Chickens becoming maim - Updated!

[splashie]

I could sure use some advice.

Right now I have a Polish Rooster who is maim (sp?) and has a healthy appetite and is drinking fine.

He can't seem to use his legs, this is the 2nd chicken that ended up like this.

They were hatched in May of this year. I have him in a small cage on our kitchen table with antibiotics in the water.

He is using his wings to help him from falling over. I have to keep moving the water and feed so that he can eat and drink because his legs will not allow him to go to the water and feed.

The 1st chicken (hen) that had this symptom, we finally put down.

This is one of my favorite Roosters in our flock and I'm really worried. I am also worried that what ever he has may have affected others in our flock, just no symptoms as of yet.

We did spray their houses with liquid seven because I know mites can break down their immune system and cause illness.

I just wanted to check to see if anyone had any ideas of what this could actually be caused from. Ideas on how to get the rooster back on his feet.

The birds were free ranging, but slept in a pen/house at night.

I'd be happy to answer questions to help you help me (*smile*).

Thanks in advance for any help/ideas!!

 

[seminolewind]

Gosh I have no idea. Do they have access to any poison or chemicals? How bout a spider problem?

 

[splashie]

No access to chemicals or poison.

And I haven't noticed any spiders in their houses or around our property, I run across one or two while weeding, but nothing out of the ordinary.

 

[splashie]

Thought of a few more symptoms to mention:

stool = very loose and smelly
breathing = no strange sounds
eyes = bright, alert, no drainage
tail = missing some feathers

He is just laying around, sleeping alot.

 

[chickenannie]

They can get generally weak if they are not getting proper nutrition and this can affect their ability to walk. What do you feed them?

Also, they can get Viral Arthritis that enters through the skin of the hock joint (a bacteria/viral infection) if their bedding conditions are poor, and they are lying on heavily manured bedding that is damp and contaminated. They symptom is when the chicken sits back on its butt with legs extended forward and is not willing to move unless forced to. There is no corrective action. If they are not yet immobilized from the infection change bedding and clean more often.

A third possibility is Marek's which is when one foot extends forward and one backward. You can easily tell if it is Marek's.

 

[splashie]

They are eating chicken grower (crumbles).

Both legs are facing the same direction.

I can't be positive where this one rooster was sleeping at night.

They have pens and houses but are allowed to free range, so we never close the house doors.

We noticed him during the day, he was leaning against one of the houses (but on the outside).

The bedding is clean and dry inside the houses.

Hmmm, it's been raining alot here lately, I guess it's possible that he was bedding where it was damp and wet.

So if that's the problem, I'll never get him to walk again? Oh, how horrible. I will have to make sure that all our birds go into their houses at night to prevent this from happening again!

Thanks so much for all the info. And please feel free to ask more questions. Oh, I hope I can get him walking again!

 

[sammi]

how old is the roo?
and how old was the hen?

have they been wormed?
heavy infestations of worms can cause them to "lose their legs"..

can you take a sample of droppings to a vet for fecal float (worm and protozoa test)..?
not expensive..and might help you figure out what's wrong.
this could be very important.

also..check the bottoms of the feet for any sores or scabs, heat or swelling..also between the toes.
check the leg scales for crust, and raised scales.
check the legs for any heat or swelling in the joints.

could be they are not eating enough of feed...they prefer to free range..but they need they need the feed.
might be an idea to confine them if you possibly can, especially in the AM..

continue to keep this roo confined to a safe comfortable place with feed and water.

take a look at this and make up the recipe included..
it calls for poultry vitamins..but you can put the vitamins in the feed as directed, or in the drinking water, instead of the antibiotics..

click here

 

[splashie]

What a wonderful forum!

Thank you for all the information. I will feed him the rickets formula and see if he gets any better!

We do keep 2 feed bowls on the property and I fill them at least 4 times during the day with the grower crumbles.

I notice the rhode island reds and my silkies at the bowls the most.

Were in the process of building a hugh chicken house where they will all have their different pens and inside housing.

We also plan to have fresh running water in each pen.

Once we pen them we plan to continue to feed them the grower crumbles until next spring and then switch them over to layer crumbles.

I will be adding the vitamins to the water to make sure that they are not coming down with rickets, the symptoms do kinda sound like that's what it is...

I feel so bad, I figured that they would get what they needed between the free ranging and the grower crumbles that we were putting out.

Again, Thanks so much for all the information! I really do appreciate your guidence!

 

[splashie]

Update:

Roo was not eathing or drinking today, I took him outside to sit in the sun for awhile.

I was talking to him and messaging his legs and rubbing his neck.

I had my reading glassed on this time around and I saw alot of mites. They are like a rust color, not red. I guess they are more like a faint orange color.

Anyway I took a cotton swab and used it to fluff up his feathers and apply liquid seven (5 oz per gallon of water) and he seemed to really enjoy this.

My daughter and I sat with him in the sun and after about 15 minutes I brought him back into the house and put him back in the cage with his food and water. He started eating right away.

Before this his crop was empty, now I'm happy to report that it is starting to fill out.

I sure do hope I can get Roo back on his feet, trying everything that has been suggested so far.

Thanks again to everyone who has offered suggestions!

 

[jjthink]

Oh, I hope so too - sending lots of good wishes!

JJ