Has anyone's chicken ever recovered from paralysis?

[pearlmockenbird]

hi everyone. i am so glad you are here. i am so new at this; i have only killed 5 chickens (my very first ones) and now i have one that is parlized and only getting worse. so by reading your post we are going to try the vitamins. my husband of course is going to crush our vitamins up and get that started right away. then tomarrow i will go to the feed store and get the offical stuff. i has been 6 days and my husband was going to put her down but he couldn't because other than not walking she seems very healthy. she drinks and eats when you give her fresh stuff. thank you again and i will keep you up to date

 

[tdgill]

what does everyone use for feed???

 

[FRlEDeggs]

Just the basic Purina Layer

 

[vinegarfly]

This just happened to one of my chickens. She is very healthy looking but for whatever reason she couldn't move her legs. She wouldn't eat or drink and would fall asleep in the day if I left her undisturbed. I thought for sure I would wake up to find a dead chicken but to my surprise this morning she was walking and in the evening she was pecking at her food. I am not a vet but I know she has not had acess to anything that would cause botulism and as for mereks....wouldn't other chickens in the flock show signs? I think it was stress. I had moved them into the greehouse for the winter and I think that is what triggered it. Chicken don't like a change in environment. Maybe being pecked caused stress and stress....even for humans.....it a leading cause for many ailments. What are your thoughts on that?

 

[Cristina D]

It's important to keep him fed and watered, to keep his strength up. When he eats, you should be sure he eats enough to fill his crop (you should be able to feel the lump on his breast). He may be too weak or too "disabled" right now to eat on his own. I had a silkie cross last year who suffered a head trauma and was almost completely unable to move or sit upright, and he didn't really eat unless he was force-fed; he started to improve dramatically when I made sure to force-feed him several times a day. Mixing chicken feed with water to make a mush seems to work well. (Let it sit for a few minutes after mixing to let the water absorb - you may need to add a little extra water in order to get a moist mixture). If you pry the beak open gently and then hold the bird's mouth open with one hand, you should be able to insert a pea sized glob of moist food using your other hand. See illustration. Once it's in his mouth, he should swallow it down. Depening on the size of the bird, he may be able and willing to swallow slightly larger globs. Try to feed about a tablespoon of moist food total, if he seems to be swallowing ok.

Best - exop

My chicken was attacked by a mink 3 weeks ago. She was hurt by her head/neck. I cured that and she was walking the first days but not eating, only drinking. Suddenly, she could not walk anymore. I have her in a big box inside the house. I handfeed her. Her right leg seems string but she can't move the leg left, (the attack was on left side of the head). I am giving her vitamins, probiotics and electrolytes but that leg does not get better. She cant even curled her foot/claws. I am very discouraged. Need advice asap.

 

[Chickie friend]

My chicken was attacked by a mink 3 weeks ago. She was hurt by her head/neck. I cured that and she was walking the first days but not eating, only drinking. Suddenly, she could not walk anymore. I have her in a big box inside the house. I handfeed her. Her right leg seems string but she can't move the leg left, (the attack was on left side of the head). I am giving her vitamins, probiotics and electrolytes but that leg does not get better. She cant even curled her foot/claws. I am very discouraged. Need advice asap.

This thread is from 2010, sorry. If you want to start a new one for your hen, you can click this link then go to 'post thread'. Good luck!
https://www.backyardchickens.com/forums/emergencies-diseases-injuries-and-cures.10/

 

[galaga6846]

This just happened to one of my chickens. She is very healthy looking but for whatever reason she couldn't move her legs. She wouldn't eat or drink and would fall asleep in the day if I left her undisturbed. I thought for sure I would wake up to find a dead chicken but to my surprise this morning she was walking and in the evening she was pecking at her food. I am not a vet but I know she has not had acess to anything that would cause botulism and as for mereks....wouldn't other chickens in the flock show signs? I think it was stress. I had moved them into the greehouse for the winter and I think that is what triggered it. Chicken don't like a change in environment. Maybe being pecked caused stress and stress....even for humans.....it a leading cause for many ailments. What are your thoughts on that?

Super old thread, but whatever happened? I have a hen going through the same thing (12 years later.) Do you remember?

 

[Lenny loves chickens]

Super old thread, but whatever happened? I have a hen going through the same thing (12 years later.) Do you remember?

The rooster died

 

[annabell0704]

I know this is an old post but I was just looking for anyone who had a rooster that suddenly became paralysized and found this. I'm so sorry you lost your rooster. We just had to have our put down this morning for the exact same symstons you stated happen to yours. We did all the same things you stated hoping he would be okay. He was a rescue and we'd only had him 2 months and we think he was 9 or 10 wks old. He was fine when I put him in the run Saturday morning but noticed him walking funny that evening. He'd stick his right leg straight in front of him and then sit with that on straight. By midweek he was struggling to walk like both legs were seizing and by Friday night we kept finding him with both legs hyperextended and wings and head down. We had to prop him up so he didn't splay cause he would get frustrated he couldn't do what he wanted. He was still very alert and was eating and drinking as long as it was close enough for him to get. He still got excited for his strawberries which was his favorite. The vet checked him and found nothing broken, sprained or torn and said he didn't think he was in pain but extremely uncomfortable. We decided to have him euthenized because I didn't want to put my boyfriend through having to put him down since he was his favorite. I'm hoping it wasn't Mereks because we have 3 other hens and it's been a week and they aren't showing any signs. We also have a neighbor who's flock free range all over our yard (ours stay in the coop or run) and come up to our coop and like to taunt my ladies. I'm praying they are fine cause if something happens to them I'm done with chickens. I can't take it.. crazy how attached you get to them