Just went out to put the chickens away for the night, and one of them was outside laying on the ground. She can’t seem to walk. More details in post.

[Hanusaur]

The other 2 hens are fine. But one of them was laying on the ground and can’t seem to walk / stand. I fully examined her, and she has no injuries. The only physical thing I could see is that her comb / waddle / face is super bright red. Other than that, coloration looks normal. Heartbeat felt normal. Her crop is a bit squishy (she has recurring crop problems, overeats, & wears a bra most of the time to help her clear it). She’s vocal, making some little noises. She’s alert. Flapped her wings in my face, but isn’t steady on her feet and just flops down when I try to place her on her feet. She doesn’t seem distressed, she closed her eyes while I was holding and petting her. Currently she’s in my bedroom in a cage with a towel over it.

Now, my dad just admitted to me that he threw out some fruit for them to eat. And when I found my hen she was laying next to the fruit. So I smelled it to see if maybe it’s fermented & it totally smelled like it (it’s in the garbage now). I can’t be mad at my dad cause he’s older & doesn’t have much of a sense of smell anymore. And he will definitely be more careful from now on. But… could the fruit have gotten her drunk? That’s the only theory I have because she’s not injured, the other chickens are fine, and there’s nothing she could’ve gotten into to make her sick. If she caught some kind of avian illness, I’d think my other chickens would show signs as well, right? Do her symptoms line up with a drunk chicken? Or could this be something else entirely? I’m worried about her. Thanks for the help.

 

[Lady of McCamley]

That would be my first guess...fermented fruit drunk.

Here's an interesting article that back ups the hypothesis.

https://www.homesteadfowl.com/chicken-facts/can-chickens-get-drunk/

If so, she should be fine in the morning (albeit maybe with a hang over LOL).

LofMc

 

[BlindLemonChicken]

Following because I have wondered about this from time to time

 

[the_kitchen__drawer]

Following! I hope she feels better in tthe morning,lol.

 

[Hanusaur]

Following! I hope she feels better in tthe morning,lol.

Thank you, I hope so too

 

[Hanusaur]

That would be my first guess...fermented fruit drunk.

Here's an interesting article that back ups the hypothesis.

https://www.homesteadfowl.com/chicken-facts/can-chickens-get-drunk/

If so, she should be fine in the morning (albeit maybe with a hang over LOL).

LofMc

I read through that article, and I sure hope that’s all it is! Fingers crossed & I’ll make sure she drinks lots of water.

 

[Hanusaur]

Update: decided to move her to the bathroom where it’s more quiet, and she was able to stand up a little. But still doesn’t have good coordination / balance. I brought her a cup of water. She was definitely thirsty and immediately wanted to take a drink, but she was not very coordinated at drinking. She’d act like she was drinking, but her beak would be slightly above the water, so I’d have to push her head down a little so she actually got some in her mouth. And then she fell asleep with her head above the water, and then woke back up a couple seconds later and started drinking again as if she hadn’t just been asleep. Most of the water ended up on her chest rather than in her mouth, but at least she got some in her system. If she is in fact drunk, then this is a bit comedic. But I’m still worried and just hoping she’s okay in the morning. She’s so sweet & such a good little patient. Letting me examine her and everything. I hope I wake up to find a coordinated and alert chicken in the morning.

 

[ShelbyCiave]

That happened to one of my hens when I put them away at night, but there wasn’t fermented fruit around. She was just laying in the grass and I picked her up and her legs were limp and her comb was bright red. I brought her in the house to give her water with electrolytes and she wouldn’t drink even when forced. She then passed a translucent bouncy egg and her comb turned completely pale. She died shortly after. I have no idea what caused this, but I wish I could have helped her. I don’t want to scare you! Just keep an eye on her. Hopefully she is just a little buzzed and can sleep it off!

 

[Hanusaur]

That happened to one of my hens when I put them away at night, but there wasn’t fermented fruit around. She was just laying in the grass and I picked her up and her legs were limp and her comb was bright red. I brought her in the house to give her water with electrolytes and she wouldn’t drink even when forced. She then passed a translucent bouncy egg and her comb turned completely pale. She died shortly after. I have no idea what caused this, but I wish I could have helped her. I don’t want to scare you! Just keep an eye on her. Hopefully she is just a little buzzed and can sleep it off!

Sounds like my girl, except mine was eager to drink water, so I really hope she’s okay. I’m sorry about your hen

 

[RoostersAreAwesome]

That happened to one of my hens when I put them away at night, but there wasn’t fermented fruit around. She was just laying in the grass and I picked her up and her legs were limp and her comb was bright red. I brought her in the house to give her water with electrolytes and she wouldn’t drink even when forced. She then passed a translucent bouncy egg and her comb turned completely pale. She died shortly after. I have no idea what caused this, but I wish I could have helped her. I don’t want to scare you! Just keep an eye on her. Hopefully she is just a little buzzed and can sleep it off!

Your hen could’ve had a reproductive problem. Sometimes eggs can press on a hen’s nerves and prevent them from being able to walk.