Sick chicken, please help!

[Baldwinette]

One of my 2 yr old hens, Patty, started acting weird yesterday. She didn’t come out of the coop at first in the morning and when she did, she mostly just sat around. Over the course of the day she got worse. By afternoon she was doing the penguin stance and could barely put one foot in front of the other.
I brought her inside, examined her abdomen and couldn’t find any apparent abnormalities. Ended up doing an internal exam and couldn’t feel an egg. She hasn’t laid an egg since late November, but some of her sisters just started laying again this week.
She’s still eating and drinking, crop was full at night and empty this morning and her poops are completely normal.
And yet, she still stands with her tail down, her wings droopy and can barely walk. What could be wrong with my girl and what else could I try to help her??
Pic was taken yesterday, right before I brought her inside. She spent the night in a wired dog kennel.

 

[DobieLover]

I would still treat her as if egg bound.
Give her a calcium citrate +vit D tablet twice a day.
You can also try giving her a warm bath soak for 15 minutes to try to relax her but I'd wait until several hours after her first dose of calcium. Make sure you blow her dry before putting her back out.
I would also lube in and around her vent with organic coconut oil.

 

[Baldwinette]

I would still treat her as if egg bound.
Give her a calcium citrate +vit D tablet twice a day.
You can also try giving her a warm bath soak for 15 minutes to try to relax her but I'd wait until several hours after her first dose of calcium. Make sure you blow her dry before putting her back out.
I would also lube in and around her vent with organic coconut oil.

I did the bath and lube last night and added electrolytes to her water… But will def try the calcium and D separately! Silly question, but do I just crush up my own supplements or do I need to buy something poultry specific?

 

[coach723]

You can use the human ones. The calcium citrate +D is the best absorbed form. I keep them on hand for just this purpose.

 

[Baldwinette]

You can use the human ones. The calcium citrate +D is the best absorbed form. I keep them on hand for just this purpose.

Ok thank you! She gobbled it all up with some cottage cheese! I will wait a couple hours and then try a bath again!

 

[Baldwinette]

24 hrs later, calcium, D, baths… but no change She’s still acting exactly the same, eating and drinking with encouragement, pooping normally, but mostly sitting down. When she does get up, her tail is down and she seems almost unable to walk. I’m just so sad for her and don’t know what else to do to help!

 

[Bonwell]

24 hrs later, calcium, D, baths… but no change She’s still acting exactly the same, eating and drinking with encouragement, pooping normally, but mostly sitting down. When she does get up, her tail is down and she seems almost unable to walk. I’m just so sad for her and don’t know what else to do to help!

I have a chicken that is doing the exact same thing. At first, I thought she was egg-bound, but she's been like this for 2 months, standing up completely vertical like a penguin. She is able to walk but not well. Eats, drinks, poops completely normally. Been giving her some different supplements, but she just stays the same. I've researched alot into it and I cannot figure out the cause lol. (I should add it's not a foot problem either)

 

[coach723]

If she's pooping then she's not egg bound. So sounds more like a reproductive problem. Reproductive problems are not uncommon after the age of two and can include cancers, infections like salpingitis, and internal laying.

 

[Baldwinette]

I have a chicken that is doing the exact same thing. At first, I thought she was egg-bound, but she's been like this for 2 months, standing up completely vertical like a penguin. She is able to walk but not well. Eats, drinks, poops completely normally. Been giving her some different supplements, but she just stays the same. I've researched alot into it and I cannot figure out the cause lol. (I should add it's not a foot problem either)

Oh wow. Yes that sounds exactly like what we’re experiencing! I’m thinking of taking her outside today, once it warms up a bit (we’ve had subzero temps at night), to see how she does in her environment and with her flock. It’s just so sad, I can tell she’s in so much discomfort when she tries to move around. However, her appetite seems good and she even makes her cute little sounds, as long as she’s sitting down.
Is your girl able to roost at night? Walk to food and water herself? Is she being bullied? Just wondering what our future looks like with Patty…

 

[Baldwinette]

If she's pooping then she's not egg bound. So sounds more like a reproductive problem. Reproductive problems are not uncommon after the age of two and can include cancers, infections like salpingitis, and internal laying.

Thank you for your response! With internal laying, wouldn’t we see egg like droppings? Also, would it be harmful to give her antibiotics in case of an infection? It’s so hard to know what to do.