Not walking, pale comb, recovering from bad hen pecking

[CoFarmer]

Wondering if there’s anything I can do for this poor girl. She was being targeted by the other hens, pretty badly hen pecked. I tried isolating my alpha hen, but then the other hens just went after her, so I isolated her in my large dog kennel inside our chicken run in early December. Now that it’s so vold at night, I put her in a smaller kennel, closer to the light, and wrap it pretty well, with ventilation, as we’re dealing with frigid January, nighttime temperatures here in the mountains of Colorado. I don’t know if the problems with walking began before, or after the hen pecking. But now she walks badly, and very little, although she will waddle over and eat and drink a little. Pale comb has not improved. Her feathers have grown in a lot, but you can still see you where they pecked her on her cheek (not sure what that’s called). When I examined her today, I do see she has a little black specs, so I will treat her for mites and lice. My husband decided he needed to trim her “toenails,” not sure if that was a mistake, but it did not help. Not sure what else I can do. I have attached several pictures so you can see all of it. Honestly, none of them have been the same since our rooster died (the hen pecking started about a month later) but that wasn’t illness, he somehow knocked the chicken water container over on himself, and either broke his neck or something. That was sad, but the lingering problem with this hen is even more sad because I don’t know how to help her. Thank you.

 

[CoFarmer]

Wondering if there’s anything I can do for this poor girl. She was being targeted by the other hens, pretty badly hen pecked. I tried isolating my alpha hen, but then the other hens just went after her, so I isolated her in my large dog kennel inside our chicken run in early December. Now that it’s so vold at night, I put her in a smaller kennel, closer to the light, and wrap it pretty well, with ventilation, as we’re dealing with frigid January, nighttime temperatures here in the mountains of Colorado. I don’t know if the problems with walking began before, or after the hen pecking. But now she walks badly, and very little, although she will waddle over and eat and drink a little. Pale comb has not improved. Her feathers have grown in a lot, but you can still see you where they pecked her on her cheek (not sure what that’s called). When I examined her today, I do see she has a little black specs, so I will treat her for mites and lice. My husband decided he needed to trim her “toenails,” not sure if that was a mistake, but it did not help. Not sure what else I can do. I have attached several pictures so you can see all of it. Honestly, none of them have been the same since our rooster died (the hen pecking started about a month later) but that wasn’t illness, he somehow knocked the chicken water container over on himself, and either broke his neck or something. That was sad, but the lingering problem with this hen is even more sad because I don’t know how to help her. Thank you. View attachment 3723359

Forgot to mention, there’s nothing unusual about her poops, and she fluffs her feathers up in the evening for warmth. I don’t think she’s lost any weight, although looking at the pictures, I think maybe she has.

 

[Certified Chicken Lover]

How old is she? What's her diet? Clipping her toenails won't cause a problem with her walking. Is she eating/drinking normally?

 

[Eggcessive]

How old is she? Has she been laying eggs recently? The others may target her if she is walking funny or showing signs of illness. You might want to give her some human vitamin b complex 1/4 tablet daily which could help her legs. You also can offer her a little bit of scrambled egg or some canned tuna for extra protein.

 

[CoFarmer]

Thanks. I will try both. We just have a small number, only four right now. They are all 1.5 years old. Only one is laying but we found some higher protein feed and are hoping for more. Our days are short right now, so the lack of eggs was not a huge surprise from what I understand.

 

[CoFarmer]

Thanks. I will try both. We just have a small number, only four right now. They are all 1.5 years old. Only one is laying but we found some higher protein feed and are hoping for more. Our days are short right now, so the lack of eggs was not a huge surprise from what I understand.

Also, she is eating and drinking, but doesn’t make an effort to get up and walk over to it. But I have seen her eating and drinking.

 

[CoFarmer]

How old is she? What's her diet? Clipping her toenails won't cause a problem with her walking. Is she eating/drinking normally?

Hi, she’s eating and drinking, it’s hard to say whether it’s normal, because previously all four of them eight to the same feeder. But I do see her eating and drinking. She’s about a year and a half old, her walking problem, dated everything, and I think was the reason she was getting picked on so badly. I posted pictures of her feet, just to see if anyone has ideas about problems there. I’ve started on a supplement, high protein, diet, actually all of them for the winter. We’ll see if that helps. I was going to call my vet, the one I trust the most is out with Covid!

 

[Eggcessive]

Her feet look okay, but just make sure there are no small cuts on her left foot pad where bacteria can enter and start bumblefoot infection. If the scales look flaky or ashy, that can mean scaly leg mites. It can be challenging to get them eating, but keep the food mostly chicken feed and some egg or a small bit of tuna on occasion.