Chicken gone lame

[Eggcessive]

Asking if she had ever laid an egg was a good question, in my opinion. Sometimes a hen may become egg bound which can lead to a temporary nerve paralysis. Also the pullet just recently became lame, and some birds lay as early as 16 weeks.

 

[LestersFlat]

So just now came up with another theory...

I found a dead hen out in the coop today. As they are now fenced, and there were no tracks in the snow suggesting another animal had gotten in there, I think it is the one young, large cockerel who is the problem. She had no blood on her I could see, I think she was just beat to death.

I will separate him and see what happens. He was the one I was going to give to my neighbor, not my sick girl. I think I said if she was a roo she would have gone to him rather than come into the basement.

I was cleaning her up today, little spa treatment. She has not yet laid an egg, but the others aren't really laying either because it's that time of year. We are only getting 1 or 2 eggs a day from 14 hens. I did gently feel around to see if there was maybe an egg stuck in there and could not feel anything, but in spending extra time trying to clean her dirty bum, I felt bones that did not seem to be in the right place. Both legs seem fine as far as the bones are concerned, but further back where they attach to her body did not feel right.

She is still eating and drinking, but I ran out of the vitamins I was giving her, so she is just having regular feed, some Nutri-Drench on the feed, and some cut up cranberries because I read on here that cranberries are a possible natural remedy for Marek's.

Now I am thinking it might be that she was just beat up by the young roo as well. She is not getting any better. Her comb has turned a very pale pink, and her poo has gone really runny. I will call the vet tech again tomorrow. She is not a specialist in avians at all, just works at my vet's office and runs a farm that has some chickens. I may bring the hen in there and ask them if they feel what I am feeling on her back end. I will also ask what she knows about Marek's, and what they would charge to cull her (because I just can't) and send her body off for testing.

If she is not going to get any better, I don't want to just keep her in the basement forever. Her eyes are still bright enough, but she is not a happy henny.

 

[Chick-N-Fun]

I am so sorry about your loss and about your sweet girl! Bear hugs and good luck!

 

[Wyorp Rock]

I think it is the one young, large cockerel who is the problem. She had no blood on her I could see, I think she was just beat to death.

I'm sorry to hear about the loss of your other pullet. She may have been beaten by the cockerel, you never know, but I would have expected to see some blood - any ripped neck feathers, bloody comb, etc. I've had a hen beaten up a bit before and it's evident.

Either way, keeping him separated so you can observe his behavior is a good idea. If he is very young, he may calm down or he could get worse.

It's sad this youngster is not getting better. I agree, getting testing would give you the best answers. If you still have the body of the one you lost, refrigerate it and see if she can be included as well. I'm not sure how Cornell operates, each state lab is different, but NC will necropsy/test up to 8 birds for one fee.

 

[LestersFlat]

If you compare this pic of the hen with the one from a couple weeks ago, you can see her comb is now very pale. I think the bits of black are frostbite from when she was still in the coop. And the other pic shows the rooster (black and white one in the front) who I think could be the problem. He is quite large, and very rough with the girls. The black hen right next to him is a full size black Australorp. The smaller roo behind him is closer to a full size roo, but a bit younger.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

View attachment 1670305 View attachment 1670304
If you compare this pic of the hen with the one from a couple weeks ago, you can see her comb is now very pale. I think the bits of black are frostbite from when she was still in the coop. And the other pic shows the rooster (black and white one in the front) who I think could be the problem. He is quite large, and very rough with the girls. The black hen right next to him is a full size black Australorp. The smaller roo behind him is closer to a full size roo, but a bit younger.

Well, comparing her to one that has not been sick...the BA looks like she could be ready to lay or is laying.
Your sick girl is not laying eggs and she's sick - so I would expect a pale comb.

If your mixed barred cockerel is rough with the girls, then remove him. House him separately and see if his behavior improves when he matures or send him to freezer camp.
You have another cockerel in the mix, competition for a small number of pullets/hens could likely increase aggression.

Way in the back - do you have another cockerel too? So 3 total or am I seeing things?

 

[LestersFlat]

Yes, good eye, 3 total. The 2 in the front were just born in the summer. I was waiting to see how they worked out, and up until now there was no problem. My big rooster in the back is a keeper, never a problem. The 2 in the front are probably both going to "freezer camp" as soon as my Greek neighbor comes back up, I think this weekend. In the meantime I will just remove him to see if that helps.

 

[LestersFlat]

I have made a decision after talking to the vet tech again that I am going to end this hen's life since I cannot do it on my own after caring for her for 6 weeks. I talked with the tech about Marek's, and she said they do see cases of it up here (central NY) but it costs $300 for the necropsy and I am not willing to pay that. I will have them feel around her legs and back end and see if they can determine the cause, but I don't think it's worth getting an x-ray either because I am not going to do anything if there are broken bones, or dislocated parts.

After finding the dead hen in the coop on Sunday, and then yesterday finding my Buff Orp rooster with a bloody head, I am convinced that the Barred mix roo is the problem. I tried to catch him yesterday to separate him but was unsuccessful. Winter ice/snow storm, grumpy me and hub because we both had to work, the best I could do was lock up the Orp roo in the crate he was hiding in to keep him safe overnight.

I will make another effort today to lock up the bad guy, but I think I know now that he is the source of all my woes.

My thanks to all of you for talking me through this. I truly appreciate it!

 

[Wyorp Rock]

I have made a decision after talking to the vet tech again that I am going to end this hen's life since I cannot do it on my own after caring for her for 6 weeks. I talked with the tech about Marek's, and she said they do see cases of it up here (central NY) but it costs $300 for the necropsy and I am not willing to pay that. I will have them feel around her legs and back end and see if they can determine the cause, but I don't think it's worth getting an x-ray either because I am not going to do anything if there are broken bones, or dislocated parts.

After finding the dead hen in the coop on Sunday, and then yesterday finding my Buff Orp rooster with a bloody head, I am convinced that the Barred mix roo is the problem. I tried to catch him yesterday to separate him but was unsuccessful. Winter ice/snow storm, grumpy me and hub because we both had to work, the best I could do was lock up the Orp roo in the crate he was hiding in to keep him safe overnight.

I will make another effort today to lock up the bad guy, but I think I know now that he is the source of all my woes.

My thanks to all of you for talking me through this. I truly appreciate it!

I'm sorry she is not improving. Making the decision to put her down, I'm sure is hard, but you are taking her quality of life (and yours) into consideration.

I agree $300 for a necropsy is very expensive and I would not do that either.

If you are having trouble catching the Barred Roo, wait until dark and he is roosting. Should be easy to get him then, cage him until you decide what to do with him. I don't know if you are opposed to it, but he's fairly young and would make a nice meal.

I'm sorry the outcome of this is not positive, but you have done a good job taking care of her and have done all that you can.

 

[Eggcessive]

Have you called the state vet directly and spoken to a pathologist? I was always under the impression that necropsies in my state were expensive until I finally called and talked to a vet. They make a discount on backyard chickens sometimes, so good to mention. Also in some states, they are so worried about AI (bird flu) or Newcastles, that some will test them for free. Many state labs do send a specimen to another lab for confirmation of Mareks, and there may be an additional cost. Texas A&M used to do them for $30. So, I would make a few calls before you give up on a necropsy. I usually do my own necropsies when I lose a chicken, and sometimes Mareks can have some obvious signs that may be seen. So pictures can help so others can look at them to offer opinions.