young chicken losing mobility

[fairie]

We got 3 young chickens (mix breeds, born in Dec.) 2 weeks ago. The farm helper told me that she peeled the chicks out of their eggs cause the mom had abandonded the nest and she wanted to save them. So they were "alone" in the stall and I thought I would put them into our flock (we live on a shared farm).

I brought them all over and had them separated for days from our flock (5 ladies).

One of the young chickens acted like it had been hurt and hung back from the flock and never went in the house at night. It liked to sleep in the wheel barrow full of straw. I was always putting it in at night in a nest box alone. It's right wing sort of hung lower than it should, it limped a bit.

I thought it was hurt. Over the last week, it's feet don't seem to be able to support it after a few steps it wobbles and falls down. But it stayed sitting up and ate food or pecked at the feed.

Yesterday I heard it squealing and I went out quickly. Our "big mamma" was pecking at it in the bushes. I pulled it out. The young chicken was on it's back and could not get up. It was squealing really loud. It happened again later in the day.

I am wondering if anyone can tell me what is happening? Is this an illness? Or is it handicapped? I don't know what to do. My son is distraught. And I am thinking that I should just put the young chicken out of it's misery.

Thanks for your guidance

 

[Outpost JWB]

I always put any new chicks/chickens in an isolation pen for 30-60 days. This is to avoid the possible spread of any disease.

Watch the chicken for other signs. Is it breathing hard? Is it eating and drinking well? Does it have access to feed and water at all times? What does it's poop look like? I don't want to speculate on a disease until there is further information. It could be that the chicken is just at the bottom of the pecking order and has got beat up.

In the meantime, I would separate your chicken, maybe put it in a dog crate to avoid further injury or contamination.
Good luck and keep us posted.

 

[fairie]

The young chicken is laying on it's back and dosn't have the ability to turn itself over. When I picked it up to move it it's neck hangs like it is dying. I have separated yesterday morning. I put it away from the other chickens. Then it is was laying on it's back quietly flaping it's legs in the air. It's sad and I think it is dying.

 

[Akrnaf2]

Dose he ate in a grater appetite?does he hade a paralyzed limb,a leg maybe?
Can you look on his skin and a sea if he have little lumps on it? Can you look in
The aye and look for irregularities in iris of the aye? Dose the aye seems opaque and not clear? If he have one of this syndromes it could be that he have Marek's disease, it's incurable!

 

[Outpost JWB]

Try to keep it upright. Has it ate or drank anything recently? You may want to consider tube feeding it. Please keep us posted.

 

[fairie]

The young chicken is still alive, which is not what I expected. It has food and water. It can barely hold it self up when it walks then falls over then it rolls over on it's back and can not get off it's back. The rest of it's body looks okay. It's pooh looks okay too.

I am going to feed it some egg today and see what happens over the next day.

I do not understand what is happening all the other chickens young and old are healthy.

p.s. I just went to check and the chickens eyes look fine, I looked at the skin around it legs and it looks fine too, not dehydrated but springy. I brought it some raw egg with shell, yogurt and a wee bit of honey which it gobbeled up. We are building a small next box to keep it in out the reach of other animals (chickens).

 

[Outpost JWB]

@fairie ,

Is there any way you can post a pic of the chicken you are having trouble with? I wonder if the chicken is a broiler chicken. This is something that I personally have not had experience with. But friends of mine raise them and when they reach a certain age (sometime under a year....???) they are ready for butcher. The broilers have been known to die suddenly of heart attacks, or fall onto their backs and not be able to get up.
Keep us posted please.

 

[fairie]

Thank you for the words of advice ochochicas there is really no other solution that I can see. She was laying on her back again yesterday. She still looks healthy and is eating. But she can not walk except on her foreleg and her feet give her no stability neither do her wings. He eyes looks fine and so does the rest of her skin, she preens herself and naps.

I am not sure what to do with the other 2 except let them grow and see what happens. They look and act fine, so far. Since they are from the same brood I would imagine that they will be okay. I hope.

The rest of my chickens are 2 years old and they are all healthy.

We live on an organic farm in Germany. Our farmer get's chickens every 2 years. He get's them when they are ready to lay, I would imagine that they are all vaccinated. But I dont know. When I asked the farmer he had no idea what Marek's was/is.

There are "free" chickens on the farm they never go back in the barn and are allowed to nest and brood where ever they want. They are not controlled (except by foxes) . This is where our young chickens came from. Maybe Marek's has been on the farm before, or maybe the chicken got it from a wild bird who knows.

 

[Outpost JWB]

Even if they all are vaccinated for Marek's, it does not mean they cannot get it. Marek's is a form of the herpes virus. The vaccine can lessen the effects of Marek's, but does not necessarily prevent it. Marek's can be brought to the farm by many sources. Even by wearing shoes to another place where someone else has stepped. It is very easily transmittable, and the symptoms vary. A lot of birds die from other causes and the symptoms are mistaken for Marek's. If it is truly Marek's, your whole flock is at risk. As well as neighboring flocks.