PLEASE Help!! my hen cant walk !

[renewistrombaker]

One of my Rhode Island hens - 2 1/2 years old cant walk.
I put her in a cat carrier with shavings to watch her and keep her warm today.
Here are her symptoms:

She can stand up but cant walk without falling over
I cant find or see any leg injuries
She doesnt appear in pain
She has greenish white poop (like usual) that is stuck to her bum feathers because she isnt moving at all.
She didnt lay an egg today (I have 3 RRR hens and they dont lay daily so Im not sure if this data is relevant)
She will eat yogurt, mash of oats/honey/protein powder/apples, and cottage cheese so she has an appetite
I got her to sip once of her water, tho the yogurt has moisture so Im not too worried about dehydration
WHen I put her down she doesnt extend her legs but rather "collapses" on the ground with her toes in a strange position. Not curled but not straight out either.
I have held her and extended her feet and moved them, they have full range of motion with no obvious pain
I did notice a peck mark near her crown the bled a dried down her beak.
She seems fine other than the falling over.
Coat is fine, she has all her feathers
Waddle and crown are red
I treat the nests/coop/ and roost area and their laying crumbles with DE

What is wrong with her?!!

I dont think shes has Meraks but she wastn vaccinated either
THe rest of the flock is fine
ARe mites, visible to the naked eye? How do you check?

Thank you in advance for ANY advise, I love my hens and am very worried.

Rene in CA

 

[One of the girls]

Did you read the thread about the 'very sick hen' posted by pigcoon? It's right in the vicinity of the top half a dozen threads here. That bird had an upper respiratory infection and with vet care is making improvements. Some of your hen's troubles seem similar.

 

[JakRat]

Could it be a vitamin deficiency?

 

[BamaSilkies]

X2

 

[BackyardCountry]

Same thing happened to me- chicken was attacked by dog, couldnt see ANY leg marks. Scabs on her torso, though. Her leg was probably bruised from the inside and you're doing the right thing. it only takes a chicken bone about 2 weeks to mend itself so if its broken, she should be outta the cage soon. Otherwise. take her out every day and do physical therapy (not joking). Try to get her to put her leg down. she'll hate it at first but eventually it'll get better.

 

[pigcoon]

In my case, the vet and I also are guessing that when she first got sick, the other hens kept her from eating so that she became extremely weakened. She's skinny as a rail on the breastbone. See if your hen is also very thin. I think starvation and dehydration was part of the problem with mine. The weakness caused her to droop and not be able to use her body right, including her feet and wings. The vet said that bacteria that normally lives in her body got activated by stress and caused the infection.

 

[srodems]

Could also be egg perotinitis. If her belly is distended or they are walking like a penguin since they have enlarged belly they will often feel more comfortable sitting or crouching in soft blanket or in shavings. We had one girl with perotinitis and we figured it out since she always tried to sit in the bag of shavings so her belly was supported all around.

 

[Angiebubs]

I have a young hen in similiar situation. Shes alert. eats, but her legs out kinda out to the side. I've been keeping her in a seperate cage inside the coop. Took her to the vet and he said its a genetic deformity (Slipped tendons) and that was brought on by one of several things (We narrowed it down to lack of sunlight/vitamins)...he said the onset can be caused by: slippery floors, too many treats causing vitamin deficiencies, lack of sunlight, over crowding, por quality food...so on. She seems to be doing fine however, Im afraid the others willpick on her if out with the big ones. (trying to determine if her quality of life/pain are worth nursing her along or if Im being cruel and should have her put down. Not sure this is the same thing or not...but description sounds the same. her feet are turned out and kinda a head of her. Do the bends in her leg feel warm and enlarged?

 

[karen wickham]

I have a hen now,and have had several others that get very large between thier legs. They walk like penguins. I want to help them. I'm wondering if anyone knows what to do about this condition. They soon die. After one died I cut open the belly, about a qaurt of clear water ran out. I sure hope someone out there would know what this is and how to help. Thanks!!

 

[karen wickham]

sounds like i have the samething going on here. I have a hen with a very large belly. between her legs, she walks like a penguin. She eats good, drinks good. But very thin. I posted a comment earlier. I want to know what to do about this . what to do to prevent it from happening.