My RIR Chicken is not able to walk..... Help!

So, three days ago (about Sunday), I noticed my 4yr RIR hen, Liberty stumbling/wobbling around, seeming as if she couldn’t maintain balance, kept falling over with legs stretched out to the side. I immediately took her inside, and started her with a syringe of Poultry Nutri-Drench.. After that, I placed her into a quiet cage in the garage with a heat-lamp. I offered some water but she didn’t drink any of it, ate couple of pellets of layer feed. I then left Liberty alone for a couple of hours. Later, I fed her some scrambled eggs with tomatoes, she seemed to enjoy that. But she still won’t drink even if I supported her legs. I ‘syringed’ her again this time with water about 1cc. So, for two days I did the syringe water/nutri-drench, she adores coconut yogurt (which is a surprise, because Liberty is a very picky chicken), I made sure she had plenty of that w/blueberries and occasional pellets. She still lies on her side, legs stretched out. I can’t find any other thing that can be wrong with her.

Comb-Bright red and healthy

Clear eyes

Normal breathing

I have first thought that maybe it is Marek’s, but she didn’t have any other symptoms. Although Liberty is a bit on the thin side, I also figured (since she is at the bottom of the pecking order.) maybe she is deficient on a certain vitamin. But I just need some advice, on what I should be doing or not.

Thanks!

Welcome to BYC.

Im sorry your hen inst doing well.Going off by all of the symptoms it sounds like your hen has Mareks disease.One telltale sign of Mareks is stretched out legs.There is no cure for Mareks and it will infect the rest of the flock.The survival rate for Mareks is very slim but can happen.Can you take a pic of her?


Here is a link on Mareks.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/the-great-big-giant-mareks-disease-faq

Well, I do know that Liberty had the Marek's vaccine when she was a chick, I wasn't too sure. Also, after reading a bit of the thread that was sent just now, it says there are many other disease/condition that may seem like mareks but isn't.

Vaccine's will only help prevent.Did she look like this when she laided down?

Yeah something is wrong.Can you take her to the vet?You are doing all you can right now.

Can she move her legs and/or toes? Does the rest of her body seem to work (can move wings and neck, blink, etc.)? I would suspect Marek's disease or some sort of neurological trauma; in both cases, the prognosis isn't good. For now, I would keep giving her nutridrench and vitamins and offering any food she'll eat. If she isn't drinking (or not drinking very much), you'll also need to keep giving her extra water.

She is able to move her legs and toes, and yes the rest of her body seems to work. What causes neurological trauma?

MissNutmeg said:

She is able to move her legs and toes, and yes the rest of her body seems to work. What causes neurological trauma?

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Usually an injury to the head or spinal cord. Since she can move her legs and the rest of her body, though, I think such an injury is unlikely. It sounds more like Marek's disease, or something unknown.

BantamLover21 said:

Usually an injury to the head or spinal cord. Since she can move her legs and the rest of her body, though, I think such an injury is unlikely. It sounds more like Marek's disease, or something unknown.

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