molting hen unable to walk straight

[Txfarm2009]

I have a 2 year old Barred Rock hen who is molting. This morning when I went out to the coop she was on the floor. None of them have ever gotten off the roost in the dark before. Then I noticed how she was walking, kind of crouched and unable to walk straight, drifting usually to the right. She is alert, eating, wanted to go out in the yard with everyone else. When she runs, she runs straight as if nothing is wrong. But this afternoon she is still walking as if she had vertigo or something. I checked her out, feeling her legs but felt nothing out of the ordinary. I wondered if she hurt herself or hit her head and got a concussion when she jumped of the roost in the dark. The only other symptom is very thin runny poop on the poop board this morning that I think belonged to her.
Any ideas as to what could be wrong and what to do about it?

 

[Eggcessive]

I would give her some electrolytes and vitamins , or something like Poultry NutriDrench or Poultry Cell tonic 2 ml orally daily for a couple of days. Offer some wet chicken feed mixed with a lot of water, and some scrambled egg or tuna. Sometimes a hard molt can cause these kinds of symptoms. You might want to separate her inside a pen or crate with food and water for a day or two, just to watch her closely and keep her from falling or getting attacked by the others. Try to keep her close to her flock.

 

[Txfarm2009]

I would give her some electrolytes and vitamins , or something like Poultry NutriDrench or Poultry Cell tonic 2 ml orally daily for a couple of days. Offer some wet chicken feed mixed with a lot of water, and some scrambled egg or tuna. Sometimes a hard molt can cause these kinds of symptoms. You might want to separate her inside a pen or crate with food and water for a day or two, just to watch her closely and keep her from falling or getting attacked by the others. Try to keep her close to her flock.

Thank you so much for the advice. I went to the feed store this morning and got some high protein layer pellets and some NutriDrench. The drench said to put it in their water. But I mixed it in with chicken feed and tuna and water, thinking she would get more that way. However, she just nibbled a bit; my other 5 hens got most of it. I'm trying to come up with a way to separate her from the others, but no good solution yet.
Question: You mentioned 2 ml orally daily; can I give her a bit of the NutriDrench in a dropper and drop it directly into her mouth without putting it in water?
By the way, the others do not seem to be bothering her at all; as a matter of fact, the other two Barred Rocks stay with her, to keep her warm perhaps??? They seem to want to help her or at least console her, if chickens do such things.

 

[coach723]

You can give nutri drench directly orally. Just give it .5 ml at a time and let her swallow, so she doesn't aspirate any. Nutridrench is good for a few days, after that it can cause diarrhea, so if she doesn't seem to be doing better by then, I would recommend getting a super B complex tablet or capsule (human ones, where ever supplements are sold) and give one once a day (just pop it in her beak and she'll swallow. If she's eating you can mix it in some moistened feed). Sometimes during molt they don't eat well and can become deficient, often the B's cause symptoms like this. I usually have one or two each year that need the vitamins. They get stumbly, walk like they are drunk, or seem to list to one side. Often they look better after only one, or just a few doses. The B's are very safe, any extra will be excreted, so I would give until she's improved and then past that for a few days at least.

 

[Txfarm2009]

You can give nutri drench directly orally. Just give it .5 ml at a time and let her swallow, so she doesn't aspirate any. Nutridrench is good for a few days, after that it can cause diarrhea, so if she doesn't seem to be doing better by then, I would recommend getting a super B complex tablet or capsule (human ones, where ever supplements are sold) and give one once a day (just pop it in her beak and she'll swallow. If she's eating you can mix it in some moistened feed). Sometimes during molt they don't eat well and can become deficient, often the B's cause symptoms like this. I usually have one or two each year that need the vitamins. They get stumbly, walk like they are drunk, or seem to list to one side. Often they look better after only one, or just a few doses. The B's are very safe, any extra will be excreted, so I would give until she's improved and then past that for a few days at least.

I decided to go with the B-complex because she already has some diarrhea. I gave her the first tablet about 10am this morning. Before that while I was cleaning up the night's poop, I let her out in the yard with the other hens. She ran across the yard to join them in a very normal run. When they all came in, she ran back to the coop just like normal. But as soon as she got inside the run, she walked crouched and as if drunk. Strange! This afternoon she was eating more normally. I will let you know how she is tomorrow; hopefully this molting is about over - I can see the feathers beginning to show on her back. Thank you for your help.

 

[Txfarm2009]

I decided to go with the B-complex because she already has some diarrhea. I gave her the first tablet about 10am this morning. Before that while I was cleaning up the night's poop, I let her out in the yard with the other hens. She ran across the yard to join them in a very normal run. When they all came in, she ran back to the coop just like normal. But as soon as she got inside the run, she walked crouched and as if drunk. Strange! This afternoon she was eating more normally. I will let you know how she is tomorrow; hopefully this molting is about over - I can see the feathers beginning to show on her back. Thank you for your help.

She seems about the same this morning. I gave her the 2nd B-complex tablet. She does seem to be eating more but, although alert, she does rest a lot. I will continue with the vitamins and see how it goes.

 

[silkienewbie93]

She seems about the same this morning. I gave her the 2nd B-complex tablet. She does seem to be eating more but, although alert, she does rest a lot. I will continue with the vitamins and see how it goes.

Did your chicken end up recovering? Mine is displaying the same symptoms