does this sound like Marek's Disease?

[lolobright]

3 month old chick all of the sudden can't stand or walk. she just sits far back on her butt. Wings are still working and she seems alert and in no pain.. Any ideas?

 

[Eggcessive]

Mareks disease could be a possibility, but I would treat with B vitamins just in case there could be a vitamin deficiency. Do you have a rooster who could have hurt her back, or high roosts where she may have hurt a hip or leg? Are her toes curled under?

Can you make sure that she is near food and water, and perhaps try a chicken sling to get her upright? Here is a homemade chicken sling where foood and water are placed within reach:

 

[kissezmychicken]

Great idea for the sling. Mereks showed itself like this in one of my young one once..could be, keep us posted on symptoms please.

 

[Eggcessive]

Make sure the vitamins contain B2 (riboflavin,) since riboflavin deficiency can cause sitting back on hocks. I would get some human B complex tablets and crush 1/4 to 1/2 tablet onto some feed or a treat daily. Nutritional yeast would be another that you could use, that has B vitamins. Here is an article about B2 deficiency, and below is a pic of a chick with riboflavin deficiency:
http://www.thepoultrysite.com/publications/6/diseases-of-poultry/217/vitamin-b2-deficiency/

 

[lolobright]

went to the store to get vitamins and when i returned the chick was standing up, a little wobbly, but trying to move around. I read that Markek's disease could cause temporary paralysis so i guess this could still be the case...

 

[Eggcessive]

I would read the label on the vitamins to make sure they contain riboflavin. It is worth a try to treat her for a couple of weeks with the vitamins to see improvement. Pictures are sometimes helpful to see how they are standing. Hopefully, it is not Mareks, but this can be a common age for symptoms to show. Check the date on your grower feed to make sure it is fresh. A small amount of chopped liver is very rich in riboflavin and other B vitamins. Good luck.

 

[lolobright]

the chick is standing/walking at about 75% normal this morning..I am wondering if i need to keep her separated from my other chickens? She is in an isolation cage right now, but i assume that whatever she has has already been exposed to the others. I should note that my other two chickens are much older (about 2yrs).

 

[Eggcessive]

I would place her with the flock and supervise them for awhile to make sure they are not picking on her. Glad to hear that she is doing better. If she has been exposed to Mareks, they all have been. But since she is better, it hopefully is not that. In case you want to read about Mareks, here is a good article:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/the-great-big-giant-mareks-disease-faq.66077/