Old hen high-stepping and stumbling

[azygous]

Chickens definitely experience pain. But they are good at hiding it. I've learned that a chicken signals pain in several ways. One is to favor the hurting limb by limping or/and pecking at it. When pain becomes overwhelming, it can cause shock, and that will cause the chicken to withdraw and become very lethargic. They quit eating and drinking because they have the instinct that death comes quicker when they stop taking nutrients. That's when you will know that it's time to intervene in the suffering.

 

[StinkyAcres]

Chickens definitely experience pain. But they are good at hiding it. I've learned that a chicken signals pain in several ways. One is to favor the hurting limb by limping or/and pecking at it. When pain becomes overwhelming, it can cause shock, and that will cause the chicken to withdraw and become very lethargic. They quit eating and drinking because they have the instinct that death comes quicker when they stop taking nutrients. That's when you will know that it's time to intervene in the suffering.

Thank you! That makes sense. I will continue to check her crop daily and keep a close eye on her. Thanks again.

 

[LaFleche]

Thank you so much. You are an amazing chicken parent. I've said that if Toasty stops eating and moving around on her own then I will let her go. But now I wonder if I'm prolonging her pain. It looks like gout or arthritis which would be painful. But is it constant pain even when she's lying down? That's what I'm struggling with.

Slow growing tumors might start to restrict blood supply and/ or pressure on nerves and intestines which will make her feel increasingly uncomfortable and weak.

When I noticed one of my oldest hens starting to limp and resting more while the others went about their day, I dewormed her thoroughly and waited for 10 days feeding her scrambled eggs with arnica, oregano and other nutritious food and anti-inflammatory herbs, but she was not getting any better and so I ended it for her. She was almost 10 years old, lived a great chicken life as a head hen and had raised many chicks throughout the years.

The home necropsy I performed on her showed that she had suffered from cancer which would have made it a slow and painful suffering for her had I not intervened.

 

[StinkyAcres]

Slow growing tumors might start to restrict blood supply and/ or pressure on nerves and intestines which will make her feel increasingly uncomfortable and weak.

When I noticed one of my oldest hens starting to limp and resting more while the others went about their day, I dewormed her thoroughly and waited for 10 days feeding her scrambled eggs with arnica, oregano and other nutritious food and anti-inflammatory herbs, but she was not getting any better and so I ended it for her. She was almost 10 years old, lived a great chicken life as a head hen and had raised many chicks throughout the years.

The home necropsy I performed on her showed that she had suffered from cancer which would have made it a slow and painful suffering for her if I had not intervened.

I might try to muster up the courage to do a necropsy. At least open up the feet to see what caused the swelling. I would really like to know if she has something that I could have prevented.

 

[LaFleche]

Did the swelling increase by now?
If so and on both feet it might even stem from some kind of organ failure.
If it is just on one foot it might be caused by a tumor impeding proper blood and lymph flow.

 

[StinkyAcres]

Did the swelling increase by now?
If so and on both feet it might even stem from some kind of organ failure.
If it is just on one foot it might be caused by a tumor impeding proper blood and lymph flow.

At first I thought one foot was swollen but now I think both are. They don't seem to be getting any larger though. It's hard to tell.

 

[StinkyAcres]

If so and on both feet it might even stem from some kind of organ failure.

That's a good point. I hadn't thought of that being a cause.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

So it's been about 3 months and Toasty Bernice continues to look about the same. I can't tell if her legs and feet have gotten more swollen or not. She lays down in the barn most of the time and only gets up to eat, drink, and roost. She is no longer the top hen, but she's not being bullied. In fact the other hens seem to be trying to help her and give her company. I've been struggling with the decision to put her down. It must be painful to walk if she prefers to sit down all day, but at the same time she is still perky and can still get to where she wants to be. What would you do in this situation?

@azygous @Wyorp Rock

Thank you so much. You are an amazing chicken parent. I've said that if Toasty stops eating and moving around on her own then I will let her go. But now I wonder if I'm prolonging her pain. It looks like gout or arthritis which would be painful. But is it constant pain even when she's lying down? That's what I'm struggling with.

I'm sorry that she's not improved much.

Good suggestions/advice from everyone.

Looking at the photos I do think she may have Gout or Arthritis, but hard to know. Perhaps Gout if the pain medication didn't make much of a difference(?)

For Gout, some have found that giving Tart Cherry Extract helps with inflammation from Gout. Others have reported it didn't help. But it may be something worth trying.
I *think* dosing is 2 capsules a day, but let's get @MysteryChicken to chime in.
I'm also not sure how many days it would take for you to see if the Extract is helping.

 

[MysteryChicken]

I'm sorry that she's not improved much.

Good suggestions/advice from everyone.

Looking at the photos I do think she may have Gout or Arthritis, but hard to know. Perhaps Gout if the pain medication didn't make much of a difference(?)

For Gout, some have found that giving Tart Cherry Extract helps with inflammation from Gout. Others have reported it didn't help. But it may be something worth trying.
I *think* dosing is 2 capsules a day, but let's get @MysteryChicken to chime in.
I'm also not sure how many days it would take for you to see if the Extract is helping.

For the Tart Cherry Extract Capsules, it would be 1-2 twice daily.

 

[StinkyAcres]

I'm sorry that she's not improved much.

Good suggestions/advice from everyone.

Looking at the photos I do think she may have Gout or Arthritis, but hard to know. Perhaps Gout if the pain medication didn't make much of a difference(?)

For Gout, some have found that giving Tart Cherry Extract helps with inflammation from Gout. Others have reported it didn't help. But it may be something worth trying.
I *think* dosing is 2 capsules a day, but let's get @MysteryChicken to chime in.
I'm also not sure how many days it would take for you to see if the Extract is helping.

Thank you @Wyorp Rock ! I'm willing to try the extract.

For the Tart Cherry Extract Capsules, it would be 1-2 twice daily.

Looking on Amazon there are a few different strengths from 1000mg to 3600mg to 10,500mg. Which one should I get? Thanks!!