Help! 3-mo-old Orpy not using legs, pupils dilated & not eating!!

Mareks is a possibility due to the leg issues and the eyes too but so is mould. I had a coop of fully grown brahmas go down with the same problems you are describing and i was convinced it was Mareks but someone suggested i check the coop for mould and true enough I found a small amount about the size of a quarter on the underside of the feeder. just that tiny amount was enough to bring those big birds down. The treatment (apart from a thorough cleaning) was vitamin E capsules, selenium and charcoal. It was too late for some of them unfortunately but a few made a full recovery. It's worth a shot although in your case I still wouldn't rule Mareks out - poor chap sounds in a bad way. Best of luck.
 
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Ah yes and if a bird ingests mold it can act drunk!
Hello to you in Bonnie Scotland. We have friends in Aberdeen! Hope to go visit them someday. Well, off to bed with me. It's late here in the States and I'm knackered!
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Oh for crying out loud - the hemlock is in full freaking bloom EVERYWHERE and my toddler has been picking it with the "bouquets" she makes [and drops!] around the property. oh JEEEEEEEEEZZ!
 
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Oh for crying out loud - the hemlock is in full freaking bloom EVERYWHERE and my toddler has been picking it with the "bouquets" she makes [and drops!] around the property. oh JEEEEEEEEEZZ!

People can take nutritional charcoal to rid poisons/toxins/bacteria from their systems. Wonder about chickens?
 
Yeah - I checked out the Merck manual and it says to "Administer saline cathartics; neutralize alkaloids with tannic acid, together with stimulants" if that's what he's got.

Something is happening that hurts him. It's not a seizure, it's as if he wants to move and is really angry that he doesn't have complete control OR perhaps he's got a *really* bad case of gas. That kind of sudden and squawky. Then he just lays there, fine.

Oh, and he's eating now that he's somewhat compensating for his lack of depth perception (and aim) by seeing food and pecking into it farther than he thinks he should go. It is clearly wearing him out to do so, and if he doesn't get anything after a few tries, he'll give up for several moments. But when he does go for it, he does so with a fervent gusto. Poor little guy really is hungry! But now he's getting quite ticked off at me for hand-watering him. He just doesn't see the water dish at all.

Over 2 weeks now and he still has full control of everything but his legs; however, he's too weak to do much but lie there. He cocks his head up to look at me, then closes his eyes again. Occasionally he's sitting back on his hocks, sometimes one leg is completely forward while the other goes out straight behind him, and sometimes they're underneath him a bit. It changes depending on the position he ends up in after kicking out repeatedly when he has these little episodes.

Sometimes he just struggles to get into a position he wants either closer to or further away from the heat lamp.

This is so frustrating!!!
 
I have a 17-week old pulley with similar symptoms, but only those with the legs and some pain if I touch the wrong spot handling her. Her only symptom is that she cannot walk. It started 2 weeks ago. She couldn't get to good and water for about a day, that's when I noticed her laying on her side. We put her in a sling. She is much better, eats on her own, drinks water with vitamins and interacts with us. She's been in a crate of her own in the basement. As of yesterday, she is still unable to stand on her own...just falls into her side. However, in the sling she moves both legs and puts enough pressure on them that she actually pushed herself out of the sling twice! Not sure If we should keep working with her or cull her. Only got her and 4 others 3 weeks ago.
 
As an update...Currant was taken out of the sling yesterday after more than 3 weeks in suspension. She is standing, scratching, walking and sitting all as a chicken should! We will give her another wee or two of recuperation before reintroducing her to the flock.
 

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