Sick Chicken

[KateDeG]

Help please! My 3 year old polish is acting weird. She’s slow, kind of off balance and when she stops she sits on her back legs (see picture). I’ve seen her eat and drink. Her poop was a little watery. She had a vent prolapse 2 years ago but has been ok since. I also checked her feet for bumblefoot and they are good. I have two polish so I don’t know when she last laid but neither are great layers so it’s not uncommon to get one polish egg every other day. I have four total birds and the other three seem fine.
I’m thinking she’s maybe egg bound? Soak her in the bath and try to use Vaseline to reach up and get it out? But I don’t want to stress her if that’s not it. Any and all thoughts are helpful, thanks!

 

[Eggcessive]

Is she starting to molt, or are the feathers missing from pecking? Does she walk upright or on her hocks, as she is sitting? You can check her for an egg by inserting a clean finger into her vent to feel for an obstruction or egg. If you suspect she is egg bound, you could give her a calcium tablet plus d or Tums. Calcium citrate with d3 is absorbed the most quickly. Is her crop emptying normally by the next morning? It looks full in the picture. Internal laying and other reproductive problems can cause problems walking low to the ground, but I would continue to observe her. B complex tablets 1/4-1/2 tablet daily might help if her legs are bothering her.

 

[KateDeG]

Is she starting to molt, or are the feathers missing from pecking? Does she walk upright or on her hocks, as she is sitting? You can check her for an egg by inserting a clean finger into her vent to feel for an obstruction or egg. If you suspect she is egg bound, you could give her a calcium tablet plus d or Tums. Calcium citrate with d3 is absorbed the most quickly. Is her crop emptying normally by the next morning? It looks full in the picture. Internal laying and other reproductive problems can cause problems walking low to the ground, but I would continue to observe her. B complex tablets 1/4-1/2 tablet daily might help if her legs are bothering her.

She is lowest in the flock so they pick on her. She won’t keep a saddle on. She seems to be walking ok - slowly, but when she stops she sits on her legs like that. I’m going to go check her for an egg now. Thank you!

 

[Eggcessive]

Human B complex can help if the sitting on hocks is due to a riboflavin deficiency. 1/4-1/2 tablet can be crushed into some food or egg.

 

[KateDeG]

She is lowest in the flock so they pick on her. She won’t keep a saddle on. She seems to be walking ok - slowly, but when she stops she sits on her legs like that. I’m going to go check her for an egg now. Thank you!

There’s no egg straight up the vent but it feels very hard right below it like there’s maybe an egg stuck there? Her crop isn’t super hard

 

[ChristinaBee]

Oh no! Poor girl. I hope you figure out what’s going on with her soon.

 

[jBabychickn]

There’s no egg straight up the vent but it feels very hard right below it like there’s maybe an egg stuck there? Her crop isn’t super hard

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