Can't hold up her head!

petitelune

Hatching
Jan 15, 2016
1
0
7
So this morning I went down to the coop to let the girls out and found one of my ladies laying on her back, legs in the air. I ran into her thinking she was dead to find her blinking at me. Her legs were cold to the touch. I picked her up and her neck was completely limp. She cannot hold her head up. I brought her into the house and checked her for injuries. Non. I've given her Pedialyte, water and a protein shake. Very little improvement. She's in the house tonight. Need advice, I adore her!
 
I'm sorry your girl is hurt. A couple of pictures would be helpful.
Did she fall from the roost or fly into a wall?
What other symptoms does she exhibit?
Do her feet work, can she "grasp" your fingers with her feet, can she stand, is she lying down, did the feet warm up or are they still cold, is she alert, in shock, lethargic?
Yes, keep her inside in a warm quiet place so you can keep an eye on her.

How old is she??
 
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So this morning I went down to the coop to let the girls out and found one of my ladies laying on her back, legs in the air. I ran into her thinking she was dead to find her blinking at me. Her legs were cold to the touch. I picked her up and her neck was completely limp. She cannot hold her head up. I brought her into the house and checked her for injuries. Non. I've given her Pedialyte, water and a protein shake. Very little improvement. She's in the house tonight. Need advice, I adore her!
Welcome to BYC. Does your hen move her legs or wings? How old is she? Was she vaccinated for Mareks disease? If she moves her legs and wings, then I would suspect that she has wry neck or possibly could have Mareks disease.
If she cannot move her legs or wings, then I would suspect she could have botulism a disease from eating a toxin produced by dead animal remains or, maggot, or buried vegetation (as in a compost bed.) Mold in feed or poisoning could also cause those symptoms. Is she drinking or eating? Giving her fluids with electrolytes (or Gatorade, Pedialyte) would be very good to do. Here is some reading about botulism and Mareks disease:
http://www.thepoultrysite.com/diseaseinfo/19/botulism/
https://extension.unh.edu/resources/files/Resource000791_Rep813.pdf
https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/the-great-big-giant-mareks-disease-faq
 

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