Urgent help, chicken is lame!!

[kks6886]

I have a 2 year old rhode island red and she walks about 5 steps then teeters to the front (falls forward). She is awake and alert. She hasn't eaten much of the pellets we feed in over a week since this happened. She is drinking a lot of water though. I have not seen any signs of poo since she's been acting like this. When I put her on a post or board to perch she falls forward everytime. I have not seen an egg from her in over a week and am starting to get worried. Please help with suggestions!

 

[realsis]

is she reluctant to move on her own?does she have ruffled feathers? depression? is her joints swollen or hot to the touch? does she rest on hocks or keel? lameness? this in my chicken health hand book is the symptoms of staphylococcic arthritis. it also could be some other things but if these symptoms match then it is caused by a staph bacteria common in a poultry environment. staph can be resistant to antibiotics but it says it can be treated with a antibiotic if this is the issue. if you also feel the symptoms match or are close since she's drinking you can try treating with a anti infective water soluble like gallimycin which is erythromycine. check her to see if other symptoms match such as the joints hot to touch or swollen. also check feet see if they are hot or swollen. other things can cause lameness and reluctance to walk also this is just one. hope this is helpful. the symptoms seemed similar to me but only you can really tell if they match or not. for her age and symptoms this is what I came up with in my health book. if you notice any other symptoms please post and I'll look them up for you. I wish you best of luck. as I say it could be other things to but with out any more symptoms its hard to say. see what you think about these symptoms matching?