Chicken not able to walk

[SouthernChickenMomma]

My friend's chicken from what I have been told has been limping for awhile now. They told me she hasn't laid an egg in about 4 months; it's October now. She was attacked by a hawk 4 months ago, but the rooster saved her, and they said no visible signs of injury. However, they noticed her limping about 2 weeks ago. I told them to isolate her and get her to the vet. Well by the time they got her to the vet, she stopped walking. The vet prescribed her a vitamine b complex, sulfadimethoxine, and an anti-inflammatory med. The doctor said she had no internal parasites.

She's eating a little a day and drinking water like crazy so her poop is basically diarrhea. She's still alert. Here are some questions:

1. How can we get her poop solid again?
2. Since we are giving b complex could we also give her the vit.E & Selenium goat paste, or is that only for wry neck? (She doesn't like poultry cell, so putting it in water.

Also, she was feeding her scrambled eggs, but she stopped eating them, not interested, so she take a little egg yolk. She also got 1ml of B12, to see if that would help.

 

[azygous]

Boiled rice is good for curbing diarrhea and it will also give the chicken a boost of energy.

I wouldn't give a chicken the goat paste as it may be too high in selenium for a chicken which needs only trace amounts to augment the absorption of vitamin E.

There is no need for a prescription for B-complex. B-100 complex from Walmart (if you're in the US) has the therapeutic amounts of B-2,6, and 12 that promote healing of nerve connections.

 

[SouthernChickenMomma]

Boiled rice is good for curbing diarrhea and it will also give the chicken a boost of energy.

I wouldn't give a chicken the goat paste as it may be too high in selenium for a chicken which needs only trace amounts to augment the absorption of vitamin E.

There is no need for a prescription for B-complex. B-100 complex from Walmart (if you're in the US) has the therapeutic amounts of B-2,6, and 12 that promote healing of nerve connections.

Is that liquid form or pill form, the B-100 complex? How much would i administer?

 

[azygous]

Pill form. You would pop the entire tablet into the beak. B-complex is water soluble and very difficult to overdose. It takes about four weeks or more to see improvement, so be patient.

 

[SouthernChickenMomma]

Pill form. You would pop the entire tablet into the beak. B-complex is water soluble and very difficult to overdose. It takes about four weeks or more to see improvement, so be patient.

Here is a silly question, can they swallow those pills without choking? They are pretty big.

 

[azygous]

Here's my tutorial on why chickens have an easier time swallowing a bulky pill than humans do.

We think chickens must have a problem swallowing a large pill just because we do. But their digestive process is different from ours. We begin the digestive process by chewing first, then swallowing. We aren't meant to swallow large chunks. We naturally choke.

Chickens don't have teeth for a good reason. They don't need them. Their digestive process begins after they swallow. The food goes directly into their crop without passing "Go", and then it trickles down into their gizzard where the "chewing" action goes into full swing.

Therefore, chickens can amaze us by swallowing things that we think would choke them, large pills included. But they actually have no problem. Slip the pill into the beak and you'll see it disappear like magic. Unless you don't get it far enough back on the tongue. Chickens can rival dogs and cats at firing a pill across the room like a guided missile, but it's not because they aren't able to swallow it easily.

 

[LizGio]

Do you only does once or once a day for 4 weeks @azygous

 

[azygous]

Yes, once a day.

I'm currently treating a hen with B-100 complex that was having trouble hopping onto her roosting perch. After just six days on a daily B-100 tablet, she has started to get on the perch again on her own. But I plan on continuing the B-complex for another week or so to make sure she's resolved her deficiency. She happens to be molting, so that may be a reason why this is occurring in her case.

 

[Aunt Angus]

Yes, once a day.

I'm currently treating a hen with B-100 complex that was having trouble hopping onto her roosting perch. After just six days on a daily B-100 tablet, she has started to get on the perch again on her own. But I plan on continuing the B-complex for another week or so to make sure she's resolved her deficiency. She happens to be molting, so that may be a reason why this is occurring in her case.

I have a hen who might benefit from this. She's been a lil on the weak side of normal for months now (after a broody spell and a hard molt).

Will it cause problems if she's not B deficient?

 

[azygous]

It shouldn't cause problems. B vitamins are common in grains and if a chicken gets more than they need, it just gets eliminated in the urates. It's very difficult to overdose on water soluble vitamins. I don't worry about it. You aren't likely to be giving them for more than a few weeks anyway.