8 week old Barnevelder having trouble walking.

[ImNotYogi]

This has been going on for the past month. I've tried posting in the emergencies/injuries section but received little to no responses or the responses did not help (treated for cocci and worms; no change in condition).
The issues started a month ago. All were still in the brooder, I walked into the room and noticed this barnevelder falling backwards and unable to walk. I thought she was trampled or jumped on so I removed her until her strength could get back up. She stopped drinking on her own so I had to hand water her. She'd start eating on her own after each watering session. I was giving her Polyvisol then someone suggested it might be cocci so I decided to treat everyone. She regained her ability to walk but was still very wobbly and couldn't get any air when trying to fly like the other chicks. I moved the other chicks to the coop and decided to put her out there when I saw her fly out of the rubbermaid I kept her in. Figuring she was well enough to go out. She's still wobbles when she's in the coop. After about a week or two I notice she's sitting on her own and won't eat or drink when I refill their jugs. She'd eat if I tossed something out to her though. Then someone suggested it might be worms so I treated for that. She's been inside for the past week and was doing better until yesterday. I had let her out of the bin then had to go do something and when I returned I opened the door on her. I don't know what exactly I hit or pinched but she was flapping and sqawking and now can't walk or stand. I didn't open the door hard and it was a stupid mistake on my end for not containing her when I left the room. I'm pretty sure she'll recover from whatever it is I did and be back to wobbling again soon. I'm worried about the fact that she can't fly/walk well enough to keep up with the rest of the flock.
I'm also running out of ideas to get her back in shape. I'm thinking about giving her biotin since I heard broilers are given it to help with any possible leg issues. Does anyone think that could help? Or have any ideas on what can help? A friend of mine is saying I might have to put her down. I don't want to do that if there's something that can help her. I want her to have a life that's not confined to a bin and inside the house.

 

[azygous]

She may have a congenital defect that makes it hard or even painful to walk and stand. It's just a guess, and that's all we can do, unless someone else comes along and recognizes these symptoms as belonging to a particular ailment.

I have a hen that developed a problem with one leg over time, she's now five, and I've been treating her with half a baby aspirin ad glucosamine twice a day. It definitely has helped and most of the time she can stand and walk okay. But occasionally she has a whole day where she can only get around on her hocks. She has totally lost her ability to jump up to roost and even make it up a small step.

i was also thinking maybe she has an infection and you could try antibiotics, but I would give the aspirin therapy a try first. It can't hurt, and if it improves her ability to get around, then you'll know that it was pain that was causing her to not be able to walk and stand. It would also account for why being slammed with the door put her out of commission.

 

[ImNotYogi]

I'll get some baby aspirin after work. I didn't open the door hard but even a small bump can throw an already hurting animal out. I'm hoping the aspirin will work. Anything specific I should I do? Like dosage?

 

[azygous]

Aspirin isn't something you really need to worry about dosage except for giving enough to do the job. I'd begin with half an aspirin morning and late afternoon. Do it for two days, and see if she improves to the point of being able to function normally. If there's no improvement, or only slight improvement, increase the dosage to one whole aspirin twice a day.

If you see no improvement after you do that, then pain isn't her problem.

But I'm betting it is.

By the way, offer her the aspirin in the palm of your hand as you would a treat, and she'll take it without any fuss.

 

[ImNotYogi]

Will do. Pain didn't even occur to me. I'm used to dogs and cats and when they'd get hurt they'd rest for a few days then go back to normal. Maybe because I'm new to chickens I looked at it differently. Thank you for your advice

 

[GitaBooks]

I have a chick who's about a month old that is showing symptoms similar to those. She can't stand up without falling backwards or forwards, her legs wobble when she tries to stand, and she flaps her wings and screams when she falls down. She does the same thing when I pick her up.
We thought it was a broken leg at first, but she can put her weight on her legs, and the problem is in both of them, not just one. We then thought it was Spraddle leg, but she can pull her legs under her, they aren't just sticking out to the side. She can't eat or drink without me propping her up and she is stuck in a crate now.
It seems to have something to do with her muscles. Fainting Goats suffer from myotonia, where their muscles tense when they are frightened and they fall over. With her it seems to be similar. Her legs will stiffen out behind her and her neck stiffens. She also jerks like she is loosing her balance, even though she is sitting down.

Could it maybe be a vitamin deficiency? Is it genetic? Could she have injured her spine or head some how? She's a bantam mix breed, with some Naked-neck silkie, Sebright, and maybe some Old English Game in her genetics.


This is Amber, my pullet. When she's relaxing she doesn't seem to have spasms


I hope your chicken gets better!

 

[azygous]

Interesting. It's sad, though, that a little pullet has to be afflicted with such a thing, and be deprived of all the joy of learning how to be a chicken.

It's a guessing game as to what could be wrong with her. Go with your instinct. What I would do is start her on a high potency vitamin therapy like Poultry Nuti-drench. If it's the cause, you should see a correction pretty quickly.

If that doesn't improve her condition, then I'd try the aspirin therapy.

 

[GitaBooks]

Thanks. I'll try that.

 

[ImNotYogi]

I used polyvisol w/o iron with my barne when she first started having problems and I've used it when it became clear she wasn't eating much, if at all. A vitamin deficiency can't be her issue but I do think it helped just to keep her from deteriorating because of her lack of appetite.

 

[azygous]

Poly-vi-sol is good, and it definitely can help, but the Nutri-drench, if you can get it, is formulated to go directly into the bloodstream and therefore provide instant help. It's a superior way to revive a chick that is on a downward spiral, and it should produce immediate results if the problem is vitamin deficiency. You'll have your answer to that right quickly.