chicken falling over and unbalanced...what's wrong?

[dansarahmartinez]

Yesterday I noticed one of our chickens apx. 15 wks old not moving much and when she did she waddled with her tail end on the ground. She's unbalanced and falls over and keeps waddling and tipping backwards. She seems alert but is not moving much because she just falls. She seems to be eating and drinking. She is still acting this way today. Does anyone know what could be wrong with her?

 

[ducksgoquack]

My baby duck was doing the same thing. I learned it was not getting enough vitamins. The forums here have good information about supplements and such. My Louise, is on the mend but she is still shaky.

 

[mccabe]

Aloha dansarah martinez, NO matter the problem...First thing: separate that chicken from the flock and isolate. Put in a safe, clean pen/cage with food and water. Now. There are a few possibilities. Do you have a place for them to dust? Could she be so covered with mites or ticks that she is sick? Check closely and if this is the case you can purchase a dusting powder at your local feed store. It is inexpensive and effective. Dust her whole body (avoid eyes), under the wings, around the vent. If she has bugs, they all have bugs and so does your coop or chicken area. So you will need to change nesting material and dust everything. I'm sure there are specific products for coop clean up, but all my life I have used a small amount of used oil, crankcase oil, and painted cracks, crevices and surfaces in the coop. I have also used a product called Kilz, which is a paint used to protect wood, kill mold and such. This is available at home supply places. On my island we have a HOme Depot that supplies Kilz. It dries quickly and is not harmful.

In the future provide a dusting box or let them roam where they can dust in a flower bed or ?? Anywhere they can dig down and throw dirt on themselves. Any good book at your library on raising chickens will explain how to create a dusting place.

If parasites are not the problem, it is probably a virus. There is a natural antibiotic, cheap, available at health food stores, called Silver. Comes with a dropper. I have had great success with this product. You can also purchase a dry powder of broad spectrum tetracycline at your local feed store. Mix as directed (it is cheap and lasts forever in dry form, however, must be made fresh every 24 hours) and replace her water with the antibiotic. If she is no longer drinking, use a dropper and gently get a dropper full down her. Then do the same for the healthy ones. If one has it, they all have it, or the potential to get it. She should show noticable improvement in just a day. Give her a full round, at least a week. As she improves, give her little extras--greens, a bit of fruit. In a few days she can go back with the flock, but continue to give everyone either a dose of the silver, or replace the drinking water with the tetracycline mix, for a week.

Even if she doesn't make it, keep close watch on the others and consider giving everyone a round of antibiotics. If she passes, bury her deep or triple bag her and dispose. Let's hope it doesn't come to this.

Chickens sometimes get sick and they are fragile. Just do your best. You obviously care about your flock. j mccabe

 

[dansarahmartinez]

So our chicken is not getting any better. Moving even less. She seems alert but can't move. Is this Merek's disease I have been seeing on other posts here? If it is, is there anything to do for her? And are all our other chickens going to get it now too? Don't know what to do...please any help or advice is greatly appreciated.

 

[x3aisha]

My chicken was doing the same thing and I thought she was going to die

but after an hour she stopped and started walking normally again.

She did the same thing the next day. I think she's trolling me.

I hope your baby gets better