What’s Wrong With My Pullet?

[callie7]

So I have an Easter Egger pullet... she’s about 6 months old. She’s way smaller than her hatch mates and she also has trouble getting around. Her feet and legs are really skinny and weak but she manages. She doesn’t roost at night because she can’t get up there. She eats well, but never leaves the coop and sleeps most of the day. All my other girls have gotten combs and waddles and started laying, but “Princess Beauty” is nowhere near that. Is this just a strange deformity or disability or does this have a name?

Thanks!

 

[BigBlueHen53]

Can you post pics of her and also of her poop? What are you feeding (starter, grower, layer, for example). How does her crop feel in the morning before she eats or drinks?

 

[callie7]

Her poop is normal, she’s eating layer feed with the others. Her crop feels good and empties every day. She is pretty skinny though but she’s been like this for months and seems perfectly happy, just different lol

 

[Eggcessive]

Can you post any pictures of her legs from the front or back? I would start giving her some poultry vitamins that contain riboflavin, or crush 1/4 tablet of human vitamin B complex into her food daily. Vitamins can sometime help with appetite, as well as if she has a deficiency. She could just be stunted or could have suffered from coccidiosis and never grown properly. I have hatched a couple who acted like that and never laid well or lived very long. If you could take in some fresh droppings to a vet, they might be able to rule out worms or coccidiosis. Is she eating a balanced poultry chick feed?

 

[Eggcessive]

Why are her legs bandaged? Are they splinted? Can we see a pic without them?

 

[callie7]

I actually had them wrapped for this picture because she had some leg mites and I thought treating those might help. Thank you for the vitamin suggestion! I will get an updated pic of her and add to her feed.

 

[Eggcessive]

What are you treating the leg mites with? An oil such as castor oil, mineral, coconut, or other may be put on the legs and rubbed into the scales to help smother the mites. Some use ivermectin pour on on the back of the neck 0.1 ml per each 2 pounds once and again in 14 days for mites.