2nd chicken to have one hanging wing.

[tmbrickey]

Hi Wrop rock,
I did not find any bruises on her. She isn't standing anymore and is having a hard time holding her head up. I forced fluid- have some Hydro Hen. Used a syringe. perked up a bit but didnt like it.
For their feed I use Dumor 16% Layer Crumbles. in the morning the flock get two handfuls of rice or wheat spaghetti noodles and some grapes or blueberries. They get a treat when I visit in the afternoon- dry oatmeal and some raisins. Each hen gets about 2 raisins.
In the hot summer I add the hydro hen every week to one of three water sources I change every day. Once weekly I add apple cider vinegar to one water source for a day.
And I throw dried meal worms into the yard for them to scratch and find.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Consider getting a fecal float to rule out worms being part of the problem.

You may want to cut down on the treats a bit and let them focus on eating more of their crumbles as well.

 

[tmbrickey]

thank you I will keep treats low. I understand good nutrition is a healthy defense for them.

I have kept the fluids going. And try not to think about what feels like the inevitable for my girl. I put her in a crate in garage out of windy day. She has liquid stool, clear with green no smell. I washed her back side so she does not attract flies. She can not stand and her legs fall out when she tries to move. her neck leans forward to the floor. There are no worms of any kind in anyone's stool but I will try to get a test.
Do hens ever recover once they get this stage? Ever? Is she in pain?
I am, watching her.

 

[Eggcessive]

So sorry about this. It does sound like Mareks could be possible, and I agree that it looked like maggots in the picture of the worms. About all you can do now is give supportive care, and consider having your state vet to perform testing and a necropsy if you lose or cull her.

 

[tmbrickey]

My sweet ISA hen continued to deteriorate and was just laying flat, legs and neck limp by midday Tuesday. I terminated her and am bringing her body for necropsy this morning. Thank you Wyrop Rock for the link. There is a vet at Texas A&M who does this 50 minutes from my farm.
I will update you with findings.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

I'm sorry about your hen
Please to let us know what you find out.

 

[tmbrickey]

I brought my hen to Texas Veterinary Medical Diagnostic Laboratory for a necropsy. The initial gross exam did not show anything strange. The histology (microscopic exam) showed consistent with Marek's disease virus (MDV). The brain, sciatic nerve, liver, kidney, heart, proventriculus and small intestine all had severe lymphocytic inflammation. I showed the vet (a very amazing Dr. Rice) videos of my hens behaviors and my previous hens' behavior before they died and she said they are all likely Mareks. She said the vaccination is not 100% effective (I was told all my hens were vaccinated)- that vaccinated chickens may be susceptible to infection with MDV field strains and then shed these into the environment. The virus is resistant to most disinfectants and persists in the environment for several months. It can live in the soil for longer than a year and lives in chicken dander which can spread the virus all over the property and to a neighbors chickens as well. (I live on 20+ acres and neighbors do not have hens nearby- mostly cattle).
She gave me websites to check and said I can cull my hens or keep and hopefully they won't show signs of the disease. It is comparable to Herpes in humans and can lay quiet and flare up with stress. She said it is more common in small farm flocks to have.
I am going to keep my lovely girls and try to keep them healthy and stress free If and when the flock dies off or down to one lonely girl, I will make new decisions with the coop and disinfecting etc.
And I am going to be very aware of my farm being a carrier and not wear shoes in the coop area off the property. I hate to think of other people dealing with this.
Thank you all for your thoughts and help when I was so stressed trying to figure out what to do.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

I brought my hen to Texas Veterinary Medical Diagnostic Laboratory for a necropsy. The initial gross exam did not show anything strange. The histology (microscopic exam) showed consistent with Marek's disease virus (MDV). The brain, sciatic nerve, liver, kidney, heart, proventriculus and small intestine all had severe lymphocytic inflammation. I showed the vet (a very amazing Dr. Rice) videos of my hens behaviors and my previous hens' behavior before they died and she said they are all likely Mareks. She said the vaccination is not 100% effective (I was told all my hens were vaccinated)- that vaccinated chickens may be susceptible to infection with MDV field strains and then shed these into the environment. The virus is resistant to most disinfectants and persists in the environment for several months. It can live in the soil for longer than a year and lives in chicken dander which can spread the virus all over the property and to a neighbors chickens as well. (I live on 20+ acres and neighbors do not have hens nearby- mostly cattle).
She gave me websites to check and said I can cull my hens or keep and hopefully they won't show signs of the disease. It is comparable to Herpes in humans and can lay quiet and flare up with stress. She said it is more common in small farm flocks to have.
I am going to keep my lovely girls and try to keep them healthy and stress free If and when the flock dies off or down to one lonely girl, I will make new decisions with the coop and disinfecting etc.
And I am going to be very aware of my farm being a carrier and not wear shoes in the coop area off the property. I hate to think of other people dealing with this.
Thank you all for your thoughts and help when I was so stressed trying to figure out what to do.

Thank you for following up with the report.
I'm glad you were able to speak with a compassionate vet who was able to give you more information. Many folks here on BYC have Marek's in their flock and have learned along the way by trial and error how to "manage" symptoms when they occur. I agree, it seems to be common even in vaccinated birds.
I think your plans of moving forward and caring for your ladies is great. Please do give updates and if you find something that seems to help during times of stress or when birds are symptomatic, pass those experiences along if you don't mind. We can all learn from each other's triumphs and losses.
Good luck and I hope for now that all will go well.