Broken leg won't eat

[amyduck]

Yes, I'm reading the article and that's where I read about the B-2 and lead...
My hen first showed toe curling when we went out to check on them around 4:30 on Monday. We kept both inside on M, T, W nights... since it was so cold, and will do so again tonight because I think last night was a little harder on her, but she wanted to go into the coop so we let them. The good news is that all along, the rest of her has seemed just fine (appetite, poop, etc.) she just sits alot, but he had been anyway since she's pretty old and had an old leg injury. But I'm happy to say she seems to be getting better... sometimes her toes are curled up and she walks that way, but more and more, all or all but one toe are out! I had been massaging and stretching them...(and even massaged in a light bit of essential oils I have for my knee - probably didn't make it past her scales! But it gave me something to do and made me feel better! )
As soon as I read the article above, I gave her some sardines with b complex sprinkled on top and I'm going to go buy some B-2 in a bit. If it's the lead, then it will be more complicated!

 

[amyduck]

I had another hen I took to Davis... and she came back with somewhat high lead... so that could certainly be the case here. I initially thought it was the cold and wet that brought it on... if its Mareks maybe that's the case. Of course, I'm hoping it's the B...
Thanks!

 

[amyduck]

Call Davis, they should be there or will call you back if you leave them a message asking for the Fedex #

 

[hansolo]

Give her the best support you can. Sometimes we may never know (until necropsy).
I read some do survive Mareks so there is hope even it is the case. Every chicken is different. Try cooked eggs, yogurt, meal worm, etc. Fermented grains/legumes/feeds are also good stuff. Even just soaked for a couple of days can be beneficial. Hope a full recovery for her.

I had another hen I took to Davis... and she came back with somewhat high lead... so that could certainly be the case here. I initially thought it was the cold and wet that brought it on... if its Mareks maybe that's the case. Of course, I'm hoping it's the B...
Thanks!

 

[hansolo]

Hi All,
Necropsy results is back and Marek's is confirmed.
It was still shocking to us as she acted so normal until 7 days prior, normal feeding behavior, poos, egg laying seemed regular. We observe our small flock fairly closely and they are pretty spoiled in terms of access, cleanliness, and nutrition. It seems difficult to catch any chicken sickness before things can't be turned around.
The Necropsy is definitely educational though and we are also grateful to West Valley's Vet. Dr. Brons and her staff.

 

[Eggcessive]

I am very sorry that the necropsy report came back positive for Mareks. That is something we all shudder just thinking about. Hopefully your other hens will be able to resist getting symptoms. I have not had to deal with it before, but I have read that some people use Virkon-S, an expensive disinfectant, which is a available by the tablet, to use in water for cleaning the coop area. It is available online for as little as $20 and at Amazon for more with free shipping:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0088OKF1E/?tag=backy-20

 

[amyduck]

I'm so sorry to hear that! Poor Buttercup - I'm sure you miss her! Thanks for letting us know. I hope your other hens remain okay, they probably miss her too! My hen is hanging in there, acting fine except for the foot, that sometimes curls up and sometimes doesn't - and sometimes it's just one toe... and when I see curled toes, I uncurl them. So it seems it's at least a little better. She's elderly, so I'm still keeping in the house when it rains and each night since it's been so cold and wet. Can't wait for the weather to let up. You know what I mean since you're near by! My other hen is by herself at night poor thing - and she's even been crowing in the morning!

 

[amyduck]

Just in case anyone stumbles upon this thread and has something similar as what happened with my hen, she is pretty much back to her old self. Once in a while her foot seems to curl up, but I don't have to uncurl it anymore. I've continued to give her sardines every few days with sprinkled vitamin B2 and make sure to have oyster shell available for her, in case it's either the lack of B-2 or some lead poisoning that caused the curling... I don't know enough about Mareks but since I've read they can live with it, maybe she has it, but is living with it.