pullet doing the penguin walk…

[romea]

That's what mine looked like when they has Ascites.

i have dealt with ascites in the past but in this case, there is no swollen belly.

 

[romea]

Some chickens that walk more upright can be suffering from internal laying or other reproductive disorders. The way she is walking stiffly though, I would wonder about a back injury. There are spinal disorders such as kinky back which is a spondylopathy that a crooked spine. It can eventually cause problems leading to sitting with legs outword, the neck bent forward, sometimes backward walking, and eventual paralysis. What do you feed her, and have you tried any vitamins with minerals? Here is some reading:
http://www.poultrydvm.com/condition/kinky-back

the sudden onset does make me wonder if this is due to an accident. some of my birds roost very high up and she might have tried to reach that as well (and injured her back in the process) or maybe 1 landed on her back when it flew down. ‍ grasping for straws....

as for spondylopathy, i can not imagine that a genetic/degenerative disorder or a nutritional problem can appear out of nowhere -> from 1 day to the next.

 

[aart]

the sudden onset does make me wondering if this is due to an accident.

I would agree.
I keep think she looks like a runner duck.

 

[romea]

I would agree.
I keep think she looks like a runner duck.

*chuckle*...
she is quite a sweet girl. a bit skittish but very sweet.
i hope for this being an injury which might heal.
(and in that case [an injury] i am thinking of giving her a baby aspirin.)

 

[Gray Farms]

@ gray farms: just yesterday, the spine had just the right length and the chicken was walking like any other... so no, i really don't think a short spine is to blame.

Thanks for the info. I wasn't aware of that. That'd rule out a spinal deformity then.