Chicken cannot walk

[NOTALLROOS]

My Buff Orpington has not been able to stand or walk. I was force feeding her then she started eating and drinking on her own. But her crop still feels empty and although she appears fine otherwise, she is a skeleton under there. I have been giving her boiled eggs, tuna, kickin' chicken, chicken boost, Emergency 911 probiotics and vitamins, layena and oyster shell pulverized, cream of rice, meal worms. It has been going on for a week. I would normally take her to the vet, but I lost my job and thought I could nurse her back to health. She is in an insulated coop with a sweeter heater. It is warm and dry. None of the 3 chickens have laid a single egg since the heat wave this summer.

 

[NOTALLROOS]

My hen is about 4 years old. If it was Marek's wouldn't the other 2 chicken's have it too by now? I think they were inoculated at the hatchery as chicks.

 

[Eggcessive]

Several things can look like Mareks in a sick chicken, such as dehydration, being kept from food and water by the other chickens, an injury that has made it hard to walk to get food and water, and others. Toxins or poisons they have found to eat, mold that has suddenly appeared in the feed or scratch, or eating a dead animal that contains botulism toxin are others.

Chickens can develop internal infections and tumors which can press on the sciatic leg nerves, and that can also cause lameness. Are all your chickens 4 years old, or have you added any new birds recently? Most chickens with Mareks tend to be under a year old unless they have been exposed to a carrier. Do you have any pictures of her, that you can post, the way she looks lying down?

You could learn how to tube feed her to get more calories into her if you want to learn how. Here is a good thread with videos to learn:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/go-team-tube-feeding-updated-12-29-2019.805728/
I would look at this thread which has many designs for a homemade chicken sling, where you can get her upright and in front of food and water for periods throughout the day, and take her out at night to sleep:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/versions-of-chick-chairs-please.1166308/

 

[NOTALLROOS]

She is not in with the other two chickens. I had to deivide the coop when my other Buff colored chicken died (from fly strike - awful). The other two chickens are black and like birds of a feather, they flock together and they decided that the Buff chicken must die. The hens eat and drink next to each other, but they cannot get to her. I have been tube feeding her and she eats and drinks on her own. I leave the lights on until 11 pm to give her more time to consume calories. I invented a new way to hold her still for feeding. I was not able to hold her still and safely get the food in without her aspirating. For such a sick chicken she struggled and scratched like hell, I could not safely get the tube in... wrapping her in a towel did not help. So my solution was wrapping her legs and her wings loosely with something that would hold her, not hurt her, but mostly not slip or move if she tried to struggle. Works like a charm...cling wrap. I will post a picture later without the cling wrap.

 

[NOTALLROOS]

Her abdomen is swollen. I think she has Merek's, although she was allegedly vaccinated as a chick. I will take her to the vet and likely have her euthanized.

 

[Oolala]

My Buff Orpington has not been able to stand or walk. I was force feeding her then she started eating and drinking on her own. But her crop still feels empty and although she appears fine otherwise, she is a skeleton under there. I have been giving her boiled eggs, tuna, kickin' chicken, chicken boost, Emergency 911 probiotics and vitamins, layena and oyster shell pulverized, cream of rice, meal worms. It has been going on for a week. I would normally take her to the vet, but I lost my job and thought I could nurse her back to health. She is in an insulated coop with a sweeter heater. It is warm and dry. None of the 3 chickens have laid a single egg since the heat wave this summer.

Sometimes no matter how much you do its just all a guessing game which is the hardest part as you desperately try to make them better. I had a chicken that ate and ate but when she got sick and I picked her up she was all bones and died a week later which was such a shock. She had sour crop before that and the vet said she was egg bound so gave her antibiotics?? She recovered for about a month but then deterioted again quickly. It was so sad just watching her die.

 

[Eggcessive]

Her abdomen is swollen. I think she has Merek's, although she was allegedly vaccinated as a chick. I will take her to the vet and likely have her euthanized.

Is it her lower abdomen that is swollen, or her crop in her upper right chest? If her lower abdomen is swollen, it could be infection or tumor pressing on her leg nerves. Most times we don’t get an answer unless we do a necropsy or get the state vet do one. Hopefully it is not Mareks. Here is a link where you can send a blood serum sample for $20 to get a Mareks test, if you can call them and if your vet is willing to draw it:
http://www.vetdna.com/