New Hen limping and not looking good.

[momsfarm]

I recently bought 2 new 6 month RIRs. One was very aggressive at first but has since settled in with the other hens and ducks. The 2nd hen was doing ok at first but now she doesnt look good. She lays around alot and holds her wing out to the side. When she lays down she spreads her wings out and stretches her leg. When she walks, she walks like she is walking on glass. Her feet overlap. I have checked for any changes on her feet and there is no swelling, redness, or cuts. I had her separated in a x-pen and was giving her wet cat food (to get her back in feather with the extra protein), powerade (for electrolytes), and grass. She was very upset being separated so after 3 days I put her back out with the others. No one is picking on her and she really enjoys the sun and dirt. Poop is normal, eyes are clear, and no cold sounds. Any ideas on what could be wrong with her feet? Thanks in advance.

 

[chkn]

That reminds me of when the chickens laiz around in the sun. Nothing sounds weird except that she is walking slowly? Has she begun laying yet? Examine the skin on the wing she holds out. I had a hen do that at an early age. The joint was swollen and the skin was bright green! I though gain green and she's a gonner! I gave her antibiotics but I can't say it cured it because it started to clear up like the next day or so. Oh, now I remember, I gave her a tiny bit of plain aspirin too. Maybe it improved the circulation to the wing but I do know she started to feel better.

 

[momsfarm]

I think at this point I am more concerned about her walking like she is walking on glass or hot coals. I also read somewhere that the wing thing could be her way of telling the other hens to leave her alone. I got some duramycin but found the instructions to be quite confusing. The package was measured in grams but the ratios were in miligrams. I do put her aside and give her wet cat food and gatorade in the mornings. i think I will scramble up some eggs and give everybody some along with some yogurt. Hopefully I can get some more responses and see if anything rings a bell. thanks again for your post.

 

[momsfarm]

Oops I forgot to add that she has not layed an egg since this weird behavior started. I did check the wing and it looks normal and she does clean herself through out the day. How much aspirin did you give just in case?

 

[lady feathers]

If she was previously laying but has since stopped and is walking abnormally I would definately be concerned that she may be egg bound, although it doesn't sound like the normal presentation. But still I would check!

 

[chkn]

I might mash up a quarter or less of a plain aspirin in water and use a dropper. You might see how she feels with it. If she's eggbound it might help too to reduce inflammation and help with the laying. In either case it wouldn't hurt to mash a half of a calcium supplement in with the aspirin as well.

It's funny you should say walking on glass. When I have a hen who is internal laying, she walks like a slow motion cross country skier. That's the only way I can describe it. When I've had an egg bound hen she was in great distress and tipping over forward. It was completely different.