Chicken paralyzed? Not moving, but eating and drinking, hard crop too

[Rohini0821]

Have you applied some permethrin spray to her affected area with maggots? The permectrin ahould work. Her lying down, not being able to get up, is very bad, and if the maggots are not removed or treated, they will kill her. She could be lame due to Mareks disease or other problems. If you should lose her, since she is not drinking, you can get a necropsy and Mareks testing by your state poultry lab to find out what was causing her problems.

Yes I did apply the permethrin spray to her and I see a lot of dead smaller circular bugs appearing (good thing- theyre dead). I also keep inspecting her for maggots and plan to re-tweeze any i see. She has only poooped twice today but both times I sprayed her immediately and cleaned the area. Im afraid she might have meriks due to the loss of standing, although maybe a vitamin deficiency?

 

[Rohini0821]

The red thing is her cloaca which is out a bit, and it is called a prolapsed cloaca or vent if it was out more. Put some honey or ointment on it so that it doesn’t dry out. She looks really dirty from soiling herself and her foot look st have scally leg mites in the picture, but also has poop on it. Get her cleaned up in a warm soapy bath in the sink or in a large dishpan. Epsom salts is good, but dish soap is fine. Then apply the honey or ointment to her vent prolapse.

Her position of the leg forward, and lameness could possibly be Mareks disease, but for now, I would just treat her symptoms and give supportive care. Offer her chicken feed made wet with water, scrambled egg, tuna, or canned cat food pate, but mainly chicken feed.

Thank you! See update day 5 for detail on progress today. I didnt mention im keeping the cloaca moist with honey.

 

[Docdetective]

I have a pullet that was similar to this hen. She couldn’t walk either(she did heal from whatever it was) and got flystrike from pooping on herself and then flies laying eggs on her. Good job keeping her clean. At this point, keep her away from other chickens in case of Mereks, and if she doesn’t decline or die I would rule that out. Try giving her poultry electrolytes, too. I think my pullet was lacking something and that is why she didn’t walk. Keep hope though and she may pull through! Mine did and she was looking like this for a couple weeks.

 

[Rohini0821]

I have a pullet that was similar to this hen. She couldn’t walk either(she did heal from whatever it was) and got flystrike from pooping on herself and then flies laying eggs on her. Good job keeping her clean. At this point, keep her away from other chickens in case of Mereks, and if she doesn’t decline or die I would rule that out. Try giving her poultry electrolytes, too. I think my pullet was lacking something and that is why she didn’t walk. Keep hope though and she may pull through! Mine did and she was looking like this for a couple weeks.

Thank you for the kind words! Just checked on her and she is not looking well at all. Praying she pulls through the night, or if not passes quickly and peacefully.

She is not apart of my flock, she is my landlords/neighbors chicken. So my girls have never been with her in the same area. Although this experience has made me realize i need to pay more attention to my own flock to catch any signs before they worsen.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

She is making little gurgling noises every so often. First time I've heard her make any noise. She's eating her yogurt and strawberries today. No interest in water or the eggs.

It's very possible that the cause of her not being able to walk is Marek's. The disease is fairly common, sometimes a bird is able to "recover" after a while of supportive care, they will still be carriers of the disease.

The gurgling may be her crop not emptying. I would be checking that out.
I would try to encourage her to drink if she's not drinking well, then offer some wet feed.

Reproductive issues can also be a cause of a hen to have difficulty walking.

 

[HeatherKellyB]

I just wanted to make sure you received their replies. That's all Everyone that has been tagged or that has replied, will see any posts here, unless they unfollow it.
How's she's doing this morning?

 

[Eggcessive]

Be sure to use good biosecurity techniques of hand washing, changing shoes between her and your chickens, since Mareks is quite contagious. It is spread by the dander and feather dust. There could be other causes of lameness in the hen. A chicken sling might be a good way to get her upright, keep her out of droppings, and in front of food and water. She would need to be removed for periods of rest to lie down and sleep. Here are some examples and videos:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/versions-of-chick-chairs-please.1166308/

 

[Rohini0821]

Be sure to use good biosecurity techniques of hand washing, changing shoes between her and your chickens, since Mareks is quite contagious. It is spread by the dander and feather dust. There could be other causes of lameness in the hen. A chicken sling might be a good way to get her upright, keep her out of droppings, and in front of food and water. She would need to be removed for periods of rest to lie down and sleep. Here are some examples and videos:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/versions-of-chick-chairs-please.1166308/

Thank you so much for sharing. Unfortuantly, she passed away last night. I will most defiantly tell my landlord to check out his coop asap for bugs and potentially Mareks. This has also made me realize i need to be more proactive with my own flock. I never went around them when dealing with this sick one the past week in case she did have a contagious disease like mareks.

 

[Rohini0821]

I just wanted to make sure you received their replies. That's all Everyone that has been tagged or that has replied, will see any posts here, unless they unfollow it.
How's she's doing this morning?

Yes, you all have been so helpful! Poor girl, who I called Marilyn, passed away last night. At least she's comfortable now and no longer suffering. This experience has made me realize I need to be more proactive with my own group of gals.

 

[Rohini0821]

It's very possible that the cause of her not being able to walk is Marek's. The disease is fairly common, sometimes a bird is able to "recover" after a while of supportive care, they will still be carriers of the disease.

The gurgling may be her crop not emptying. I would be checking that out.
I would try to encourage her to drink if she's not drinking well, then offer some wet feed.

Reproductive issues can also be a cause of a hen to have difficulty walking.

Thank you for sharing all your knowledg. Unfortunately sweet girl passed away last night. Im sad I couldn't help her, but know I gave her the best chance. I am so happy I found this group! It has made me realize how much more I need to do for my own flock so they don't fall ill to preventative things.