Hen sitting like penguin but not eggbound

[SeaEagle]

This is a recurring issue in one of my chickens. She is a silver laced wynadotte who is around 5 years old, and is still laying, eating, and drinking. Over the past 6 months or so, she has been sitting like a penguin, and struggling to walk and fully stand normally. When she does walk, she does it in a very jolting kind of way, and moves her legs/hips in a motion that's different from the typical chicken walk. During this leriod, she doesnt seem to think that anything is wrong with her, and still carries out normal chicken activities (dustbathing, scratching, etc.) to the best of her abilities. This only occurs, however, for a period of around a week or 2, until she seems to make a somewhat miracles recovery and proceeds to act like a normal chicken for a couple of months, until the issue reoccurs. Her poos are mostly normal during these periods,although they are typically significantly larger in size than usual. She has recently had mites, however this issue arose before this was the case.

Can anyone suggest what the issue with her might be? None of my other chickens show any symptoms, and the sick chicken is not eggbound (still laying). Also, is there any way I can help her recover faster/prevent these periods?
Sorry for the lack of clarity and the length of this post, i can clarify anything if needed.

 

[BigBlueHen53]

Have you tried giving her calcium citrate +D3 tablets during these episodes?

 

[Yardmom]

I had a Wyandotte who had a very similar experience. She went back and forth for a couple years before she died.
I didn't do anything with my hen for treatment not knowing exactly what it was. Possibilities I found were internal laying, water belly, and cancer. Sorry not sure on the medical terms.

 

[JacinLarkwell]

This is a recurring issue in one of my chickens. She is a silver laced wynadotte who is around 5 years old, and is still laying, eating, and drinking. Over the past 6 months or so, she has been sitting like a penguin, and struggling to walk and fully stand normally. When she does walk, she does it in a very jolting kind of way, and moves her legs/hips in a motion that's different from the typical chicken walk. During this leriod, she doesnt seem to think that anything is wrong with her, and still carries out normal chicken activities (dustbathing, scratching, etc.) to the best of her abilities. This only occurs, however, for a period of around a week or 2, until she seems to make a somewhat miracles recovery and proceeds to act like a normal chicken for a couple of months, until the issue reoccurs. Her poos are mostly normal during these periods,although they are typically significantly larger in size than usual. She has recently had mites, however this issue arose before this was the case.

Can anyone suggest what the issue with her might be? None of my other chickens show any symptoms, and the sick chicken is not eggbound (still laying). Also, is there any way I can help her recover faster/prevent these periods?
Sorry for the lack of clarity and the length of this post, i can clarify anything if needed.

Are they vaccinated for mareks? Occasionally, that is how my hens begin to present

 

[Eggcessive]

You can see this when they are a few years old and possibly having salpingitis/lash material inside the abdomen, or water belly/ascites. Five is up there for some chickens. I hope she has a few more years. When I lose a hen, I like to do a brief necropsy to see what the liver, intestines, oviduct, and abdominal contents look like. It helps us understand some of the conditions they may have.

 

[SeaEagle]

Have you tried giving her calcium citrate +D3 tablets during these episodes?

No, I tend to just give her a multivitamin in her water - should I be giving her those tablets?

 

[SeaEagle]

Are they vaccinated for mareks? Occasionally, that is how my hens begin to present

All our hens were meant to be vaccinated as chicks (we purchased them as pullets), so hopefully this isn't the issue

 

[BigBlueHen53]

No, I tend to just give her a multivitamin in her water - should I be giving her those tablets?

I guess not, if she is not eggbound.

 

[SeaEagle]

I had a Wyandotte who had a very similar experience. She went back and forth for a couple years before she died.
I didn't do anything with my hen for treatment not knowing exactly what it was. Possibilities I found were internal laying, water belly, and cancer. Sorry not sure on the medical terms.

Thanks for replying, could internal laying still be an issue if she's still producing eggs?

 

[SeaEagle]

You can see this when they are a few years old and possibly having salpingitis/lash material inside the abdomen, or water belly/ascites. Five is up there for some chickens. I hope she has a few more years. When I lose a hen, I like to do a brief necropsy to see what the liver, intestines, oviduct, and abdominal contents look like. It helps us understand some of the conditions they may have.

Thanks so much for the suggestions. Should she be left to live out the rest of her life, or should she be culled at some point?