Pullet has a bent tail

[Gargoyle]

Tessa is about 20 or 21 weeks old, she's always had a body like a fluffy dove, short and round. When she was younger she had a really short stumpy tail, almost no tail. The past month it's been growing out, but it's growing out sideways. Her saddle feathers are in the normal position, but then the tail is really bent or folded to the side. It takes a sharp turn to her left. When I massage her and pull it straight she doesn't mind at all- that doesn't cause her any pain or discomfort; it does feel like there is a real crease in the feathers/body at the place with her tail folds or bend to her left. She's a Columbian Wyandotte, but of course not pure bred (single comb, not rose comb). She weighs about 3-1/2 lbs.

She poops OK, so I'm hoping all her internal workings flow properly and that she won't have any problem laying eggs; I suspect she's going to start laying soon. Her comb and waddle have darkened and filled out the past week, her hips are widening a bit.

Have you ever seen anything like this? Any thoughts, suggestions, experience to share?

Thanks,

 

[Gargoyle]

Ah, Freds Hens says it's a wry tail, a search here and google make me think he's right on.

 

[Fred's Hens]

This may be worse than merely wry tail. I suspect a severe deformity. If she seems fine, don't worry about it. If she has egg binding or other issues, I keep a sharp eye on her. That seems a rather sobering case. Hey, it happens.

 

[tiki244]

I have never seen a wry tail that bad. :/ Hope she is ok.

 

[janinepeters]

I just googled and found pix of chix with wry tail as bad as yours. For example:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/683660/chicken-scolosis

I had one with wry tail that had no problem laying eggs, but it was milder than yours.

 

[Gargoyle]

If she has egg binding or other issues, I keep a sharp eye on her. That seems a rather sobering case. Hey, it happens.

Update- She started laying around new years eve, at 33 weeks old, and she's been laying every other day. Doing well, nice eggs, and she's a happy girl, quite content.

We're not going to breed, just eat the eggs, so no concern about passing on the genetics.

 

[Gargoyle]

She's laying well, a rate of about 18 eggs a month, but quite a range of variation in her eggs, in size, shape and color. They tend to have stretched flat bands in the middle, and some are quite elongated. some are a bit asymmetrical or lumpy, We wonder if she is having trouble squeezing them out past the bone? What are your thoughts?
I pick her up each day, massage the tail bending it straight, she doesn't mind, and it isn't as wry as before, more of a 45 to 55 degree bend rather than that 75 to 80 degree bend shown in the initial post of this thread.

These eggs are all from the past 10 days. Note the flat banding in the middle. Also, calcium deposits on the eggs (the other girls aren't getting that), so we know she's getting enough calcium.
The one to the left is from today, the next one (the other long one), is the oldest of the four; the two shorter ones came in between.

 

[Gargoyle]

It's getting strange. a week or two ago she dropped a thin shelled egg on the poop board at night. The next day she went back to laying a normal egg during the day, and thing were fine for a while. But each the past three nights she's dropped pale thin shelled eggs on the poop board each night. They are a little lumpy, as if it gets pressed and squeezed the passing through her oviduct, Thin shells as if not completely formed and hardened, and very light, not the usual tan color. Each one is slightly broken from being stepped on.

Then, during the day, she goes in and sits on the nest for an hour or more. It seems like she drops it at night thinking she is just pooping, or she doesn't feel it at all in her sleep; but her body remembers an egg was forming, so she goes in the nest mid morning thinking she has to lay.

Her eggs have always had little calcium deposits on the shell, which I believe either means she has excess calcium, or she isn't absorbing it sufficiently.

Any suggestions?

 

[BlueJayFarm]

How is Tessa doing now? I wish I had some answers for you but I don't, sorry. One of my girls has wry tail and will be laying soon so I was reading your thread. Thanks for posting pictures. Hopefully Tessa gets all sorted out.

 

[Gargoyle]

How is Tessa doing now? I wish I had some answers for you but I don't, sorry. One of my girls has wry tail and will be laying soon so I was reading your thread. Thanks for posting pictures. Hopefully Tessa gets all sorted out.

She's a sweetie, great personality. However, she has trouble with calcium absorption. Her best eggs are pale (not the usual light brown of the breed) and have calcium deposits (little bumps and lumps) on the shell. Most of her shells have a thin spot that breaks easily. She often drops eggs from the perch at night, thinking she's just pooping, then during the day, believing she has to lay, she goes and sits in the nest for an hour or so. Last week she dropped one egg at night that didn't have a shell. Since the coop has 3" of pine bedding, it didn't break, it was intact, but just the inner membrane holding it.

On the good side, she isn't getting egg bound (my early fear). She not only has no problem laying, she lays way too easily. When she holds them in until afternoon the shells are usually stronger.