Trouble Walking

[Kredd]

Hello,
One of my older gals (coming on 3 years) just started having trouble walking. She is struggling to walk very far, uses her wings to stabilize herself, and lays down a lot. She is eating and drinking and seems somewhat perky and alert. When I first noticed her she was up in the nesting box but was more roosting on the edge than laying. She has some egg yolk on her feet. I have had someone in the coop ( I have 27 gals so hard to tell who lays what egg) lay eggs with very thin shells, and one tiny egg with soft shell and no yolk. Could this be egg yolk peritonitis? I have her isolated, should I add antibiotic to water?

 

[Eggcessive]

I would rule out egg binding by inserting a finger into her vent 1-2 inches to feel for an egg. Shell-less eggs can be harder to pass. Since you have found some abnormal eggs, it may be some reproductive disorder. I would try to see if she lays while isolated with food and water. Infections and other repro problems can affect walking. We had a hen when started having problems staying balanced and falling backward. She eventually began walking again after 5 weeks of only being in a basket. She died over a year after her recovery, but we found cancer and internal laying on her necropsy. It is always a guess trying to figure out what is wrong. You may want to try some amoxicillin or Fish Mox from a feed store or online 125-250 mg twice a day for 10 days. If you can see a vet that might be better.