My chicken, Willow, had a very strange ending that has left me stumped. She would have been four in May. Last Thursday, we noticed she was limping a bit and not putting a lot of weight on her left leg. She was able to get up on the roost at night still. On Friday she was a little more "hobble-y" and she wasn't able to get on the roost that night; we found her in a nesting box. On Saturday, we decided to separate her. I examined her legs more closely. It seemed like her left leg was slightly swollen at the top joint that connects to her body. She never flinched when I examined her or had any reaction at all. I assumed it was a sprain and she just needed some time to heal. Her comb was under-colored, but the weather has been switching from a few days in the 40s and back to the 20s again. She did well on this first day of separation. She was still favoring the right leg. If I picked her up and put her back down, I would have to hold her left side for a minute to give her a chance to get her balance. Then she would be okay. She ate just fine. Originally, the bowl of food on the floor of the crate was difficult for her to reach. She had a hard time bending down to get it. She even fell over at one point, but she was in good spirits and had an appetite. She still made normal chicken sounds and seemed ok.
On Sunday morning she hadn't eaten much. She was laying down, but I had hoped she was just fully resting her leg instead of constantly standing like she had been. I gave her some electrolytes, but it didn't look like she drank much or at all. Late afternoon on Sunday, she seemed weaker. She did eat some banana, with some energy. We gave her some electrolytes orally via a syringe. She wasn't too eager to swallow. She wasn't making any normal chicken noises. We put her on the ground to see if she would walk and she just stood there. She pooped and it was a small, bloody, formed poop. It did not seem like a coccidiosis poop; I've dealt with this before and it didn't seem to match. I had checked her crop previously and it felt fine. There weren't any signs of her being eggbound. I honestly don't think she's ever laid an egg; we never saw her in a nesting box, ever.
On Monday morning we found her dead. I'm stumped and confused. I've "Googled" around quite a bit and can't find any thing that seems to fit. I also want to protect the rest of my flock. Any ideas? Thanks in advance!
On Sunday morning she hadn't eaten much. She was laying down, but I had hoped she was just fully resting her leg instead of constantly standing like she had been. I gave her some electrolytes, but it didn't look like she drank much or at all. Late afternoon on Sunday, she seemed weaker. She did eat some banana, with some energy. We gave her some electrolytes orally via a syringe. She wasn't too eager to swallow. She wasn't making any normal chicken noises. We put her on the ground to see if she would walk and she just stood there. She pooped and it was a small, bloody, formed poop. It did not seem like a coccidiosis poop; I've dealt with this before and it didn't seem to match. I had checked her crop previously and it felt fine. There weren't any signs of her being eggbound. I honestly don't think she's ever laid an egg; we never saw her in a nesting box, ever.
On Monday morning we found her dead. I'm stumped and confused. I've "Googled" around quite a bit and can't find any thing that seems to fit. I also want to protect the rest of my flock. Any ideas? Thanks in advance!
