4m x 3m Omlet pen, cube, new auto door still boxed and coop light

[kids-cats-chicks]

HI. i wonder if any one could help me ,i have 3 gingernuts rangers (had from omlet since june 2008), but yesterday one of my chickens (summer - the cheeky one ) suddenly went off her legs,she was fine in the morning,but by 12 noon she wasn't,she can stand/walk (like she is a bit drunk) then flops down ,but only about 10 steps

 

she is eating ok, we kept her in the house last night and took her back to her pen this morning to be with her friends ,she seems content enough to be back with them, but so worried as all she wants to do is flop down,i don't think she laid an egg yesterday, could she have a egg blocked?

 

is there anything i can do ,all our local vets do not know about chickens as we have rang round before when one of our other chickens was attacked by a fox,but we new more about chickens tha they did,

 

do you think stress can cause this as yesterday morning our neighbour has 3 large trees cut down and the tree surgeon people were very noisy with there electric saws etc( our chickens don't even like the strimmer noise).could this have affected her hearing /balance.(i'm clutching at straws now)

 

any help would be gratefully recieved as i'm no stop worrying.

[Millie-Annie]

I don't have a lot of experience, but my Annie died of peritonitis last week and the first sign of that was a limp, that progressed within a week to unable to stand and as you say, like she was drunk.

 

My vet showed me where to feel which was between the back legs and she was very hot and swollen.

 

Hopefully this isn't what is wrong with your chicken, but if no improvement maybe a trip to the vet tomorrow?

[Egluntyne]

Have you examined her for the following:

 

Is she straining to lay?

 

Does she have a palpable egg in her abdomen?

 

Is her abdomen swollen?

[kids-cats-chicks]

checked her all over,nothing swollen etc, crop seems fine as well, she has been standing up abit more this afternoon and eating quite well ,so fingers crossed and i will just keep checking on her,her best friend daisy is never far away from her,so she has got good company,