Sideways Gait

[janinepeters]

Yes, I know what you mean by that squat walk. I cannot tell whether that periodic squat walk and staggering relate to a neuromuscular problem or a balance problem. In any case, those symptoms seem to have completely resolved in my two hens, as their feathers grow back, but they were never circling. My sense is, from seeing my own birds and from reading about it, that circling indicates more severe illness, and that recovery is less likely.....Although I am almost sure I've seen a few threads mentioning recovery even in birds who were circling. Just watch and wait, and try to figure out a way to keep the doves out of your chicken run/yard.

 

[rmack2]

I've had shell-less eggs, very weird thing when you first find one. I started adding crushed oyster shell to the feed and that worked. Most of what I see on thin or no shell eggs says it is from a calcium deficiency. Dont know if that would make her more susceptible to injuries that might cause lameness, and an odd gait.

 

[Gmamatotwo]

Thanks for responding rmack2. She gets the same feed, oyster shell and their own crushed egg shells as the other three, who all lay good strong shelled eggs. Something is for sure wrong with this one hen. She may just be genetically weaker, although she was the biggest in the bunch. She has had the only problems in my small flock.

Janine, when I say circling, it's just as though she can't see in a straight line to get where she's going. She walks around and usually to the left to get to the feed or the water. She's not chasing her tail, she just seems not to be able to focus on her goal the way the others do.

 

[janinepeters]

Janine, when I say circling, it's just as though she can't see in a straight line to get where she's going. She walks around and usually to the left to get to the feed or the water. She's not chasing her tail, she just seems not to be able to focus on her goal the way the others do.

Gotcha. I guess the way I understand it is that the circle gets tighter as the underlying problem becomes more severe. If it's mild they can compensate enough to get to where they want, but when severe, they can only walk in circles. Some of them also develop wry neck. Regardless, I really think what we're dealing with in most of these cases of staggering / sideways walking / circling, is either Marek's disease or Newcastle disease. Marek's is the classic common one with neurologic signs, but I am wondering about Newcastle only because of the additional respiratory symptoms. But perhaps the resp. problems are unrelated. Whether Marek's or Newcastle, I believe the bird can mostly recover from the acute phase and live a pretty good life, though will be a carrier, and will probably die from it eventually.

 

[Gmamatotwo]

After doing a bunch of reading today, including some very long threads here, I am starting to think that my squatty hen may be an internal layer. She started out as a good layer but has had egg issues for a long time - either very soft shells or no shells at all. She has not laid an egg for some time now. Her symptoms (duck walking/squatting) are recent. She is about two years old (next month) and was a hatchery chick. I guess all I can do is keep an eye on her and hope she isn't suffering. I have been putting ACV in their water and she is eating but she is not a well girl. I have seen no symptoms of disease in any of the other three as I would expect with Merack's or Newcastle. I've seen a lot of fairly recent threads started about chickens walking funny and I'm just wondering if this could be a widespread problem. If we lose her I will try to find the fortitude to open her up and see if this is the case.

 

[rmack2]

What is ACV?

 

[janinepeters]

I am starting to think that my squatty hen may be an internal layer.

Don't they do a sort of upright, penguin type walk, when laying internally? I never seen it, but know I've read about it on other threads.

 

[Gmamatotwo]

From what I've been reading today, the "penguin" walk is more likely when they are egg bound, and the "duck" walk is more likely when they have a belly full of fluid or "cooked" egg yolks that have gotten into the abdomen (internal laying). I hate to think of her being in pain. I just don't have any good ideas about what to do for her. With all her egg issues this does make sense, and at least if that is the problem it won't affect the other hens, except to the degree that it might be genetic and the other black star is a hatch mate. I'm at a loss, but can find no remedy for this condition. It just seems like a lot of people have been having this problem. I know it doesn't explain your roosters though. How are they doing?

rmack2
ACV = Apple Cider Vinegar

 

[janinepeters]

From what I've been reading today, the "penguin" walk is more likely when they are egg bound, and the "duck" walk is more likely when they have a belly full of fluid or "cooked" egg yolks that have gotten into the abdomen (internal laying). I hate to think of her being in pain. I just don't have any good ideas about what to do for her. With all her egg issues this does make sense, and at least if that is the problem it won't affect the other hens, except to the degree that it might be genetic and the other black star is a hatch mate. I'm at a loss, but can find no remedy for this condition. It just seems like a lot of people have been having this problem. I know it doesn't explain your roosters though. How are they doing?

It was just one rooster who had the circling problem. As for the staggering /sideways walking, I'm pretty sure it has nothing to do with egg laying in my hens. In the two recent ones who had this problem, it began immediately after they went into a heavy molt, and they had already stopped laying for the season. They did have that duck walk kind of thing, but that was in association with staggering, which really didn't look like an uncomfortable abdomen kind of thing. It looked like a balance or neuromuscular problem to me. Their new feathers are opening up now, and they are both walking normally.

I had one other hen this past summer with the staggering problem. This one was not molting at the time, and continued to lay big, beautiful eggs throughout the whole time, so I don't think it was a laying problem. She mostly recovered, except that she occasionally takes a backwards or sideways step. She had only a very light molt this fall, and she continued to walk pretty normally throughout the molt.

For mine, I feel pretty sure that they are carriers of whatever disease afflicted the rooster, but most of my flock are resistant to it, with the occasional bird showing symptoms, especially if stressed (as when molting). I have 16 birds at the moment, and most of them have never had any of these symptoms, so clearly some birds are resistant.

I've had several different breeds, but never a black star, so I am not familiar with their molting and laying patterns and problems.

 

[rmack2]

Thank You