Hen can’t stand-need help

[PolloGal]

The tablet/capsule is the best way to get high doses in consistently. Sometimes if that is what is wrong you will see improvement fairly quickly, within a few days, sometimes it may take longer. The B's are very safe, so no worries about too much.

Ok. I will get them today. Is there a certain MG or some amount where I would know to give her a 1/2 or one per day?

 

[coach723]

They vary based on brand, I usually get the strongest I can find. They are very safe, so it's not really a worry. Since she's not standing at all I would give 1/2 to one whole one every day. I usually just give a whole one. There are regular B complexes, that tend to have lesser amounts in them, the super B complexes usually have higher amounts. It won't hurt her, any extra will be excreted in her droppings.

 

[PolloGal]

They vary based on brand, I usually get the strongest I can find. They are very safe, so it's not really a worry. Since she's not standing at all I would give 1/2 to one whole one every day. I usually just give a whole one. There are regular B complexes, that tend to have lesser amounts in them, the super B complexes usually have higher amounts. It won't hurt her, any extra will be excreted in her droppings.

Ok. So the only super b complex I could find has folic acid and vitamin c. She is going to have a very loose loose stool. I was thinking I would give her a whole one first, then 1/2 each day after. Is that enough do you think? I feel so very bad for her…gosh…she seems SO uncomfortable. I have never seen this happen to a chicken. She literally has like no control over her legs, but continues to try to stand. She is eating so well. I feed her every 2-3 hours. Do you think that is too long to wait between feedings?And I bring her inside during the hottest part of the day…feed her a bit more often then and exercise her legs…clean her up..then put her back with her flock around dinner time.I can tell she loves being out there with them, so I don’t want her to get depressed being inside and alone. I was thinking when I woke this morning how I never mentioned that this began for her right after the few days of heavy rain we had…the pen ground was pretty wet and it was just a rainy mess outside. Do you think this could have had something to do with what happened to her?

 

[coach723]

The one I have has folic acid and vitamin C also, it's never been a problem. I always give a whole one to adult standard sized birds. If she's half grown then 1/2 a pill should be fine. A whole one would not do any harm, but 1/2 will make them last longer.
I don't know that the wetness would be an issue. If she's low in the pecking order that could contribute if shes' not getting good access to feeders. Sometimes it's hard to know exact causes, vitamin deficiencies are not uncommon and treatment is usually pretty safe, so that is often the first thing to try. At 5 months she could possibly be nearing starting to lay, so that also has to be considered. There are some illnesses that can cause leg weakness, paralysis, and neurological issues, but I would do the vitamins for a while first before jumping to conclusions about anything. Eating and drinking well are good signs, after you feed, I would check her crop and if it's emptying then offer some again. If she's able to eat and drink on her own, I would have it available to her all the time, let her free feed, just give a measured amount so when it's gone or almost gone, you have an idea how much she's eaten. And monitor droppings to make sure they look normal. It would also be a good idea to get a weight on her so you can monitor that, see if she's maintaining or gaining weight, or if she's losing wieght. A digital kitchen scale works well for that. If it's possible to get a picture of her legs, how she stands, it might be helpful. It's also possible that it's a bone deformity. You can look up Varus/Valgus in chickens, there will be images to compare. If it's a deformity or a development/growth issue that has been going on a while, then it may not be correctable.

 

[Gwanatu]

The one I have has folic acid and vitamin C also, it's never been a problem. I always give a whole one to adult standard sized birds. If she's half grown then 1/2 a pill should be fine. A whole one would not do any harm, but 1/2 will make them last longer.
I don't know that the wetness would be an issue. If she's low in the pecking order that could contribute if shes' not getting good access to feeders. Sometimes it's hard to know exact causes, vitamin deficiencies are not uncommon and treatment is usually pretty safe, so that is often the first thing to try. At 5 months she could possibly be nearing starting to lay, so that also has to be considered. There are some illnesses that can cause leg weakness, paralysis, and neurological issues, but I would do the vitamins for a while first before jumping to conclusions about anything. Eating and drinking well are good signs, after you feed, I would check her crop and if it's emptying then offer some again. If she's able to eat and drink on her own, I would have it available to her all the time, let her free feed, just give a measured amount so when it's gone or almost gone, you have an idea how much she's eaten. And monitor droppings to make sure they look normal. It would also be a good idea to get a weight on her so you can monitor that, see if she's maintaining or gaining weight, or if she's losing wieght. A digital kitchen scale works well for that. If it's possible to get a picture of her legs, how she stands, it might be helpful. It's also possible that it's a bone deformity. You can look up Varus/Valgus in chickens, there will be images to compare. If it's a deformity or a development/growth issue that has been going on a while, then it may not be correctable.

Ok. So the only super b complex I could find has folic acid and vitamin c. She is going to have a very loose loose stool. I was thinking I would give her a whole one first, then 1/2 each day after. Is that enough do you think? I feel so very bad for her…gosh…she seems SO uncomfortable. I have never seen this happen to a chicken. She literally has like no control over her legs, but continues to try to stand. She is eating so well. I feed her every 2-3 hours. Do you think that is too long to wait between feedings?And I bring her inside during the hottest part of the day…feed her a bit more often then and exercise her legs…clean her up..then put her back with her flock around dinner time.I can tell she loves being out there with them, so I don’t want her to get depressed being inside and alone. I was thinking when I woke this morning how I never mentioned that this began for her right after the few days of heavy rain we had…the pen ground was pretty wet and it was just a rainy mess outside. Do you think this could have had something to do with what happened to her?

Did she ever get better? We have a 6 month old Barred Rock facing the same issues this week. It's heart breaking!

 

[PolloGal]

Did she ever get better? We have a 6 month old Barred Rock facing the same issues this week. It's heart breaking!

I am sorry to say that she did not get better. In fact, even though I spent many hours every day with her closely attentive to doing everything possible to make her well, and trying to make her comfortable in slings, she declined rapidly. Hopefully, your girl will do much better and recover!

 

[coach723]

@PolloGal , I'm very sorry for your loss.

 

[PolloGal]

@PolloGal , I'm very sorry for your loss.

Thank you for that. We had to humanely put her “down”. I just couldn’t let her suffer any more. I prolonged it for her to give her EVERY chance to recover…but she just got so much worse. She was very sweet and so young…still sad about it.

 

[Gwanatu]

Thank you for that. We had to humanely put her “down”. I just couldn’t let her suffer any more. I prolonged it for her to give her EVERY chance to recover…but she just got so much worse. She was very sweet and so young…still sad about it.

I'm so sorry! Thank you for letting us know and sharing your story. I hope it helps our girl!