Chicken can't stand or walk, paralyzed??

[Gotalotofpetstoo]

@Allsfairinloveandbugs
@mrskenmore
@azygous
@Wyorp Rock
So, I'm trying to keep a really close eye on Ethel for anymore lash eggs. So today I reached up in between her back legs to see if I could feel anything and I am feeling a hard mass of some sort. Same thing I felt months ago and posted on here about and most likely the same thing the vet felt when I took her in. Shortly after her visit I felt again and noticed it was gone. So that sort of ruled out a tumor. Now that she has started laying lash eggs, I'm wondering if that is another one coming again so soon after the last one. I know I can put a glove on and some petroleum jelly and put a finger in there to see what I feel, but am I going to hurt her? If I do anything wrong. It doesn't feel lumpy, feeling it from the outside, but it does feel hard, I didn't squeeze it too hard. In case it was an egg, it does feel somewhat egg shaped, and the more I was feeling of it the more she would stick her butt up in the air and her vent would start going in and out. Not sure if I should do anything or just let her lay whatever is in there? I have sent a message to a mobile avian vet inquiring about the implant so I'll see what she says hopefully in a day or two. Still not sure if I want to go that route but we'll see what she says.

 

[Quavo]

So my mom has small mini farm and she has some hens and a rooster. She had a stroke about 3 months ago so we're all trying to take care of her animals for her. My stepdad pointed out that one of the chickens had been laying under the ramp in the chicken coop for 4 days and not moving. On the 5th day, I went out there to check on her and she seems to be paralyzed. I brought her to my house and put her in a crate with some food and water. She is eating some and drinking but she does not move at all so we move her around to different spots in the cage several times a day. We also cut all the feathers underneath her around her vent because her poop had gotten caked on her when she was laying there for several days before I was alerted to the situation. We also have horses and they do go down and eat the horse feed that the horses drop. So I'm thinking possibly she got stepped on by 1 of the horses. I palpated her spine and as I got closer to her tail she squalked. Is there such thing as doing an x-ray on a chicken? I'm an animal lover but never saw myself falling in love with a chicken until we brought her up here and my husband named her Ethel. I've done a lot of reading and I'm thinking Marek's disease. Maybe? My mom has gotten her chickens from different places over the years. She's not a chicken farmer or anything of sorts. She just has a few chickens and collects the eggs. Another thing about this hen is that most of the time her beak is down in the ground but she does have the ability to lift her head. And her head is not twisted like what I read about wry neck. I feel like she's losing weight. I've never really held a chicken to know how their bones feel, but she just looks skinny looking at her breast bone. I have an appointment tomorrow morning for my mother's Great Pyrenees and I thought about taking the chicken with me but I know she will just tell me to put her to sleep. She's a country vet and knows farm animals well, but she's also very conservative. Any thoughts on what I can do to give this girl a chance would be greatly appreciated. Something else I noticed tonight is that when I held her in my lap upside down and stretched her legs, she would try to pull them back, not quickly or with any strength, but there is some resistance there. She has been at my house in the crate since Jan 3rd with little if any improvement. View attachment 3373001View attachment 3373002

I don't know if someone already said this, but maybe they're lethargic? I can't really tell but, my chicken Caramel had this happen. Did you see anything in their feces? If their is mucus and/or blood, I think I can figure it out. Reply back if her feces had any mucus or blood, I'll find out.

 

[Gotalotofpetstoo]

I don't know if someone already said this, but maybe they're lethargic? I can't really tell but, my chicken Caramel had this happen. Did you see anything in their feces? If their is mucus and/or blood, I think I can figure it out. Reply back if her feces had any mucus or blood, I'll find out.

Are you referring to what I just posted about the lash eggs? If so, No. Her poop has been normal for quite some time now.

 

[Quavo]

Are you referring to what I just posted about the lash eggs? If so, No. Her poop has been normal for quite some time now.

Oh, than it might take me sometime to find about, I've had chickens since about 2018/2019 , so if my information is wrong, please feel free to correct me!

 

[Quavo]

So, I'm sad. Ethel had another lash egg today. I pictured it below. Please anyone that has had experience with these or just knows enough about these, please tell me what I need to be watching for like really closely watching for. For. Obviously I know if she isn't eating well or starts losing weight or even if her poop starts looking odd. But what else can I really look for to know when we're headed for trouble? I mean, obviously she's having lash eggs so that's not good. But I'm assuming that she cannot just continue having them without something eventually going wrong? I was so hoping the first would be the only one.

Oh dear! Does she have an infection? Maybe salmonella or E.coli?

 

[Allsfairinloveandbugs]

I am going to defer to the others you tagged (or anybody else that knows) for their thoughts on the reappearance of the hard mass. Both @azygous and @Wyorp Rock have been helping people try to save their hens with reproductive issues for a very long time on this forum, and they will respond soon. The thread that @mrskenmore linked several posts ago mentioned cephalexin to treat bacterial salpingtitis. Cephalexin is one med i always keep on hand to treat skin or bone infections, but I had no idea it can be used to treat salpingtitis. You can order Cephalexin for fish from chewy.com if you want to try that route. Also, according to an article that was linked within the above thread, bacterial salpingtitis has layers like an onion when you cut the lash material open, while viral does not. If Ethel passes any more infection, cut it open. It will be obvious if the glob is layered like an onion, and in that case Cephalexin may work.

I don't think it will serve any purpose to try to palpate the mass through her vent unless she has an actual egg or lash egg stuck just inside her vent. It is good she is passing the lash material. A danger is if the infection grows too large to pass. The fact she is still acting normally is a really good sign too.

 

[Gotalotofpetstoo]

I am going to defer to the others you tagged (or anybody else that knows) for their thoughts on the reappearance of the hard mass. Both @azygous and @Wyorp Rock have been helping people try to save their hens with reproductive issues for a very long time on this forum, and they will respond soon. The thread that @mrskenmore linked several posts ago mentioned cephalexin to treat bacterial salpingtitis. Cephalexin is one med i always keep on hand to treat skin or bone infections, but I had no idea it can be used to treat salpingtitis. You can order Cephalexin for fish from chewy.com if you want to try that route. Also, according to an article that was linked within the above thread, bacterial salpingtitis has layers like an onion when you cut the lash material open, while viral does not. If Ethel passes any more infection, cut it open. It will be obvious if the glob is layered like an onion, and in that case Cephalexin may work.

I don't think it will serve any purpose to try to palpate the mass through her vent unless she has an actual egg or lash egg stuck just inside her vent. It is good she is passing the lash material. A danger is if the infection grows too large to pass. The fact she is still acting normally is a really good sign too.

I always have Cephalexin on hand for my dogs, I buy it online like you said. I'll have to read that again to see what the dosage would be. Mine are in capsule form and I know I have 500mg, not sure if I have 250mg though. Thanks for mentioning that and also thanks for mentioning about the onion layers, I will cut the next one open (well, maybe have my hubby do that part).

 

[mrskenmore]

Keep us posted, I think that article was very interesting and informative. I also think she could have an egg ready to lay too. You have restored her health in the past few months so now her reproductive track is up and running again.

 

[azygous]

I've give 500mg cephalexin with good results, but usually the dose is 250mg.

 

[Gotalotofpetstoo]

I've give 500mg cephalexin with good results, but usually the dose is 250mg.

So for Ethel, at 4# 2 oz, would you mix (1) 500mg Cephalexin with 1 teaspoon of water and 1 teaspoon of syrup and give ?? 1.4ml every 12 hours?