d'uccle with a "bum" leg (update getting worse - Video too)

[kimb]

still no better / no worse...

I thought maybe rickets ...

maybe this:
http://www.thepoultrysite.com/diseaseinfo/141/spondylolisthesis-kinkyback ... but she's not a broiler chick ?

She does sleep with her legs out infront of her though ... I'll try to post my picture of her "bed" when I take her out of the cage.

 

[usschicago1]

If it is rickets get her exposed to alot of sunlight

 

[PioneerPrincess]

Thanks speckledhen you have some great info in the page... I'm afraid she's a little too big for a chick chair .. and I don't know if she'd stay still long enough for a donut to give her any comfort...

I have a hen with the same problem. Although, she doesn't have her legs in front like that, she does have her wings out as balance alot. She seems to be fine other than not being able to walk.
I cut an old, large shirt in half, cut two leg holes in it and tied it securely to hang like a hammock. Then I placed some papertowels where her back end would be and I place her in there for about half a day. Before and after being in there, I stretch her legs and move them around to get exercise and her blood flowing.
I think my hen might have mites. If I put Vaseline on her legs, what will that do? Will it get rid of them? I have been dousing her legs in oil. Does that work in the same way? Thank you for your help!

 

[PoultryPedia]

Scaley leg mites will not cause serious walking abnormalities. The chicken will just walk a little more carefully & hesitantly at times because of the ouchiness.

In my opinion, the best way to get rid of scaley leg mites on a feather-legged chicken is to give them an internal mite-killer. I think moxidectin (sold as a tube of Quest horse dewormer gel, or as Quest Plus horse dewormer gel with praziquantel also added) is helpful. You will need to be sure to re-treat a second time at exactly the time that new mites from eggs have matured enough to also be killed off. Also, this seems effective for treating regular chicken mites, but not Northern Fowl Mites, in my experience.

I imagine Ivermectin might also treat? However, I didn't have good results with it in trying to get rid of regular chicken mites. My best results in eradicating chicken mites were from a single dose of Frontline Plus topical anti-flea drops for dogs (*But beware--Using this for chickens is off-label, and an appropriate withdrawal time before using meat or eggs has not been established).

 

[FisherMOM]

Quote:
How would I know how much to give them?

 

[kimb]

How's everyone elses chicks doing?

Nothing's changed with my girl as far as walking is concerned... I fear she's headed for the worst . she's breathing hard, with eyes closed and the twitches/spasms aren't nearly as often.

... I wish I had it in me to end her suffering - she had a nice breakfast of eggs/applesauce/crumble but I do think it's time to just let her go.

I don't believe it's marek's but if she does go I think I'd do a necropsy to try and find out exactly what happened.

Hope other's are doing better!

 

[FisherMOM]

Mine is the same as yesterday. She is alert and has stood up a couple of times when I put some food in the carrier.

I held her this am while I made her a scrambled egg. Until this happened, she was untouchable.. for the most part.

Sorry your girl is losing her battle... I am afraid that mine will too... gut feeling. I hope it's not Marek's..I could lose 3/4 of my flock.

 

[PoultryPedia]

kimb and FisherMOM--So, so sorry for the struggles you are going through with your chickens

For QuestPlus dewormer, put a little bit (the size of a small pea) into the chicken's mouth. I push a tiny bit out the end of the tube & then just scrape it off into the chicken's beak.

 

[FisherMOM]

thanks Speckled Hills!

 

[Pinsprings]

I had totally given up on mine. Then yesterday afternoon she was sitting up, she couldn't walk but she started being able to pull her feet under her and sit up on her hocks. Last night and this morning she was a mess, she couldn't even raise her head off the floor.

I got busy doing something else today and walked back into the room and she was walking backwards on her hocks! I was so excited! I put some grain down and she walked on her hocks slowly forward to eat. This evening I saw her stand completely up couple of times. She even tried to fly up on the lowest rung of one of my kitchen chairs to roost.

I am not holding my breath but this is a big improvement. She has refused water since this started but has not stopped eating. I have slowly squirted pedialite with added vitamins into her mouth several times per day. She drank water from a bowl today on her own for the first time. I am thinking that that is the reason my first pullet died was from dehydration. I kept water in her crate but didn't realize she wouldn't or couldn't drink.

One thing that I know is helping, is taking her out of her crate during the day and just sitting her in the floor on a towel or blanket. She just seems to try to regain the use of her legs more, in the crate she is depressed and doesn't try to move.

This picture is of her on Wednesday morning, all she could do was spin around on her belly in a circle, with the help of her wings:

This picture was taken Wednesday afternoon when she first got her feet under her and stood on her hocks: