5 yr old Dominique hen cannot walk, teeter-totters front to back(head to tail)

[critterkeeper25]

Hello,

We need your help. We have a 5yr old Dominique hen that is not acting normally. I noticed last night that she was having difficulty walking (was staggering) and was standing with her tail bent down. All other hens are fine.
She is approximately 4 lbs. There are no outward signs of trauma other that some bleeding from a spur on her left leg. There is no discharge from her eyes or nose. No coughing or sneezing, although daughter thought she heard her wheezing though I did not. She does seem to be breathing harder than normal. She did feel quite warm when I picked her up and her comb was quite red. Her poop looked watery and like mostly nitrates last night but today it is normal. We haven't noticed her standing and eating but my daughter observed her eating her wet food today while she was laying down. She will take food from your hand.
I have treated her for cocci, and worms. I have given her gatorade for electrolytes, probiotics, tums for calcium and liquid no iron baby vitamins.
Her crop is emptying normally, her abdomen doesn't feel distended. I checked to see if she was egg bound. Got my finger way up there but felt no egg.
Daughter said that she saw her grooming herself today and she talks when she see you. When I picked her up tonight she was shaking off and on like she was shivering. After she was held in the blanket the shaking seemed to stop.
I checked her legs. I cannot see any extreme deformity that would indicate a broken bone, but I suppose that there could be a fracture.
I am out of guesses as to what it could be or how to treat. We have no avian vet available, only the vet we use for our pets and horse. He checks this site when I ask him questions about our hens.
She is currently in a large metal dog crate in our garage. I have her covered on three sides so as to keep her calm. Last night she was fretting at dusk, trying to find a way out of the crate. Today, she is just laying there.
Any help would be greatly appreciated.

 

[ChickenGal1842]

Hmm has she laid eggs recently? Sometimes they can get a problem with laying eggs and do that, I've heard... Maybe just ask a vet and not actually have to go to one?

 

[A.M. Eggs]

Being that she is five years old, she might be close to the end. I hate to say that but I don't know what else could be wrong with her. Spend as much time as possible with her just in case. I hope that you figure out what is wrong and save her!

 

[lazy gardener]

5 year old hen... I'd be giving her a merciful culling.

 

[ChickenGal1842]

I would wait to do that, she might get better. They can last up to 8 years or so.

 

[critterkeeper25]

I wouldn't cull just for her age, as she and her friends are our pets. My concern is that maybe there may be an internal injury. I'm curious as to how she injured that spur. If she got it caught some how, on the chicken wire around the pen, could she have struggled enough to tear or break something in her legs or pelvis?
Is there something that could be given to her to see if she is in pain? To see if she walks more normally if it doesn't hurt as much? That may show whether or not she has an internal injury of some sort.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

5yr old Dominique hen

having difficulty walking (was staggering) and was standing with her tail bent down

She does seem to be breathing harder than normal.

poop looked watery and like mostly nitrates

eating her wet food today while she was laying down.

Today, she is just laying there.

I'm sorry to hear about your hen

From your description, I would suspect that she is having internal laying/reproductive problems. Egg Yolk Peritonitis, Ascites, cancer or tumors are common causes of decline in laying hens.

Symptoms include loose droppings (sometimes looks like egg), swelling/bloat from egg or egg masses/tumors in the abdomen, lethargy, difficulty walking, weight loss, going off feed and labored breathing. Antibiotics may be used as supportive care to give a hen relief, but that is short lived.

The best you can do is offer her supportive care, see that she is staying hydrated, eating and evaluate her condition.

I'm very sorry, but have found that once they stop eating and begin to lay down, not moving, then their time has come. I usually give them a day or so to see if I can get them going again, if not, I do put them out of their misery.

If you happen to lose her, having a necropsy performed by your state lab will give you some answers. http://www.nj.gov/agriculture/divisions/ah/
Alternatively, if you are up to it, you can do your own informal investigation by looking at her internal organs/reproductive system, body cavity and posting photos her on your thread or on the necropsy thread.

 

[critterkeeper25]

UPDATE:::

She laid an egg 3 days ago. Poop is normal. No discharge from eyes or nose. No gasping for breath. Eats what is put in front of her. Drinking.
She still cannot stand for more than a few seconds at a time. Daughter thought that one of her feet had a swollen area at the webbing between her toes. Need to go check that out. If she has a broken toe, is there a certain way to splint it so that it might heal? If there is swelling, and it is on the same foot as the bleeding spur that she initially had, it may be an injury to her foot that is causing her pain when she stands or walks.She seems perfectly fine except that she cannot stand and walk. At my wits end here.

 

[rebrascora]

I believe you can administer baby aspirin for pain relief and perhaps a chicken sling will make her feel more comfortable and support her in an upright position until you can figure this out. They can be made fairly easily from everyday items....

A photo or better still a video of her might help us. Diagnosing a chicken is not easy when you can see them but more difficult still when you are purely going off someone's description.
Have you added any new birds in the past few months?

 

[critterkeeper25]

Thank you! My daughter and I were looking into building a sling for her. Would she stay in that 24 hours a day, or only part of the day?