MY 8 YEAR OLD CHICKEN WILL NOT WALK.

[chickies59]

Can someone let me know why my 8 year old Rhode Island Red won't walk, she seems reasonably happy but is only eating small amounts of food?

 

[Isaac 0]

Welcome to BYC

She is getting pretty old for a chicken.I would isolate her with food and water and offer eggs and tuna often and you can put poultry vitamins in her water.Is her comb pale?Does she seem sick?

 

[Eggcessive]

Welcome to BYC. There may be so many different possibilities for her lameness. Look at her foot pads for scabs or sores. I would look her over for mites, feel of her breast area for weight loss as well as her lower belly for any masses or swelling, and check her crop to make sure it is emptying overnight. She could be suffering from arthritis, vitamin deficiency, a leg or hip injury, or even something like egg yolk peritonitis which may also make it painful to walk. It helps to have more info about if she is laying eggs still, if she can move her toes or feet, can she stand at all, and if she could have eaten something toxic in the area. Give water with electrolytes and vitamins and her usual chicken feed with some chopped egg.

 

[chickies59]

We have her inside with us and she has not eaten since yesterday. We have been dripping water into her mouth and last night she did not look good and this morning she was bright as a button but cannot support herself to stand up. We have checked her for mights, bites, any lumps etc but nothing. She is old but is a very big chicken and was still laying occasionally.

 

[Eggcessive]

Is her crop empty, or does it feel hard or puffy? I would keep up the water, and put some SaveAChick or other brand of electrolytes/vitamins into it. Try some chopped egg, since most chickens will readily take that. You could also try tube feeding her fluids if you wish. Since she still has been laying, you can slip a finger inside her vent an inch or two, to make sure that she is not egg bound. Here is a good thread about tube feeding: https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/805728/go-team-tube-feeding