Older chicken having trouble walking/ standing tall

[Tfryer]

Hello, new here and I am concerned for one of my older girls. The last couple of days she is having difficulties walking, standing tall, but eating some and drinking, she is pooping. I have her contained in crate with heated lamp and have given her probiotics in her water. I felt her crop and seems empty, but I am having trouble feeling in her vent if she’s blocked. Never done this before. Any suggestions as to what this may be if not egg bound, what am I supposed to be feeling in there? How deep do I go? Etc.....

Any help would’ve appreciated

thank u

 

[BigBlueHen53]

Hi, welcome to BYC. Sorry your girl is having trouble.

How old is she? Do you know when she last laid an egg? Can you post a pic of her standing on her own (not being held) and of her poop? If possible, put paper towel under her or a puppy poop pad to get a good pic of it. I will flag some helpers for you.

@Eggcessive
@aart
@WVduckchick

 

[glassdragonfly]

Hi and Some of the more experienced people have been tagged,Hopefully they will get your hen on the mend!

 

[Tfryer]

Hi, welcome to BYC. Sorry your girl is having trouble.

How old is she? Do you know when she last laid an egg? Can you post a pic of her standing on her own (not being held) and of her poop? If possible, put paper towel under her or a puppy poop pad to get a good pic of it. I will flag some helpers for you.

@Eggcessive
@aart
@WVduckchick

Hello! She is going on 6. I believe it’s been awhile since she last laid eggs. She doesn’t really stand exactly but crouch close to the ground. Her poop looks normal to me but yes I can get both pics for you

 

[Tfryer]

Hi and Some of the more experienced people have been tagged,Hopefully they will get your hen on the mend!

Hello! She is going on 6. I believe it’s been awhile since she last laid eggs. She doesn’t really stand exactly but crouch close to the ground. Her poop looks normal to me but yes I can get both pics for you

she kind of waddles I guess when she is trying to move around, when she turns to move it’s like a 6 point turn for lack of a better description. She tried to get up on a very low ledge and couldn’t do step up. That’s when I put her in her crate so she wouldn’t chance injuring herself

 

[Eggcessive]

Sorry about your hen. Her symptoms sound like some of the reproductive disorders—internal laying, egg yolk peritonitis, salpingitis, cancer—that many of us see in hens over the age of 2. Trying to make her comfortable and offer her nutritious foods that she likes with plenty of clean water, is about all we can do. They can eventually start to suffer, so recognizing that, it can be necessary to put them down when the time comes, or get them euthanized by a vet. Here is some reading:
http://www.poultrydvm.com/condition/internal-layer

http://www.theveterinaryexpert.com/backyard-poultry/egg-yolk-peritonitis/

http://www.poultrydvm.com/condition/egg-peritonitis

 

[Tfryer]

Yes I was thinking the same because of her age. She seems to be resting comfortably now. We lost a couple of her sisters, same age, over the last couple years. One to cancer, had a necropsy done to be sure, and the other had the same symptoms as the one that died. We did have a death of a young leghorn hen just found her in one of the nesting boxes. And we lost one to what we think was a Weasel predation. One weird thing I saw tonight while locking them in was one of my older girls and a young one seemed to be fighting over something on the ground, by the time I got over to then the young one had it in her mouth. It looked like white think membrane and there was a wet spot where that was laying. She swallowed it whole whole the older one pecked at the fluid.???? Any ideas what my crazy farm of chickens might have been fighting over???? Geez......

 

[Tfryer]

Yes I was thinking the same because of her age. She seems to be resting comfortably now. We lost a couple of her sisters, same age, over the last couple years. One to cancer, had a necropsy done to be sure, and the other had the same symptoms as the one that died. We did have a death of a young leghorn hen just found her in one of the nesting boxes. And we lost one to what we think was a Weasel predation. One weird thing I saw tonight while locking them in was one of my older girls and a young one seemed to be fighting over something on the ground, by the time I got over to then the young one had it in her mouth. It looked like white think membrane and there was a wet spot where that was laying. She swallowed it whole whole the older one pecked at the fluid.???? Any ideas what my crazy farm of chickens might have been fighting over???? Geez......

Sorry about your hen. Her symptoms sound like some of the reproductive disorders—internal laying, egg yolk peritonitis, salpingitis, cancer—that many of us see in hens over the age of 2. Trying to make her comfortable and offer her nutritious foods that she likes with plenty of clean water, is about all we can do. They can eventually start to suffer, so recognizing that, it can be necessary to put them down when the time comes, or get them euthanized by a vet. Here is some reading:
http://www.poultrydvm.com/condition/internal-layer

http://www.theveterinaryexpert.com/backyard-poultry/egg-yolk-peritonitis/

http://www.poultrydvm.com/condition/egg-peritonitis

Thanks you so much for the articles. It frustrating that for the most part one can’t get the hens the help they need before it’s too late. It’s unfortunate For Mazie is our pet, the only hen we can pet and pick up and hold. I won’t let her suffer. she gave us almost 6 years of delicious eggs and we gave her lots of love. Thanks again for your prompt response and compassion!

 

[glassdragonfly]

Yes I was thinking the same because of her age. She seems to be resting comfortably now. We lost a couple of her sisters, same age, over the last couple years. One to cancer, had a necropsy done to be sure, and the other had the same symptoms as the one that died. We did have a death of a young leghorn hen just found her in one of the nesting boxes. And we lost one to what we think was a Weasel predation. One weird thing I saw tonight while locking them in was one of my older girls and a young one seemed to be fighting over something on the ground, by the time I got over to then the young one had it in her mouth. It looked like white think membrane and there was a wet spot where that was laying. She swallowed it whole whole the older one pecked at the fluid.???? Any ideas what my crazy farm of chickens might have been fighting over???? Geez......

Sorry for your losses Maybe the hens had an egg that was broken? Mine with scramble to get one if it gets dropped.

 

[Tfryer]

Sorry for your losses Maybe the hens had an egg that was broken? Mine with scramble to get one if it gets dropped.

It was like an egg I guess but it almost sounded like really really thin paper as the hen was eating it. It was definitely not unite an egg shell, more papery thin then shell