Chicken can't stand or walk, paralyzed??

[Gotalotofpetstoo]

So I'm getting really confused reading so many things about night time lights. Should I leave a lamp on dim for Ethel at night or not? The way her schedule and our schedule works is she stays in her cage overnight and her cage is in a room that turns daylight when the sun comes up. Then usually between 10:00 a.m. and 11:00 a.m. she goes to her outside pen and stays there all day. She comes in about dark, sometimes a little before, sometimes a little after, and she goes into her nighttime cage. The room usually has a light on until between 10:00 and 11:00. P.m.. We have a lamp above her cage that we have been leaving on dim at night but now I'm wondering if she needs a light at night or if she needs the total darkness to be able to sleep? Below are a few video clips of her behavior that was concerning me tonight, actually this was at 3:30 a.m.. I'm just wondering if the change in light in the room or me coming back and forth checking on her has got her agitated maybe? Or if it looks like they might be something else going on?

@Wyorp Rock @Allsfairinloveandbugs
@azygous

https://photos.app.goo.gl/b25axNHy6AkMGMXK7

https://photos.app.goo.gl/zM8qXsh3EXB345FR7

https://photos.app.goo.gl/t1Ujh9aXUTxpj1TZ6

https://photos.app.goo.gl/DPjf7BrVvn8xM7TZA

 

[Bkaye]

I am going to call them tomorrow, but so I don't sound too stupid, how does one get a blood sample from a chicken?

Exactly how @Allsfairinloveandbugs said. We clipped a toe nail a little past the quick and dropped 3 drops in the supplied package. Then stopped the bleeding with cornstarch. I am in eastern nc, I overnighted the package Tuesday afternoon. They have to receive the package at their facility by 11:00am their time iirc to process the same day. They received the package Wednesday afternoon and by 5:00pm Thursday I had my results.

When we called they didn’t answer but returned our phone call. I’d suggest to call with any questions you have. It was a very simple process and I am very glad we did it.

 

[Bkaye]

So I'm getting really confused reading so many things about night time lights. Should I leave a lamp on dim for Ethel at night or not? The way her schedule and our schedule works is she stays in her cage overnight and her cage is in a room that turns daylight when the sun comes up. Then usually between 10:00 a.m. and 11:00 a.m. she goes to her outside pen and stays there all day. She comes in about dark, sometimes a little before, sometimes a little after, and she goes into her nighttime cage. The room usually has a light on until between 10:00 and 11:00. P.m.. We have a lamp above her cage that we have been leaving on dim at night but now I'm wondering if she needs a light at night or if she needs the total darkness to be able to sleep? Below are a few video clips of her behavior that was concerning me tonight, actually this was at 3:30 a.m.. I'm just wondering if the change in light in the room or me coming back and forth checking on her has got her agitated maybe? Or if it looks like they might be something else going on?

@Wyorp Rock @Allsfairinloveandbugs
@azygous

https://photos.app.goo.gl/b25axNHy6AkMGMXK7

https://photos.app.goo.gl/zM8qXsh3EXB345FR7

https://photos.app.goo.gl/t1Ujh9aXUTxpj1TZ6

https://photos.app.goo.gl/DPjf7BrVvn8xM7TZA

I’d suggest turning the light off, make the lighting as natural as possible so she gets up with it’s normally getting light out and going to bed when it’s normally getting dark out. Any light left in and she will continue to eat and move about.

 

[Allsfairinloveandbugs]

Her behavior at night on her roost looks perfectly normal to me. Normally several minutes of video watching a hen perched on a roost at night might be "boring", but the fact that the hen is Ethel is simply incredible! Fyi in the video where she is preening, you may have noticed her reach backwards with her beak to just in front of her tail. She was reaching for her oil gland, which chickens use to clean/oil their feathers when they preen. The oil gland is a "bump" that is easily felt and seen too if feathers are parted.

I agree with @Bkaye that natural light is best.
While one might assume that with a blind chicken natural/artificial lighting doesn't matter, but that's not true. Chickens sense light with the pineal gland in their head, so even a blind chicken is able to sense light changes.
https://www.val-co.com/10-interesting-facts-chicken-vision/

 

[mrskenmore]

Can I just say that I cannot believe this is the same chicken that is in the beginning of this thread? The progress you have had with her is just so unbelievable, even in the videos you would not know the struggle she had and is overcoming. She looks like a regular chicken perched at night on her favorite roost! Seconding the comment with natural light, chickens are circadian and will respond well to that natural rhythm of sunup to sundown. That is how they put themselves to bed at night! Also, wanted to comment that the perch you have for her is perfect in building her strength by the balancing she has to do. Really great idea!

 

[Allsfairinloveandbugs]

Can I just say that I cannot believe this is the same chicken that is in the beginning of this thread? The progress you have had with her is just so unbelievable, even in the videos you would not know the struggle she had and is overcoming. She looks like a regular chicken perched at night on her favorite roost!

I agree. It's like seeing a miracle!

@Gotalotofpetstoo , something i've meant to comment on is the date on the Naturewise feed tag that you posted earlier. The date was 11/2022. If you are still feeding from that bag, some nutritional value has likely been lost by now. Rule of thumb is to try and use feed within 2-4 months of manufacture date. Not necessarily a big deal to be feeding 4-5 month old feed for healthy chickens, but since you are trying to put weight on Ethel, the date could matter. I check feed tag dates every single time I purchase feed, and usually am able to buy very fresh feed 2 weeks after manufacture.

 

[Gotalotofpetstoo]

I agree. It's like seeing a miracle!

@Gotalotofpetstoo , something i've meant to comment on is the date on the Naturewise feed tag that you posted earlier. The date was 11/2022. If you are still feeding from that bag, some nutritional value has likely been lost by now. Rule of thumb is to try and use feed within 2-4 months of manufacture date. Not necessarily a big deal to be feeding 4-5 month old feed for healthy chickens, but since you are trying to put weight on Ethel, the date could matter. I check feed tag dates every single time I purchase feed, and usually am able to buy very fresh feed 2 weeks after manufacture.

Thank you for pointing that out. That is the feed, or what is left of the bag that is being fed to my mother's other chickens that are still all doing just fine. Ethel is on a new different feed, not for layers, so her bag is new and fresh.

 

[Gotalotofpetstoo]

Her behavior at night on her roost looks perfectly normal to me. Normally several minutes of video watching a hen perched on a roost at night might be "boring", but the fact that the hen is Ethel is simply incredible! Fyi in the video where she is preening, you may have noticed her reach backwards with her beak to just in front of her tail. She was reaching for her oil gland, which chickens use to clean/oil their feathers when they preen. The oil gland is a "bump" that is easily felt and seen too if feathers are parted.

I agree with @Bkaye that natural light is best.
While one might assume that with a blind chicken natural/artificial lighting doesn't matter, but that's not true. Chickens sense light with the pineal gland in their head, so even a blind chicken is able to sense light changes.
https://www.val-co.com/10-interesting-facts-chicken-vision/

Thank you for that information. I'm glad to know that she wasn't just aggravated and picking at herself. And I'm also very thankful you told me about the oil gland, that puts my mind at ease. And we will start leaving the light off at night and letting her get the effects of the natural lighting. We just started her deworming process this morning by putting 69 ml of the safeguard in with her tube feeding formula. Since we are two feeding her once a day now. I'm going to watch her weight very closely and hopefully this deworming will help her start putting on some weight. She seems to be eating very well.

 

[mrskenmore]

She is doing great-eating well, showing interest in things and preening are great signs! Really really remarkable progress in only 6 weeks. It is incredible!

Go Ethel Go!

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Actually I'd be inclined to leave her as is for a while longer since she's doing so well. If you do decide to make some changes to her sleep/wake cycle, then make the change gradual.

She's doing really well! I'm glad to see it