3 month old hen having a hard time walking and roosting

[kay0128]

We have a 3 month old Barred Rock hen that has been limping and not wanting to roost for the past two days. in the evening when the other hens are roosting she just lays in the grass, my daughter tried to put her up with the other hens and it was like her feet could not grab the wood to roost. I have not noticed any decrease in appetite but we will watch her tomorrow when we feed. we did not get her from a hatchery, she was from our first little flock that one of our hens laid this last spring. I noticed what looked like dried blood on her legs but I cannot see any cuts and the bottom of her feet look just fine.

 

[staceyj]

We have a 3 month old Barred Rock hen that has been limping and not wanting to roost for the past two days. in the evening when the other hens are roosting she just lays in the grass, my daughter tried to put her up with the other hens and it was like her feet could not grab the wood to roost. I have not noticed any decrease in appetite but we will watch her tomorrow when we feed. we did not get her from a hatchery, she was from our first little flock that one of our hens laid this last spring. I noticed what looked like dried blood on her legs but I cannot see any cuts and the bottom of her feet look just fine.

Have you added any NEW birds to your flock recently?

 

[kay0128]

Have you added any NEW birds to your flock recently?

no new birds. And all of our others seem to be just fine.

 

[staceyj]

Can she grasp with her toes or does it seem like a paralysis?

 

[kay0128]

Can she grasp with her toes or does it seem like a paralysis?

she does not seem like she can grasp with her toes, it took my daughter a few tries last night to get her to roost, she just keeps her feel straight pretty much the whole time. she walks ok just has a little limp every now and then.

 

[staceyj]

Im sorry. I’m at a loss.
Go to the search engine here and type in leg paralysis.
Tons of threads. I can’t seem to link you to the whole thread search, just individual ones.

 

[staceyj]

@dawg53 , can you give an opinion on this?

 

[rebrascora]

At her age, by far the most likely cause is Marek's Disease. Is she smaller or slighter than her hatch mates? Some with Marek's curl their toes and walk on their knuckles but it can go the other way and they stretch them out. Sometimes the paralysis can be as minimal as an eyelid that they can't keep fully open or as dramatic as lying on their side floundering, unable to get up or stand if you pick them up. It is a a strange disease.
The best you can do if I am right is to offer her supportive care, a good quality poultry vitamin supplement... if you are in the USA, Poultry Nutri Drench or Rooster Booster are good..... and I feel that a probiotic or fermented feed helps to keep their gut healthy and ensure they are getting maximum benefit from their food. Higher protein treats like a few small slivers of raw liver, a bit of fish or meat and scrambled egg can also be beneficial to boost their immune system. Keeping them as happy and stress free as possible is also vital, because stress usually triggers an outbreak and also makes them worse. If you have adolescent cockerels in the flock, that can be a major source of stress for young pullets particularly but often the flock in general, so managing your flock to minimise stress is important... ie penning the teenage boys separate or rehoming. Unfortunately, if it is Marek's she may deteriorate and it prove fatal but even if she recovers she will always carry the disease and be prone to further outbreaks and you may see other flock members develop odd neurological problems from time to time or suffer secondary infections like coccidiosis or respiratory disease because Marek's compromises the immune system.
Of course it may not be Marek's, but the above suggested management/supportive care will not be detrimental if it is not. Personally I would not put her on the roost if she is struggling to grip as she may fall during the night. Better to leave her where she is comfortable.