamics, which we see as bullying is often a sign they see a problem with the bird that is viewed as a threat to the overall health of the flock and they try to drive it away.

Yeah, she has kind of always sat like this sometimes but now it seems worse and all the time. There is another bird getting bullied too who doesn’t seem to have any other issues, and the bullying is just happening via one bully hen (who I am also going to isolate from the flock for a few days). Any thoughts on what I should do regarding the weird leg situation? Is it possible that it is a genetic thing? Do I need to put her down?

 

[Wyorp Rock]

So I have a hen who has two separate issues. The first is that she is being bullied in the flock (I have isolated her to treat her injury). The second is that she has always had sort of weird behavior regarding her legs. She has always walked a little differently and done a lot of sitting/falling backwards onto her butt but recently I’ve noticed that behavior being almost constant and it seems like she has trouble using her legs. No signs of scaly leg mites that I can see and is vaccinated against Marak’s. The one thing is that she still hasn’t come into lay (was born late April). Flock dynamics aside, should I be concerned about an illness/disease?

What do you feed including treats?

I'd keep her on a chick starter or all flock feed (18-20% protein).
Anything odd about her joints, swelling, lesions, etc.?

You can try vitamin therapy to see if it makes any difference. Give her 1/4 tablet B-Complex once daily, just pop it right into her beak and let her swallow.

If getting a fecal float is possible, then have your vet help rule out worms and Coccidiosis as contributors to her condition.

Marek's disease is something to consider that's for sure.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

Yeah, she has kind of always sat like this sometimes but now it seems worse and all the time. There is another bird getting bullied too who doesn’t seem to have any other issues, and the bullying is just happening via one bully hen (who I am also going to isolate from the flock for a few days). Any thoughts on what I should do regarding the weird leg situation? Is it possible that it is a genetic thing? Do I need to put her down?

Putting her down is your choice. Exept extreme circumstances, I never tall people to do that. Genetic anomaly is always a possibility. It could even be a injury she sustained when very young and it never improved.
Definitely always remove the bully for as long as it takes to knock her down a couple notches. When a bird is removed and returned they are viewed as either the new kid on the block free for bullying or sometimes the flock may be afraid that being away could possibly bring a problem disease/parasite back to the flock. How long it takes can vary all over the board. Much of this also depends on the breeds. Breeds that have retained more of the genetic traits of ancestors will be much different than highly manipulated breeds like perhaps silkies or birds that have been a specific breed for a long time like orpingtons.
In addition, RIRs and some other breeds tend to be the bullies of a mixed flock.

 

[urbanhomesteader_shiona]

Putting her down is your choice. Exept extreme circumstances, I never tall people to do that. Genetic anomaly is always a possibility. It could even be a injury she sustained when very young and it never improved.
Definitely always remove the bully for as long as it takes to knock her down a couple notches. When a bird is removed and returned they are viewed as either the new kid on the block free for bullying or sometimes the flock may be afraid that being away could possibly bring a problem disease/parasite back to the flock. How long it takes can vary all over the board. Much of this also depends on the breeds. Breeds that have retained more of the genetic traits of ancestors will be much different than highly manipulated breeds like perhaps silkies or birds that have been a specific breed for a long time like orpingtons.
In addition, RIRs and some other breeds tend to be the bullies of a mixed flock.

Thanks for the response! My bully is a buff Orpington and my bullied gal is an Easter egger. I’ve got them both isolated from the flock right now, although I’ve seen some things that say that the bullied hen should be isolated within the coop… how does that work when it’s wintertime? She’ll be freezing at night when the other all go in to roost and she’s still out in the run.