Low walking chicken,,,,, something is wrong

[Johnnyfly41]

I have a two year old easter egger that is laying most of the time on the ground and when she walks she "low walks" does not stand fully up. She is eating and drinking and can jump up to a roost at night, but, she is usually down on the ground, moves very little with her low walk. I see her stand fully up occasionally, so, I know she can and she appears normal. No obvious injuries. I am wondering, could she be egg bound ?

I would appreciate any ideas you might have.

thank you,

John

 

[Eggcessive]

I would try some vitamin B complex on her 1/4 tablet daily crushed or grated onto some food or a little egg. It might be an early sign of riboflavin deficiency. Do you have any pictures of her? Or can you post a short video of her walking to YouTube or Vimeo with a link here?

 

[Wyorp Rock]

I have a two year old easter egger that is laying most of the time on the ground and when she walks she "low walks" does not stand fully up. She is eating and drinking and can jump up to a roost at night, but, she is usually down on the ground, moves very little with her low walk. I see her stand fully up occasionally, so, I know she can and she appears normal. No obvious injuries. I am wondering, could she be egg bound ?

I would appreciate any ideas you might have.

thank you,

John

I would go ahead and give the vitamins as suggested by Eggcessive in post#2 those won't hurt a thing. But it would be wise to examine her since you wonder if she's egg bound - insert a finger inside the vent to feel for one. While you have her gathered up, feel the abdomen for bloat/swelling of fluid, check her for lice/mites and monitor her to make sure her crop is empty in the morning.

Let us know how she's doing.

 

[Johnnyfly41]

Thank you to those who responded. so, after several days of "low walking" and pretty much sitting. Today she is walking tall and proud as ever. She does when eating or drinking lay down in that submissive hen position. But, she pops right back up and walks tall. I think whatever it is, she injured herself slightly or something, she seems to be on the mend, so, I left her alone. Throughout, she has always ate and drank and fought for treats with the other birds and grazed.

 

[Eggcessive]

Glad to hear that she is walking better. Did you give any B vitamins?

 

[Johnnyfly41]

No, I never really did anything and her condition seemed to improve. I am guessing she has injured herself somehow, hopping down from a roost or something and is on the mend. So, can you tell me, what is this vitamin B thing and what does a defficiency cause ? I am buying what I am told is a complete layer feed, I supplement with oyster shell and they get a lot of treats from our table. They made out really good after St. Paddy's day....