Tail down walks funny and weak, help!

[EricJayfarmer]

Hi there,
My wife and I have noticed that our barred rock, named Bad Rock, hasn't looked great. She doesn't walk far before she sits and when she does walk she has trouble walking and she tucks her tail down as well. she has started sitting away from the rest of the hens in the coop at bedtime and she hasn't layed any eggs in a while maybe 3 weeks or so. What is it? What can we do? We don't know how old she is, she is at least a couple years old if not more. She also has lost weight, she doesn't seem to be eating and she isn't active or talkative and she doesn't hang with her best friend who she was inseparable from.

 

[EricJayfarmer]

Does anyone have any information? or questions?

 

[spook]

Wow, I don't really know, I did have a young hen just do this, wasted away to nothing but her tail was cocked off to the side. I would separate her into a cage where she has her own food and water, that way you can watch her behavior closer. Also giving her favorite foods such as scrambled egg, yogurt, cheese, oatmeal, anything like that, perhaps it would get other folks a clue.
Does she have a red vent or oozing anything? Strangely, poop, size and color can tell a bit too.
Sorry for not giving you a better clue, I wish I could help!!!

 

[flnatv]

Trying to bump you up again and see if someone has an answer for you.
Have you searched the information page? If she normally lays and hasn't, could she be egg-bound?
I honestly have no clue... just thinking out loud.

 

[Aves]

my guess since I just went thru with one of my hens is that she is egg bound....check the archives for treatment, earlier the better

good luck

aves

 

[Judy]

Eggbound or another egg laying problem like internal laying are possibilities. But, have you wormed your chickens? How long have you had them? You might also check for lice/mites. Any of these can actually kill a chicken if they are bad enough. I'll give you a couple of links.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=472405

http://ohioline.osu.edu/vme-fact/0018.html

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?pid=5770173#p5770173

http://healthybirds.umd.edu/Disease/Deworming Birds.pdf

 

[EricJayfarmer]

thanks for all the feedback. Would it still be eggbound if she hasn't laid in a couple weeks? or more? we just gave her a warm bath and wiped around her vent with a paper towel and warm water. we haven't wormed our chickens, and i didn't check for lice/mites how do i check for that? also all our chickens are free range. hope that is more clues for you

 

[EricJayfarmer]

also her poop is liquidy and dark green like grass, with urea in it too.