This doesn't seem to be an emergency, but I am concerned.

[FingerLakesChick]

When I went home for lunch today, my usually very energetic flock of 12 hens come runnin' at me, but today they were pretty subdued. I took some treats out to them, and noticed one was walking funny... like her legs were all rubbery. They were sort of sticking out to the sides and she was wobbling pretty badly. So I picked her up and did an examination. No feathers missing, no sigh of attack at all. Could her legs have been asleep? Because when I put her back down she seemed fine. Has anyone else ever seen this in one of their chickens?

 

[silkiechicken]

How old are they? Is there nothing different about the weather lately? The first signs of cocci in part of my flock showed up when the bird were oddly sluggish and sat around more, the next day, there was the dreaded bloody poo and I had to treat immediately. Hopefully it's just the weather and the hens were being lazy.

 

[FingerLakesChick]

They're 12 weeks old. The weather is significantly different today. Quite a bit cooler and overcast, but not rainy. I think they had been napping. I doubt they have cocci, they were on medicated chick starter for 8 weeks and half and half mixture of grower/starter to 10 weeks and now just grower. They're hen house is immaculately clean and there is no sign of bloody poo, just some black runny stuff once in a while, but they've always had that - about every 5th or 6th poo it seems. None of the others were walking funny.

 

[dlhunicorn]

rubbery legs??? That sounds a bit like rickets...
hmmm...
http://www.thepoultrysite.com/diseaseinfo/123/rickets-hypocalcaemic

...give her POLYVISOL (liquid childrens vitamins) 5 drops in beak for a week then taper off... (cant hurt and might make all the difference)

sometimes a particular hen will be bullied and not get sufficient drink and feed... are you adding anything to their basic ration??? Is the feed eaten up within ten days of opening the bag? How do you store it? (Many times heat and environmental conditions (also where and how it is stored at the feed store) can affect the nutritional quality of the feed...it happens more than you might think.
Get a good poultry supplement like Avia Charge 2000>order online from McMurry or Strombergs or one of the Rooster Booster vitamin mixes (you can also add this to their feed...just mix through a bit of olive oil through it so it will stick as in this heat I would not add it to their waterers)

 

[Zenbirder]

Were they possibly dust bathing and you interrupted them? Were her feathers full of dirt? Mine are sometimes so "into" the dust bath that even treats are not inticing, and they will get up and really walk funny for a few minutes because they have several pounds of dirt inside their feathers! Then they give a big shake and are fine. The first time I saw it I thought they were really ill.

 

[FingerLakesChick]

OMG! Theses girls are spoiled rotten!! They get grower feed 24/7, (it takes them a month to eat 50#). I only have 12 hens. I store their feed in my basement in the container inside of a sealed garbage bag. Tehy also have 3 fresh water containers on a 2 acre yard that they free-range on from 630 every morning until 730 every night. They get bugs and grass all day PLUS access to two feeders. They also get oatmeal or grapes in the morning, cheese every couple of days or so, zucchini once a day, grapes and sweet corn at night!! Apple cores, canteloupe and some type of meat 3/4 times per week. Not to mention pasta and rice. They're little hoggies!! They eat better than we do!! What could they possibly not be getting? The little stinkers!! And now I have to give them vitamins

LOL - I just want to think her legs were asleep!! I'll keep an eye on her.

Edited to add: They MAY have been dust bathing!! They were under the porch. When I picked her up to examine her, she was dusty!!

 

[FingerLakesChick]

I just got home and they're back to their old ways. Full of p and vinegar... and no funny walking!! Thanks for letting me talk about this everyone!! Sorry to be such a Mother Hen!!