whats wrong with my hen? *video* unbalanced...NEW VIDEO~post#385

[epitidios]

One of my young roosters has the same problem. My vet said that this could be due to mycoplasma infection, but he said that to me over the phone, and not after examination. I noticed that he has breathing problems,and that he breathes from the "mouth". What puzzles me is also that his droppings are huge for his size, one big thing... I have him on antibiotics, but i am also considering to put him down. He is really unlucky. First he got a worm infection, he almost died from this from weight loss. I managed to save him from it, he grew up and regained weight. Now this.... Nature is quite unfair with him.

 

[Miss Lydia]

We had a brahma roo about 4 months old started having problems walking would stagger around he did this for about a week started to get worse, he was going in the freezer anyway but this had me worried it could be something that would spread so my husband culled him and we just gave him a nice funeral. Haven't seen any of the other chickens acting like this, but he grew very fast and I am wondering if it could have been genetic? He was about twice a big as his siblings. Hope ya'll can find help for your birds

 

[valsey]

Folks - I believe all of our wobbly hens might have Lymphoid Leukosis.

No symptoms except unsteady (although mine had a bad case of mites or lice, but I believe this was opportunistic parasites), otherwise fine - living a long time this way BUT not laying.

My necropsy came back today-
RESULTS:
Final Diagnosis: Lymphoid leukosis.

Final Comments: Lymphoid leukosis is a common tumour of older chickens. As the tumours progress, the bird is increasingly unable to metabolize nutrients in the feed resulting in an energy deficiency, which presents as immobility and wasting away. Other chickens may succumb to the same disease, but it is not transmissable in the general sense. This is a virus that may exist for their entire life before becoming active and developing tumours.

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see http://forum.backyardpoultry.com/viewtopic.php?t=1319

 

[chickfan]

Thanks for this information. I saved the site to read over again. I can't help but wonder about this, and don't see it mentioned......is there a problem with eating eggs from the chickens that have this, or other similar problems? I guess not, but can't help but be concerned. I truly don't think my hen that had the leg problem is even laying. I have 21 hens, I think, and get a max of 8 eggs a day, so they don't all lay. I have never seen this one in a laying area at all, and she seems to stick close to home, so I haven't given much thought to it until now. I do give eggs away to friends, so I sure would hate to be passing something along! Yikes!

 

[valsey]

Quote:
Yikes! is right!
I'm going to call the vet who did the necropsy once I summarize all my questions in my head - this will be one I ask, as I sell my eggs. It is a concern.

Very few of mine lay either (about 6 eggs/day from 16 hens). I can't help but think a good many of them are suffering from this disease.

I'll post what I find out

 

[epitidios]

Taking in mind that my little rooster has probably the same disease, what is the best way to let him rest? Last time i cut the head of the hen. I don't think he will leave for many days anyway. Despite eating he keeps on losing weight.

 

[Tomhusker]

**UPDATE** Morning of day..... 4 I think.

We have done a few days of vitamin B therapy, mixing the liquid form into the water and everything I feed "Gus." Yesterday I was a bit discouraged as he was really showing no improvement. This morning, however, I took a crushed boiled egg (and the vitamin B) out to him to find him standing up, fairly steady, on his feet and drinking from the water nipple. This is a big improvement from the past several days when he could only get around on his haunches and then fall over frequently.

His balance is still not perfect, as he was still falling off to the side a little. BUT, the brooder floor is hardware cloth and is not level, so any equilibrium issues will really show up anyway. I am very encouraged, since I decided yesterday that I was going to cull today if I saw no improvement. I plan to keep him isolated for another day or two and if he improves more by Thursday I will return him to his friends.

 

[valsey]

Quote:
When you say 'let him rest', do you mean kill him? If so, that would be up to you. He may live another four months - who knows? I don't really understand the transmission of the disease or if he's spreading it

 

[valsey]

Quote:
epitidios = maybe your vet is right and it's not what my hen had

 

[chickfan]

Quote:
This sounds good to me, having seen the exact same thing with my hen. Except it took her more like a week to reach the stage where she was trying to stand. My suggestion (not that you asked LOL!) would be to leave him separated from the others for a few days until he gets really steady. Otherwise the others most likely will pick on him. He will need the stability to fight back until the pecking order has been established. I would put mine out for awhile, and watch over her while she scratched and did chicken stuff, and then put her back in the cage to keep the others from getting her. This went on maybe only 2-3 days. I continued putting the vit. B in her food and water as long as she was in the cage where the others couldn't eat/drink her food. Once she was out, I stopped it. All I know is "so far, so good".