One of my 4 backyard hens (I call them the View Girls, Barbara, Whoopi, Christine and Joy) started stumbling about and limping today, then just hunkering down on the grass or dusty hole. I caught her but found no injury or painful areas on her. I have her in a box in the house and just now in examining her again a dry 3/4" piece of skin popped off her leg leaving a bloody area exposed. I'm wondering if this is what is bothering her. What should I do? My other hens seem fine. We have had a lot of rain and the chickens are in my garden where the sprinklers water as well. I'm wondering if it is too wet for their feet? They do have a dry hen house.
sounds like scaley leg mites...do the legs look scaley? Clean that area well and dry it completely. Coat her legs in petroleum jelly...that will suffocate them. Give her some scrambled egg and maybe some electrolyte in her water. It may not hurt to go ahead a dust everyone and the coop for mites. better safe that sorry, they can cause major problems with your girls.
she's still alive...and still bumbling about. Her leg isn't bleeding. I have separated her from the other Girls, as i was afraid they would peck at her. I kept her in a part of my garden that is pebbled and some bushes...gave her a dish of water and lay mash. She looks fine till she tries to walk, then tumbles over herself and flaps about. So? I don't know. It seems too cold in my neck of the woods for mites, yet. but?
how old is the hen? what all do you feed? please describe the droppings..color and consistency. has she ever been wormed? is she laying eggs? ever lay soft shelled eggs? check the legs carefully for any raised scales or crust.. this is Scaley leg Mite..(doesn't matter about the climate) check the bottoms of her feet and between the toes for any sores, scab, heat, or swelling..or splinters. check for damaged toe nails. post back if you find anything.. in the meantime..put her in a safe, warm, draft free, confined area with soft bedding, food and water..so she can easily feed and rest the legs.. also, make up this mixture..and get some poultry vitamins for the drinking water. This amount feeds one bird Feed the bird 3 times a day for 5 days a mixture of This mixture is what you will need for 1 day..divide it into 3. 1 egg yolk .. 1 teaspoon honey 2 tablespoons plain yogurt 3 to 4 tablespoons rolled oats Mix to make a crumble mixture not runny..add layer feed if needed. are you able to take a fecal sample to a vet for testing for worms?
I had confined her to a separate yard area where it was drier....no grass, but a pepple pathway between 2 beds of flowers all day yesterday. She still bumbled about. I also had kept her away from the 3 other Girls, as I was afraid they would peck at her. Her leg seems to be healing where that scaley skin had popped off. At night I brought her in and kept her in a small box w food and water. This morning, she had laid a SOFT SHELLED EGG overnight! I had a soft shell a couple of days back, so now I'm wondring if that is her problem? She had actually broken it in her bed box. This morning she seems to be walking better and foraging for food in the separate yard. Her legs, however, have all these muddy looking bumps all over them. I read in another book about "mud ball' food. that makes it difficult for a chicken to walk....wonder if that is the problem. I am pretty sure it is not red mites. I will make up a mixture of the yogurt/egg yolk, oatmeal, honey and see how she likes that before I put her back in the other yard with her Girlfriends.
