Pullet crouching and leaning to one side

[tandykins]

Something is wrong with my little pullet Pipper. I found her under our coop (a place with very low clearance) and unwilling to come out. I thought she might have gone broody, but we tempted her out with some food. I found her a few minutes later crouching low, dropping her wings (drooping one more than the other), and not wanting to move around much. I picked her up and looked her over, finding a very hard nugget of poo on her bum and took her in for a bath, hoping that it was causing her discomfort and that was it. I removed it fairly easily but Pipper did not improve at all.

She began laying on the floor, slightly to one side. I've never felt an eggbound hen before but I've read that most eggs get stuck quite near the cloaca and I couldn't feel anything in her lower belly.. Her crop, however, was hard and round. I have no idea if it's impacted or if it's because she was eating just before I noticed that something was wrong with her. For the moment, I've separated her from the flock in our hospital crate in a heated room, have dried her, and have offered her water.

I'm not sure what to do. I'm wondering if she possibly hurt her wing trying to get out from under the coop (to keep them from laying under there, we put chicken wire along the bottom and she'd pushed through a corner to sneak and lay some eggs).

I've included a picture of her laying to one side and a link to an instagram video of her crouching.

https://www.instagram.com/p/98BgG2rJ4a

 

[MagpieDucks]

Something is wrong with my little pullet Pipper. I found her under our coop (a place with very low clearance) and unwilling to come out. I thought she might have gone broody, but we tempted her out with some food. I found her a few minutes later crouching low, dropping her wings (drooping one more than the other), and not wanting to move around much. I picked her up and looked her over, finding a very hard nugget of poo on her bum and took her in for a bath, hoping that it was causing her discomfort and that was it. I removed it fairly easily but Pipper did not improve at all.

She began laying on the floor, slightly to one side. I've never felt an eggbound hen before but I've read that most eggs get stuck quite near the cloaca and I couldn't feel anything in her lower belly.. Her crop, however, was hard and round. I have no idea if it's impacted or if it's because she was eating just before I noticed that something was wrong with her. For the moment, I've separated her from the flock in our hospital crate in a heated room, have dried her, and have offered her water.

I'm not sure what to do. I'm wondering if she possibly hurt her wing trying to get out from under the coop (to keep them from laying under there, we put chicken wire along the bottom and she'd pushed through a corner to sneak and lay some eggs).

I've included a picture of her laying to one side and a link to an instagram video of her crouching.

https://www.instagram.com/p/98BgG2rJ4a

If it's egg-binding there isn't really anything you can do about besides put some olive oil in her food. How long has she been like this? Also it could be mareks.

 

[tandykins]

If it's egg-binding there isn't really anything you can do about besides put some olive oil in her food. How long has she been like this? Also it could be mareks.

She was completely fine earlier yesterday and I only noticed her squatting after she got stuck under our coop last night. So she went from completely normal to like this within the span of perhaps a couple of hours. I remember because she was standing and watching me irritatedly as I was blocking off the area under the coop (to keep her from laying under there) and then a couple of hours later I found that she'd pushed her way in somehow anyway (which was honestly impressive, that wire was quite rigid), and was stuck. When I got her out, she was like this.

I haven't given her a proper check over this morning yet (I'm not quite awake yet) but she is alive and alert and seems perfectly conscious if uncomfortable. I couldn't feel anything that felt like an egg which makes me wonder if she hurt herself trying to get out. She's dropping one wing more than the other and it's always the same one.

I have no experience with Marek's in my flock but she doesn't seem to be paralyzed. She can move her legs and flap her wings but she won't if she can avoid it. That says pain to me.

At the moment I'm just keeping her in a quiet place with water and keeping an eye on her.

 

[tandykins]

Update: I went to check on my pullet this morning and she was 100% fine, as though nothing had ever happened. At a guess, she hurt herself trying to get out of the coop and last night was hanging her wings and behaving slightly depressed because of pain and injury. This morning she appeared completely recovered. -_- I'm so relieved.