Chicken has no balance

[deerslayer6]

We were away for a couple of days and tonight when doing a head count we noticed that one of the sapphire gems was sitting in the poop box. She tried to stand up but keeps tipping over. We put her in a bin and brought her in the house. She did eat some but did not drink. She stands up but keeps tipping over. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Her feathers look like she was ruffed up by something. We checked her over but didn't find anything obviously wrong with her.

 

[azygous]

That can be a symptom of toxic poisoning or the beginnings of an avian virus causing paralysis.

How old is this chicken? Was anyone looking after the flock in your absence? You need to ask them what they gave the chickens to eat or if they may have sprayed for ants or something.

 

[deerslayer6]

They were being looked after. Nothing was sprayed or anything like that. She is about 7 months old. She is standing , but when she tries to move she tips over. She is not lying down to sleep.

 

[Eggcessive]

Make sure that she is drinking well in case of dehydration. Electrolytes would be good. I would continue to observe her. Was she vaccinated for Mareks or anything else? Have you added any new birds to the flock recently?

 

[azygous]

This could be lymphoid leucosis or Marek's. My money is on the first one. I have it in my flock and recently battled it with three pullets around the same age as your pullet. I lost the battle. I documented all my treatments in this thread. https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...update-now-another-pullet-going-lame.1432738/

There is no way to tell for sure this is the cause of her balance issues unless she dies and you get a necropsy. There is no cure for this is this is what she has.

However, there is a small chance it's just a riboflavin (B-2) deficiency. You can try treating her for this and see if it improves her condition. Give one whole tablet directly into her beak or a B-complex tablet containing B-2. Give one each day for a couple weeks. In addition, it won't hurt to also give her one vitamin E 400iu capsule each day along with a sliver of selenium. It may help with a possible neurological cause. If there's no improvement, chances are it's an avian virus.

 

[deerslayer6]

Make sure that she is drinking well in case of dehydration. Electrolytes would be good. I would continue to observe her. Was she vaccinated for Mareks or anything else? Have you added any new birds to the flock recently?

No new birds. We bought them from Running's, not sure but I think they are vaccinated when you get them there.

 

[deerslayer6]

Is the rest of the flock in jeopardy of catching any of this?

 

[deerslayer6]

Well we kept Her inside for two days. The first day she seemed a little better and today she somehow made a miraculous recovery and could not wait to get back out with the flock. We are new to this so I have no idea what was going on with her, but very happy to see her doing well. Thank you to everyone that responded. We greatly appreciate the advice and help. God bless.

 

[Eggcessive]

Glad that she is better.