Walking funny

[svalentine]

My hen is walking oddly. She crouches a lot. What I mean to say is when she's walking she lowers her body closer to the ground. So it's as if her leg or legs won't support her or perhaps hurt. She is moving around as much as the others. But something is obviously wrong. I'd hate to think she is in pain. It's not like I can ask. So much can happen to a chicken's legs.
Has anyone seen this?

 

[sheila3935]

are you sure its her legs? Could she be egg bound? I have one right now with a leg issue, she got stuck behind a wall that she fell from the top. She limps not crouches. I have her in a seperate coop with a buddy. Pick her up and see if you can feel anything like an egg. Manipulate her legs to see if they feel stiff or cause pain. Check her feet for signs of injury.

 

[dawg53]

Sounds like she is eggbound. Place her in a container of warm water up to her sides and gently massage her underside front to rear for about 20 minutes. Wear a plastic glove and put olive oil on it and insert your finger into her vent feeling for obstructions. Then remove your finger and lube her vent with olive oil. The warm water soak will expand her innards. The massaging will help the egg move along in the oviduct. Finger insertion into her vent stretches it to help the egg pass and the olive oil helps her to easily slip the egg out.
If she doesnt lay, repeat soaking in warm water only throughout the day.

 

[svalentine]

How do I tell if she is egg bound?

I could probably pick her up. She is one of the more "friendly" of my hens. We have so many that we didn't really spend a lot of time "socializing" them. Some of them will squat and let me pet them. But most not so.

But as far as putting her in water: can't imagine that happening.

She was limping before after she flew into a fence, twice. And it appeared to be one leg more than the other.

 

[dawg53]

Your second and third sentence in your first post leads me to believe that she's eggbound. It's a different story if you are walking up to her and she squats down, that a sign that she's being submissive to you. If she does it to a rooster, she is submitting to be mated.