Trimmed curved nail, now she is having trouble walking

[pozees2]

With her age and laying rarely, not being able to roost and having trouble walking/roosting, not wanting to stand and is being attacked - I would be inclined to say she's got some type of reproductive problem going on.

I would try to get her hydrated. If you have them, give her a direct dose of poultry vitamins. Once she's drinking, offer her a bit of wet feed.

Excellent advice, hydration is key to almost everything.

 

[tcfoster]

Has she been getting enough food being in the bottom of the pecking order?

I try to be very conscientious about that and have multiple food areas and I make sure when I give treats that she gets some but she still might not be eating enough. I think it's a possibility. She is always so hesitant about eating even when it's right in front of her.

 

[JacinLarkwell]

Is there food left over in the mornings when you check on them? If there isbt, they're not getting enough to eat

 

[tcfoster]

You did a really good job getting these pictures! Really a guessing game at this point, but you can do things that will do no harm and may do some good for her, especially give the fact her weight seems low compared to the others the same breed and age. If you can get a fecal float done to see if there are internal parasites I would do that, but I know a lot of vets don't offer the service for chickens, so if that isn't an option, consider treating for internal parasites. I've seen several options for doing that, and you can probably find them all here at BYC, but my default is always to go with whatever product(s) and dosage(s) recommended by @casportpony. I, personally, find using pour-on ivermectin, 4-6 drops at the base of the neck (depending on the weight/size of the bird - 4 for bantams, 5-6 for most large fowl has worked for me), and repeat in 7-10 days, has been low stress for both birds and me, and seems to treat a plethora of parasites. You could also offer her some cooked egg and/or plain yogurt as a healthy treat which may boost her general health, and vitamins and/or electrolytes in her water in case she is low on something or just needs the extra help.

Thank you! Treating for parasites sounds smart, I will see what I have on hand and do some research on that. The vet that I take my dogs and cat to doesn't treat chickens but there is a local one that does, so I can look into that too. I have some melon and will give her that and some plain yogurt. And I do think I have some Sav-a-chick or something similar that I can add to her water. Thank you so much for all the help

 

[tcfoster]

Is there food left over in the mornings when you check on them? If there isbt, they're not getting enough to eat

Yes, we have a bucket feeder (because we were having rat problems) and so it's always full. But I do put out other food during the day in the run. Plus scratch, treats, etc.

 

[tcfoster]

How old is she?
Does she lay eggs - when did she last lay an egg?
Any swelling of the abdomen between the legs below the vent?
Crop empty in the morning?

I do not believe the nail trimming has anything to do with her having trouble.

Also when you can - get a look in the pockets of the foot please.



View attachment 2205047

I checked out her feet more closely and those were luckily just dirt spots that I was able to scrub off.

 

[tcfoster]

You did a really good job getting these pictures! Really a guessing game at this point, but you can do things that will do no harm and may do some good for her, especially give the fact her weight seems low compared to the others the same breed and age. If you can get a fecal float done to see if there are internal parasites I would do that, but I know a lot of vets don't offer the service for chickens, so if that isn't an option, consider treating for internal parasites. I've seen several options for doing that, and you can probably find them all here at BYC, but my default is always to go with whatever product(s) and dosage(s) recommended by @casportpony. I, personally, find using pour-on ivermectin, 4-6 drops at the base of the neck (depending on the weight/size of the bird - 4 for bantams, 5-6 for most large fowl has worked for me), and repeat in 7-10 days, has been low stress for both birds and me, and seems to treat a plethora of parasites. You could also offer her some cooked egg and/or plain yogurt as a healthy treat which may boost her general health, and vitamins and/or electrolytes in her water in case she is low on something or just needs the extra help.

Thanks again for all your help and advice. I have her secluded for the night in our emergency chicken box in our sunroom so she can relax and be safe, and I'm going to keep her in her private run during the day. I did see her drinking water, which I boosted with Nutri-drench and poultry probiotics and she ate some feed pellets, mealworms, a bit of arugula, and tons of cantaloupe. Hoping that a few days alone with extra hydration and nutrients will help, and I hope that her walking problems are just from the twisted toes. We will see. Thank you, thank you so much!

 

[tcfoster]

Well, not a whole lot of progress over here for poor Samantha. I think that you all were right, there's something else going on besides her feet. She is eating a little bit, but only when I hand feed her and basically only fruit (berries and melon), yogurt and mealworms. She hasn't been drinking much, however I dip all the fruit in Nurti-drench water to hydrate her more. She will stand up for a few minutes and then just sort of slowly sink down to sit. Not sure what else I can do, I am going to try to get her to the vet.

 

[LaFleche]

Did you de-worm her in the meantime?

 

[tcfoster]

Did you de-worm her in the meantime?

Yes, doing that now too.