Bantam can't stand

[boskelli1571]

So first some background on this little guy - he is the offspring of my current head rooster, a Barbu D'Uccle bantam. I had him living apart with a couple of other roosters (all related) to give the girls some peace. I recently put him back into the main flock where he seemed to be doing ok. No fighting issues that I saw. He is around 9 months old. He has always been the quietest, seldom crowing and likes to be picked up. Had been eating/drinking fine.
3 days ago I found him sitting in the middle of the coop, he was quite still so I picked him. On doing so I noticed his head was leaning off to the left - almost like a wry neck, his left leg was a little flaccid, wings were fine.
I have him separated in an inpromptu hospital. His eyes are bright and he can scoot around a little, both wings he can move, but the left leg is still flaccid. I have been feeding him vitamin water via syringe, I think tube feeding may be in the future.
My question is - what do you thinks' wrong? I have scanned through the usual diseases and he really doesn't fit into any category. I am wondering if the large hens have pecked him on the head severely enough to cause a brain bleed? There are no signs of trauma that I can find. I am at a loss - suggestions please!

 

[GitaBooks]

Poor guy. Sounds just like my chickens with what I call Progressive Paralysis. I have no idea the cause, but it only occurs in my bantams and until now only in birds that were fully feathered but not adults. Now I have an older pullet, Bobbi, who has developed it. I think she has struggled with it for a while, as she has always walked strangely. Not she is in a crate with a heater on her with food and water as she can't use one leg.
In EVERY case I have seen in my flock (around 10 at least) the birds slowly get worse until they can no longer use either legs and have to be put-down. I have tried vitamin/electrolyte water, scrambled eggs, and bringing them inside. Some last longer than others. It doesn't act like mareks.

I'm not saying this is what your bird has, a lot of birds have gone partially paralyzed and been healed with good food, natural remedies (I've heard of this working), special enclosures (that prop them up), ect.

I don't know if it is genetic, environmental, chemical or what. I hope yours gets better. Keep up the vitamin water and special care and he might make a turn around!

 

[boskelli1571]

Poor guy. Sounds just like my chickens with what I call Progressive Paralysis. I have no idea the cause, but it only occurs in my bantams and until now only in birds that were fully feathered but not adults. Now I have an older pullet, Bobbi, who has developed it. I think she has struggled with it for a while, as she has always walked strangely. Not she is in a crate with a heater on her with food and water as she can't use one leg.
In EVERY case I have seen in my flock (around 10 at least) the birds slowly get worse until they can no longer use either legs and have to be put-down. I have tried vitamin/electrolyte water, scrambled eggs, and bringing them inside. Some last longer than others. It doesn't act like mareks.

I'm not saying this is what your bird has, a lot of birds have gone partially paralyzed and been healed with good food, natural remedies (I've heard of this working), special enclosures (that prop them up), ect.

I don't know if it is genetic, environmental, chemical or what. I hope yours gets better. Keep up the vitamin water and special care and he might make a turn around!

Thanks for the reply - he did indeed die. He seemed to be brighter in the evening but was dead by morning.

 

[QuackSpeak]

I'm sorry

 

[boskelli1571]

I'm sorry

Thanks, he was a cuddly little fellow...

 

[QuackSpeak]

I'm so sorry..That's a horrible thing to go through...