Wobbling Hen

[cyberwife]

My ameraucana hen is 2 years old. Everyone is molting and she hasn't laid in about 3 weeks. She is eating and drinking. But yesterday we saw she was wobbling a bit, standing still in one spot but leaning back and forth, looked almost like she was asleep while standing. She has fallen a few times when running. She seems to be sitting way back on her legs - legs are not straight down under her but at an angle- both the same angle so weight is over her tail. She is moving around but leans a bit like she's drunk. She looks maybe like she's lost weight but with molting is hard to say. Eyes and beak clear. Not sure on poop - I don't see any in the coop that looks strange. Legs and feet do not appear to have any visible injury or wounds. None of the other 3 are having symptoms and generally seem to be hanging with her, I have had a sick bird before and they usually separate themselves from the sick one. In Southern California, weather mild. Ideas?

 

[Wyorp Rock]

2 years old. Everyone is molting and she hasn't laid in about 3 weeks. She is eating and drinking. But yesterday we saw she was wobbling a bit, standing still in one spot but leaning back and forth, looked almost like she was asleep while standing. She has fallen a few times when running. She seems to be sitting way back on her legs - legs are not straight down under her but at an angle- both the same angle so weight is over her tail.

Can you post some photos of her and her poop?
A video of her actions may also be helpful. Upload to youtube or similar platform, then provide us a link.

I'm sorry she is not doing well. Molting can be very hard and stressful for them.
This is the time when underlying conditions or diseases can sometimes come to light.
Getting a fecal float to rule out worms is always a good idea.

Tell us what you feed her, including treats. You can try offering her some poultry vitamins that contain E and the B's to see if that helps. Something like Rooster Booster Poultry Cell would be good.
Check her crop to make sure it's emptying overnight.

When you say her legs are not straight down under her - do you mean they are spread out? Feel her abdomen between the legs toward the vent for any swelling/bloat or feeling of fluid.

 

[Eggcessive]

I agree with Wyorp Rock. Vitamins including riboflavin (B2) may be helpful. Do not use NutriDrench, since it lacks B2. She sounds like she might be walking on her hocks which can be a sign of B2 deficiency, and toes can curl under as well. Some of her symptoms may be a sign of Mareks disease, but with her history of molting and being older, I would hope that is not the problem.

 

[cyberwife]

Her feet are both more forward towards her chest like she's sitting back, putting weight not over her legs but towards her behind. She is trying super hard to do normal chicken stuff, scratching and eating bugs - so I think she is fighting whatever it is. Toes don't appear to be curling. I feed her layers crumble, whatever brand the feed store is selling. For treats I feed her table scraps of mostly left over salads, veggies, potato chips, tortilla chips - anything really - not much in the way of meats/dairy. Also scratch. I keep wondering about poison too - we had some mushrooms sprout in the yard after our last rain. Some big white ones and some dark brown ones that were really odd looking - maybe she ate those and they were toxic? I haven't seen her poop yet. I will try to get a picture.

 

[Eggcessive]

A video could help—posted to YouTube with a link her is best—as WR recommended. If she ate poisonous mushrooms, I would think she would be more seriously ill. Chickens have a way of knowing what not to eat. There can be chemicals in the soil, lead paint, or lead shot that can cause neurological symptoms. Her diet may be improved by just feeding chicken feed as 90% of her diet, since it has all the vitamins and minerals needed. An occasional small treat would be okay.

 

[cyberwife]

OK her crop feels very full and firm compared to the other girls....what does that indicate?

 

[cyberwife]

Can you post some photos of her and her poop?
A video of her actions may also be helpful. Upload to youtube or similar platform, then provide us a link.

I'm sorry she is not doing well. Molting can be very hard and stressful for them.
This is the time when underlying conditions or diseases can sometimes come to light.
Getting a fecal float to rule out worms is always a good idea.

Tell us what you feed her, including treats. You can try offering her some poultry vitamins that contain E and the B's to see if that helps. Something like Rooster Booster Poultry Cell would be good.
Check her crop to make sure it's emptying overnight.

When you say her legs are not straight down under her - do you mean they are spread out? Feel her abdomen between the legs toward the vent for any swelling/bloat or feeling of fluid.

 

[cyberwife]

her crop feels firm and full this morning - what does that indicate and what should I do?

 

[cyberwife]

OK - I found info on impacted crop, heading out to massage my girlie and see if we can get this to pass.

 

[cyberwife]

I just massaged her crop and she was totally calm and seemed to enjoy it - I put her in a separate pin inside the coop with only water. Hope we can get this to pass. She free ranges in lots of grasses and she may have just gotten a wad of it stuck in there. Which explains the watery almost no solid poop I saw yesterday.