Chicken lame/not walking.

[Throwaway1234]

Hey, guys.
I have a five month old chicken that isn’t walking. He was fine Saturday and then all of a sudden, he was walking on his hawks and then not at all. His feet are curling and he can’t control his legs below the hawk. He can sit up on them but he’s very shaky when he does. We’ve been to the vet a few times now and he is having some respiratory issues. Can anyone give me an idea of what this could be? How can I help my Tyson?

So far what we’ve checked for: Not Marek’s. We tested for it already. Not bumblefoot. On PolyViSol without iron, Starter feed, B complex, and a medicine for inflammation (will check when I get home). Getting Baytril, a B12 and B2 injection, a take home antibiotic, and just got off oxygen right now.

Thank you.

Update: Tyson is acting like he’s in pain when he puts weight on his left hip. He starts panting and flailing but is unable to stand past his haunches. Does this happen with deficiencies or are we looking at something like sciatica or the likes?

 

[All Ball]

Wow, that's a lot of stuff Tyson is getting. I had this happen to a hen earlier this year - after a few months she passed and the necropsy didn't find anything (even though she'd hatched with what appeared to be neurological defects - they found no lesions). I think she'd got it from being attacked by the other hens, but I don't know why the other hens turned on her after 5/6 years. After the attack, she was a bit unsteady and had what looked like a crooked spine (necropsy didn't find it tho), and would veer to the left when she ran. After several months, a chicken sitter found her lying on her side and after that she could not walk far and had trouble getting up on fully extended legs. Then she stopped being able to support herself at all, and spent the next 3 months as a sitting/lying chicken.

If your roo is around other roos, they may get into it and can get injured from fights.

Because chickens can be really resilient, and if it is from injuries, Tyson might recover with care and good nutrition. It's great you are giving B complex, and you might want to try E as well (that's what I got from reading around this site). My little one did not have respiratory issues - that can be a pretty bad sign unless it's bacterial that the Baytril can kill off.

You might want to search here for making a support for him - there are homemade chicken "wheelchairs" or supports you can make with cloth, metal binder clips, and a cardboard box. My little one didn't like it very much, but it gave her time up, she could curl her feet around a bar underneath her, and she could look out the window at the other chickens. I also tried stretching and massaging her feet/legs regularly.

Here are some threads I found helpful (I am a bit of an obsessive researcher so I also have a doc full of notes but it's not synthesized, just raw notes on various cases): - @Eggcessive has experience in this situation and is one of the most responsive people on health issues on this site.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...tumbling-no-balance-sitting-on-hocks.1342324/
https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...er-hens-now-off-balance.1398998/post-22959551
https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...is-the-chance-of-mareks.1338704/post-21957518
https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...lance-issues-lethargic.1218421/#post-19470235
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/hen-having-seizures-please-help.1432652/page-3
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/meriks-or-vitamin-b-definceny.1271983/
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/center-of-gravity-off.1340715/#post-21968692
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/my-necropsy-confirms-ae.40934/page-2
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/chicken-wheelchair-needed-for-paralyzed-hen.1343668/page-2
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/chicken-wheelchairs.1266428/
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/versions-of-chick-chairs-please.1166308/
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/possible-chicken-stroke-any-advice.1273339/#post-20472006
And other sites:
https://sites.google.com/a/larsencreek.com/chicken-orthopedics/
http://www.poultrydvm.com/cases/neptune-the-chicken

 

[Eggcessive]

What type of test was done for Mareks? At 5 months old, that is a typical age for symptoms of Mareks to show up. If you are using the B complex, you probably do not need the Polyvisol. Is he eating and drinking? Can you describe the respiratory symptoms?

 

[Throwaway1234]

Wow, that's a lot of stuff Tyson is getting. I had this happen to a hen earlier this year - after a few months she passed and the necropsy didn't find anything (even though she'd hatched with what appeared to be neurological defects - they found no lesions). I think she'd got it from being attacked by the other hens, but I don't know why the other hens turned on her after 5/6 years. After the attack, she was a bit unsteady and had what looked like a crooked spine (necropsy didn't find it tho), and would veer to the left when she ran. After several months, a chicken sitter found her lying on her side and after that she could not walk far and had trouble getting up on fully extended legs. Then she stopped being able to support herself at all, and spent the next 3 months as a sitting/lying chicken.

If your roo is around other roos, they may get into it and can get injured from fights.

Because chickens can be really resilient, and if it is from injuries, Tyson might recover with care and good nutrition. It's great you are giving B complex, and you might want to try E as well (that's what I got from reading around this site). My little one did not have respiratory issues - that can be a pretty bad sign unless it's bacterial that the Baytril can kill off.

You might want to search here for making a support for him - there are homemade chicken "wheelchairs" or supports you can make with cloth, metal binder clips, and a cardboard box. My little one didn't like it very much, but it gave her time up, she could curl her feet around a bar underneath her, and she could look out the window at the other chickens. I also tried stretching and massaging her feet/legs regularly.

Here are some threads I found helpful (I am a bit of an obsessive researcher so I also have a doc full of notes but it's not synthesized, just raw notes on various cases): - @Eggcessive has experience in this situation and is one of the most responsive people on health issues on this site.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...tumbling-no-balance-sitting-on-hocks.1342324/
https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...er-hens-now-off-balance.1398998/post-22959551
https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...is-the-chance-of-mareks.1338704/post-21957518
https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...lance-issues-lethargic.1218421/#post-19470235
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/hen-having-seizures-please-help.1432652/page-3
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/meriks-or-vitamin-b-definceny.1271983/
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/center-of-gravity-off.1340715/#post-21968692
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/my-necropsy-confirms-ae.40934/page-2
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/chicken-wheelchair-needed-for-paralyzed-hen.1343668/page-2
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/chicken-wheelchairs.1266428/
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/versions-of-chick-chairs-please.1166308/
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/possible-chicken-stroke-any-advice.1273339/#post-20472006
And other sites:
https://sites.google.com/a/larsencreek.com/chicken-orthopedics/
http://www.poultrydvm.com/cases/neptune-the-chicken

He’s having issues curling his toes or I’d do the wheelchair asap. He was injured previously and then brought into the house where I became a little obsessed with him. He was completely fine until Saturday and then all of a sudden, he wasn’t walking. Today, he’s panting and his back keeps spamming whenever he lays wrong so I think he pulled something or has a pinched nerve maybe? Is it possible for them to recover from this or am I just prolonging his suffering? I am so scared I’ll have to put him down. My heart is breaking because I don’t know what to do for my boy.

 

[Throwaway1234]

What type of test was done for Mareks? At 5 months old, that is a typical age for symptoms of Mareks to show up. If you are using the B complex, you probably do not need the Polyvisol. Is he eating and drinking? Can you describe the respiratory symptoms?

I’m not sure. The vet ran two tests and both came back negative. He is eating and drinking. The vet said the respiratory issue was at the front of his lungs with a slight wheezing sound. Nothing bad according to her but we wanted to nip it in the bud since he has other issues we’re worried about getting worse or him weakening. His take home antibiotic is .35 mL of Doxycycline every 24 hours.

 

[All Ball]

If you look at the links I provided, there were some that did recover from some pretty severe things. On the other hand, a lot did not and he may not recover. We each have to make a decision on whether the animal seems to be suffering/quality of life vs. giving them the time for a possible recovery. For my little girl, she didn't seem to be suffering that much, and enjoyed laying in my lap, getting warm baths, and getting my preening massages, so I kept on until she slowly dwindled and went. Your guy seems to be having a harder time, and has had to deal with all the doctor interventions and medicines and stuff. You never know. I know how hard it is to not know and to have to make such momentous decisions. Just know you are doing your best and you obviously care and have tried.

 

[Eggcessive]

Mareks testing can only be done by specialty labs on blood, feather shafts or tumor tissue. RAL in Texas is one of a few that do it. State vets can do a necropsy, and they may see signs of Mareks, such as small nodules or tumors on organs or enlarged sciatic nerves in the legs.

 

[Throwaway1234]

Mareks testing can only be done by specialty labs on blood, feather shafts or tumor tissue. RAL in Texas is one of a few that do it. State vets can do a necropsy, and they may see signs of Mareks, such as small nodules or tumors on organs or enlarged sciatic nerves in the legs.

Yes. They used the Kissimmee lab in Florida. This was our second vet visit and we’ll probably have a third in another week if there’s no improvement.

 

[Throwaway1234]

Update: He’s eating and drinking normally but he’s favoring laying on his left side. If I tilt him to the right, he starts flailing and panting. As soon as he’s off it, he acts fine. Could this be a spinal/joint injury? How do I ask the vet to check for that? X-ray or CT scan or…?