chicken that can't stand anymore

[Ruthblough]

I have a yearold Marrin Chicken that can't stand anymore. It's been going on for a couple weeks now, first starting with a wing helping to keeping her balance, that's when I thought she had a broken leg. But it's progressed to not being able to stand. She is eating and drinking. She is getting thin, so I think she will die soon. I just have never seen anything like this before.
Has anyone seen this?

 

[Joey8765]

i only recently had an isa brown chicken who was exactly like this. she couldn't walk and would just sit in the dirt away from the other chickens i knew she was sick, i could see it in her eyes. anyway, i put her in a different coop away from the others and she used her wing to prop her self up and she would usually trip over, i thought she had broken legs as well. she was eating, but she wasnt drinking, i had to give her some water through an eyedropper. she got quite thin and i never really found out what was wrong with her. she died two days later but i gave her lots of affection before she died. i hope you do the same but i hope your chicken wont die. good luck, i'm not very helpful, sorry, maybe some other people know about it.

 

[AndreaS]

Hi Ruth,

I was following a thread for awhile where a bunch of people were having this issue. The conclusion seemed to be a vitamin deficiency, but there were mixed results in treating it. The young girl who originally started the thread just lost her sick hen recently, but there were others who made it. Check this out & see if it sounds like your girl. If so, vitamin therapy might help!

On page 3 montherjean talks about vit e therapy and starting on page 5 a lady named robin talks about intensive vit b therapy and how it worked for her.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=371501

Andrea

 

[tammye]

it is worth a shot to try the vitamin treatment, can't hurt, it worked for my hen that other than suddenly being unable to stand or walk she seemed fine. It took about two weeks for her to get better. Gave her vit B12 and Vit. E in her food. Vitamin B12 everyday, small amount, vitamin E every third day, vit. E stays in the body longer. I also gave her electrolyte solution in her water and a warm bath at night, she loved it, may have helped with leg cramps from sitting on them all day and cleaned her butt too. She also needs to be separated from the others until she is better. i hope this works for you/her

 

[Kristin.marlies]

I hate to suggest it but could it be Merek's disease. I had a hen last year who started limping on one leg using her wing to support her. Eventually she couldn't stand anymore. I separated her from the flock, gave her vitamin supplements, and regular soaks and cleanings in the tub. I did this for a few weeks. She was eating and drinking but still losing weight. Someone suggested Merek's to me and I was devastated to think it could be that. I called the local breeder I bought her from and he disclosed to me that he did have a run with the disease in his flock some time in the past but hadn't seen any incidents for a while. Obviously I was livid and sad. Laverne eventually had to be culled. Thankfully the breeder that sold me the chickens stopped selling. I hope you find it to be something else.

 

[NYREDS]

It absolutely sounds like Marek's. She should be killed immediately. If she were to recover she would remain a carrier & would infect your remaining birds assuming they aren't resistant.

 

[Ruthblough]

Thanks everyone for your thoughts. I thought it might be Mericks, but I thought she would have died sooner. She isn't swollen anywhere and does eat and drink. But I think I will try
Vits. They all ,I have 7 hens, get a fresh salad everyday and whole wheat bread in the evening.

 

[Miss Lydia]

It's always best to rule out all options before making the final decision. Hope the vits work,

 

[ranchhand]

I have seen it and had to deal with it. Is that the only hen that is sick?

Marek's is NOT the only problem that presents with paralysis and if it were Marek's there would likely be more affected. If only one hen is sick after a couple of weeks it's very unlikely, unless new birds were just brought in or the hen is new.

Botulism from molded feed can present the same way. Treatment is iffy- Vit E, selenium and charcoal tablets can help, but full recovery is rare. It only takes a very tiny amount of mold to make a bird sick. According to my vet it causes permanant neurological damage, which is why my rooster was put down.

Best of luck, hope you can get some relief!

 

[Ruthblough]

Yes, this is the only hen that is sick. But I got her from a breeder. My others came from my feed store as chicks last yr. I recently got two bantams from a poultry show
in Nov. I medicated all my chickens at that time. It was then that I noticed my Marin having trouble.
I just bought the electrolyte, vitamin mix at the feed store. Going to try this and see. Putting her down will be my last resort.