My chicken has her tail/backend down almost like she is sitting

[JessHollenbeck]

Hey there, this is my first time having a sick chicken and I would love some advice... for the past few weeks I have noticed my barred rocks tail/backend is down, sort of penguin like, and her feathers seem to be fluffier. She is still eating/drinking/and laying eggs (even though they are a bit small) but I have noticed she is slow when she walks. Most of the time when she is standing her backend is so low, you can't see the ground under her feathers. We have been giving her probiotic high foods and calcium but she doesn't seem to change conditions. I was thinking of giving her an Epsom salt soak but she doesn't seem to be egg bound since she is laying. Any thoughts?

 

[LaFleche]

Hi Jess and welcome to the BYC community!

How old is she?
Did you feel her lower abdomen in between her legs? Is it swollen, rather hard or more squishy like a water filled balloon?

 

[JessHollenbeck]

Thank you!
When I feel her it’s firm but not hard or swollen really. She was really calm when I was pressing almost like she enjoyed it.
I will add that she is the last one in my flock, it was a rough winter with predators

 

[LaFleche]

So she is still laying eggs, which means not eggbound.

And she is the only survivor of a predator attack?
Maybe she got an injury to her legs or hip making it difficult for her to stand and walk properly.

I would check her over and compare both legs, hip bones etc. to see if something was overlooked previously.

Another possibility would be a growing tumor putting pressure on the ischiatic nerve.

When did you last deworm her?

Did you check her and the coop, roosting bar etc for poultry mites? They can leave a bird anaemic and weak.

Does she live inside the house?
If so, how many hours does she spend outside in the yard to catch natural sunshine?

In case you kept her inside the house after her flockmates were killed, she might suffer from vitamin D deficiency which among other symptoms causes severe leg pain.

https://www.msdvetmanual.com/poultr...ement-poultry/vitamin-deficiencies-in-poultry

 

[JessHollenbeck]

So she is still laying eggs, which means not eggbound.

And she is the only survivor of a predator attack?
Maybe she got an injury to her legs or hip making it difficult for her to stand and walk properly.

I would check her over and compare both legs, hip bones etc. to see if something was overlooked previously.

Another possibility would be a growing tumor putting pressure on the ischiatic nerve.

When did you last deworm her?

Did you check her and the coop, roosting bar etc for poultry mites? They can leave a bird anaemic and weak.

Does she live inside the house?
If so, how many hours does she spend outside in the yard to catch natural sunshine?

In case you kept her inside the house after her flockmates were killed, she might suffer from vitamin D deficiency which among other symptoms causes severe leg pain.

https://www.msdvetmanual.com/poultr...ement-poultry/vitamin-deficiencies-in-poultry

This is all good information!
She doesn’t live in a coop, we actually have her in a dog crate at night to keep her from the predators short term otherwise she is free range outside all day.
I haven’t dewormed her ever actually. I didn’t realize that’s something you did for chickens. But that’s a good place to start for good measure.