Hello, I am new to this site and need some help with a "sick chicken"

[nurselynnb]

I found her laying on her side unable to stand on her feet... she perked up after I gave her fluids and some B vitamins... she ate quite a bit of wet food but is still unable to stand... her foot is no longer curled up but cant stand at all.... she is not interested in eating today or drinking without much prodding. She is alert.... its like the top 1/2 of her is normal but not the bottom.... she came from a hatchery and is now about 6 mos old. My other chickens are acting their usual. Any help would be appreciated... I love my chickens and cant stand seeing this.....

 

[nuthatched]

Sorry to hear that.
What's her diet?

 

[nurselynnb]

She has been eating the 16% layer feed for about 2 months I give them treats on occasion.... I had just bought some 15% feed that was only for 1 day.

 

[ChickenLoverTrin]

Welcome to BYC! A similar thing happened to my chicken, it turned out she had a vitamin D deficiency. I don't want to put want to put ideas in your head though. Maybe just prop her up with a towel, and hand-feed her. If she gets worse, maybe consider taking her to the vet. Hope this helps!

 

[Lillith37]

Have your other hens started laying or shown indication they are about to lay? I.e. combs and wattles become more full and red, they squat down when you go near them, the vent becoming bigger and softer.

Sometimes they have abnormal eggs when they first start. If an egg gets stuck it can press on nerves and cause paralysis. Is she pooping and is her poop normal?

Hopefully it’s not Mareks. I don’t know much about that either, but I think the vaccine stops the tumours growing but can’t prevent the disease.

Good work with the B vitamins and you could try giving her an electrolyte/vitamin mix. Scrambled egg is an excellent food as well.

Setting her up comfortable with towels/other supports is a good idea. Hopefully she comes good!

 

[Basghettiii]

I found her laying on her side unable to stand on her feet... she perked up after I gave her fluids and some B vitamins... she ate quite a bit of wet food but is still unable to stand... her foot is no longer curled up but cant stand at all.... she is not interested in eating today or drinking without much prodding. She is alert.... its like the top 1/2 of her is normal but not the bottom.... she came from a hatchery and is now about 6 mos old. My other chickens are acting their usual. Any help would be appreciated... I love my chickens and cant stand seeing this.....

Don’t quote me on this, I haven’t ever had any injured chickens, but have you tried using splints? Something with padding and support might be helpful, because if I had to guess, she probably either broke something or has some sort of nerve damage. Is her tail drooping? If her tail is really droopy, then it means that she is in a lot of pain/discomfort, so I would also recommend something for the pain. It is both legs or just one leg? One leg, I would lean towards broken, two legs, still possibly broken but I would lean towards paralysis. If you suspect a break, use a splint, some medication to fight off infection, try to keep her very clean, keep her separated (maybe still close to the others, if it’s broken she can still see her friends, she just needs to avoid playing rough while she heals) and keep her well fed and hydrated. To determine this, I would just try touching around the leg that she is nursing, just to check if it is broken. Sometimes, it’s just a lot of muscle pain, which some pain meds could do the trick. My best guess, based on your description, is that something is broken, either a hip on the leg. Please don’t just use my advice, if you think something is extremely wrong, you should certainly seek professional help for her. This is just what I know, I’m not a professional! But the splint is heavily suggested on my part.
Edit: I forgot to mention this, but since she perked up with the vitamins, it could be a deficiency that is causing her muscles to stop working well. I would look into that if you haven’t already!

 

[Eggcessive]

Are you using B complex vitamins? That is best since they contain all B’s including riboflavin. Dosage is 1/4 to 1/2 tablet daily crushed into a little food or in a spoonful of water daily. Hopefully, it is not Mareks, but an injury or vitamin deficiency. Time will tell.

 

[nurselynnb]

Are you using B complex vitamins? That is best since they contain all B’s including riboflavin. Dosage is 1/4 to 1/2 tablet daily crushed into a little food or in a spoonful of water daily. Hopefully, it is not Mareks, but an injury or vitamin deficiency. Time will tell.

I am using b-complex with liquid in the caplet.. I have given her 2 doses in 2 days .... its so sad... sometimes she has her mouth partially open panting (not often) but wont eat or drink now... She does not seem to be in any pain... no mites noted

 

[nurselynnb]

she does not seem to be in pain.... I have her in the house and go in every 30 min to try to get her to drink

 

[nurselynnb]

Have your other hens started laying or shown indication they are about to lay? I.e. combs and wattles become more full and red, they squat down when you go near them, the vent becoming bigger and softer.

Sometimes they have abnormal eggs when they first start. If an egg gets stuck it can press on nerves and cause paralysis. Is she pooping and is her poop normal?

Hopefully it’s not Mareks. I don’t know much about that either, but I think the vaccine stops the tumours growing but can’t prevent the disease.

Good work with the B vitamins and you could try giving her an electrolyte/vitamin mix. Scrambled egg is an excellent food as well.

Setting her up comfortable with towels/other supports is a good idea. Hopefully she comes good!

She is in the house propped up with towels, I dont have anyone laying right now I have 8 chickens about 6 months old and one that is about 8 years... she is about 6 mos old and I dont see anything wrong with her vent and her backend is clean, she has a a little dark firmer poop... not much I have offered egg, wet food, dry food... She has electrolytes in her water.... I dont see any mites... I try standing her she kicks her legs like she wants to walk but cant stand on them.... they dont look malformed/broken