Difficult walking

[Allipockets]

Help please! I posted this on a Facebook group and I'm getting a million different answers. Some background info she started walking oddly about 2 weeks ago and I isolated her and have been giving her vitamins in her water. She's not laying yet and has been wormed. She's eating and drinking fine, yet I can't seem to figure out what's going on. Here's a link to my post of the video https://m.facebook.com/groups/23581119733?view=permalink&id=10156753044514734

 

[EggSighted4Life]

According to the color of her comb/waddles she is very close to laying.

Two suspicions... one could be an egg getting ready to come and pressing on a sciatic nerve.

The other is Marek's.

What did you worm her for and with? Was that done before or after she started walking weird?

She's a pretty gal! Sorry you face this.

 

[Kiki]

What do you feed her and what vitamins are you adding to her water?

 

[rebrascora]

Two suspicions... one could be an egg getting ready to come and pressing on a sciatic nerve.

The other is Marek's.

If this has been going on for 2 weeks then I think we can probably rule out an egg putting pressure on the sciatic nerve.

Marek's is the most likely diagnosis in my opinion.

 

[Allipockets]

One of my flock had worms so I warm the whole flock about a month-and-a-half ago with safeguard. This started after that. I feed her layer crumble, and I've been giving her Nutri drench in her water. I just started today giving her some polyvisol without iron upon recommendation. I'm going to end up bringing her to the vet next week, I really hope it's not Merrick's. None of my other chickens are showing any symptoms.

 

[Kiki]

I would stop adding the ND to the water and direct dose her straight to the beak with it instead.
Have you recently brought new birds home?

 

[Kiki]

How long have you had this girl?
Where did you get her from?

 

[Allipockets]

I've had her from a chick, got her from Meyer hatchery. I have some chicks but they're in the Broder in the garage. Nowhere near this coop. I will try that, thanks!

 

[EggSighted4Life]

I just started today giving her some polyvisol without iron upon recommendation.

People go over board with the Poly vi sol recommendation... it is supposed to be IF you already have it on had for your kids OR if you can't find the poultry nutri drench. IMO PND is a far superior product for chickens. It's formulated for them and it has amino acids in it.

I agree it isn't likely the nerve.. I guess I was trying to be kind.

 

[rebrascora]

The thing with Marek's is that they don't necessarily all exhibit symptoms at the same time like other viruses and infectious illnesses. The disease has a dormant phase after infection which is a minimum of 3 weeks but can be significantly longer. The outbreak phase usually occurs when the bird is stressed but what stresses one bird may not stress another. Point of lay, when their bodies are changing and hormones are surging is often a trigger but as birds mature and reach point of lay at different ages it can mean that a bird is sick several weeks before another. Also, with Marek's the range of possible symptoms is so diverse that you may have had another bird with it and not realised. It can cause sudden death, paralysis, blindness etc as well as secondary infections like coccidiosis or respiratory infection due to suppression of the immune system and a young bird with a heavy worm burden could even be an indication of it.