Hi there,
I am trying to diagnosed a 1 year + Leg Horn hen who I found last night while locking up in a strange location just sitting on the ground with her head just kinds of hanging but her eyes were open. I picked her up to take her to the coop--upon arrival and setting her down I immediately realized that she had a bad sense of balance. So I gently picked her back up and she released what I believe was a portion of yolk ( no more than 1 TBSP) I though it was very strange since I did think I had alarmed her in any way. I inspected her vent and it looked normal. I put her in a hay lined box in a secure location while I finished my lock -up chores (no more than 10 minutes).When I came back, she seemed to have progressed rapidly--eyes were shut, neck hanging (but not twisting) and a marked decrease in her ability to stand...my thoughts: perhaps the excitement of me moving her around made her even more exhausted. I went to grab some books and see if I could figure out what is wrong--I came to a few sections which cover botulism. Since our hens do live in a barn--mice, horse and goat droppings I thought it was likely that she could have ingested some "bad" maggots or perhaps a drowned mouse somewhere. The resources I had available recommended that I try to flush her system with an Epsom mixture (1 tsp salts to 1/2c water =5ml) . So, I carefully used a large syringe and slowly dripped the Epsom down her through stopped after every half cc to allow her to breath and make sure it was not entering her windpipe. I must note that prior to beginning the flush, i noticed a slight rattle or awkward noise in her through every time she tried to say something. This morning (the morning after) she is still alive but its seems that she is worse, total paralysis--but still breathing. Her eye lids appear to paralyzed as well. The book I am reading recommends doing the flush 2 times a day for 3 days. The issue is the flush obviously did its job, because I found that her underside was entirely soiled--requiring that I wash her to maintain sanitation. Her comb is warm and bright red, her feather are not yet easy to pull, and her neck seems to be paralyzed. I will get a picture asap and post. Any suggestions or thoughts, Id appreciate it!
I am trying to diagnosed a 1 year + Leg Horn hen who I found last night while locking up in a strange location just sitting on the ground with her head just kinds of hanging but her eyes were open. I picked her up to take her to the coop--upon arrival and setting her down I immediately realized that she had a bad sense of balance. So I gently picked her back up and she released what I believe was a portion of yolk ( no more than 1 TBSP) I though it was very strange since I did think I had alarmed her in any way. I inspected her vent and it looked normal. I put her in a hay lined box in a secure location while I finished my lock -up chores (no more than 10 minutes).When I came back, she seemed to have progressed rapidly--eyes were shut, neck hanging (but not twisting) and a marked decrease in her ability to stand...my thoughts: perhaps the excitement of me moving her around made her even more exhausted. I went to grab some books and see if I could figure out what is wrong--I came to a few sections which cover botulism. Since our hens do live in a barn--mice, horse and goat droppings I thought it was likely that she could have ingested some "bad" maggots or perhaps a drowned mouse somewhere. The resources I had available recommended that I try to flush her system with an Epsom mixture (1 tsp salts to 1/2c water =5ml) . So, I carefully used a large syringe and slowly dripped the Epsom down her through stopped after every half cc to allow her to breath and make sure it was not entering her windpipe. I must note that prior to beginning the flush, i noticed a slight rattle or awkward noise in her through every time she tried to say something. This morning (the morning after) she is still alive but its seems that she is worse, total paralysis--but still breathing. Her eye lids appear to paralyzed as well. The book I am reading recommends doing the flush 2 times a day for 3 days. The issue is the flush obviously did its job, because I found that her underside was entirely soiled--requiring that I wash her to maintain sanitation. Her comb is warm and bright red, her feather are not yet easy to pull, and her neck seems to be paralyzed. I will get a picture asap and post. Any suggestions or thoughts, Id appreciate it!
