HELP! Al Davis won't stand up!

[BackyardBoogie]

Good Morning All you chicken lovers.

First time post here. I have a black ameraucana hen named Al Davis, 4 years old. She has refused to stand up for about about 5 days now. I found her sitting on the floor of the coop near the water, almost stepped on her. She has been slowing down for quite awhile now, but I thought maybe she was getting broody (she has NEVER been broody before). We have her in the chicken hospital (aka my bathroom) with food and water. She seems to be eating and drinking normally (although you have to put the food near her, she won't get up to go to it), we tried some dewormer meds. I hope we did it correctly, never been down this road before. I put some Wazine in her water, but was pretty unsure how much to use (so I used a minuscule amount) and I am not sure how much of the water she needs to drink, cause she didn't drink much. I also put a BB size dollop of Zimecterin Gold paste on the back of her neck. Got it as close to her skin as she would let me. Again, not really sure what I am doing here. She definitely has diarrhea. We have her sitting on puppy pee pads that we change when needed (which is OFTEN). You can see in the photo that her crown and water are VERY pale. I was worried about Marek's disease, but her eyes are still brown and clear with a defined pupil and I don't feel any tumors. I lifted her feathers, and her skin looks okay, but again, I really have no idea what her skin SHOULD look like??? I bought some Rooster Booster Poultry Booster today that I will try tonight, but my hens get a good quality organic poultry food, so I am pretty doubtful that this is the issue.

Sorry this is so long, but my chickens are beloved family pets and Al is one of my favorites (please don't tell the others). So far, everyone else seems to be doing okay. Any ideas or suggestions are GRATEFULLY accepted.

Thanks!!

 

[ChickenCanoe]

Marek's is pretty uncommon for birds her age.
Are you sure she isn't injured? Any swollen joints?
Articular gout, arthritis, botulism and streptococcosis are possibilities.

 

[BackyardBoogie]

Marek's is pretty uncommon for birds her age.
Are you sure she isn't injured? Any swollen joints?
Articular gout, arthritis, botulism and streptococcosis are possibilities.

Hmm, I am not really sure how to tell if she has any of those things. There are no obvious injuries or swollen joints. She looks like she should be able to stand. As far as I know, she hasn't eaten anything different from my other girls, so I don't think it could be botulism. If it is streptococcosis, what do I do?

 

[BackyardBoogie]

Just a quick follow up question, if she has something like mites or lice, wouldn't I be seeing the symptoms in all of my birds??

 

[Eggcessive]

Has she laid eggs recently? Some of my hens that age have laying disorders such as internal laying. Those can have difficulty walking and prefer to sit or lie down. Can you feel inside her vent with a finger an inch or two just to feel for a stuck egg, or even a lash egg. Lash eggs are hard things that are the result of infection in the oviduct. She also could be suffering from an injury. I would raise her up often to see if she will walk or move. Note if her legs or feet can move at all or pull back in response to stimulation. Look for any sores on foot pads, swelling, redness or bruising on legs and joints. Google “chicken slings” for pictures of homemade ones. Those can be useful with lame hens to get them upright and out of their droppings. Food and water can be placed right in front of them. They should be taken out of the slings often and to sleep. I would also recommend 2-3 ml of Poultry Cell vitamins once a day.

 

[BackyardBoogie]

Sad News. Al continued to deteriorate after this post, we took her to our vet who sent us to UC Davis. Sadly, she did not make it. Just got the necropsy report back. It was Marek's disease. Although I feel a bit better knowing there was nothing I could do (except go back in time and have her immunized as a chick ). I am sorry that we let her suffer as long as we did. I miss seeing her in chicken hospital (my bathroom) but I am glad her suffering is over. Thank you for all of the information and advice.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

Thanks for posting the necropsy results.

 

[Eggcessive]

Sorry for your loss. Thank you for posting the necropsy results. Usually younger chickens get Mareks, but older ones can get it if exposed in the last month or two. Have you added any new birds recently who could have been carriers?

Google The Great Big GIANT Mareks Faq for a lot of detailed info on the disease.

 

[BackyardBoogie]

Sorry for your loss. Thank you for posting the necropsy results. Usually younger chickens get Mareks, but older ones can get it if exposed in the last month or two. Have you added any new birds recently who could have been carriers?

Google The Great Big GIANT Mareks Faq for a lot of detailed info on the disease.

We added chicks in the late spring. I gave in to my chicken addiction in late spring at Tractor Supply (They are SO cute). We actually lost one of the chicks within the first 48 hours. In hindsight, should've paid more attention to that. Sadly, I bought more than we needed and raised/sold them as pullets to others. I wish I knew how to get a hold of them to share the news. Only good news is that it would have to be a very weak form of Marek's to take this long to cause damage. So far, no other hens are showing symptoms (fingers crossed!) We also have a LARGE population of wild birds, possums, feral cats, etc...so there is really no way to know. I have asked for a blood test to determine what strain of Marek's she had, but I didn't know to ask for it before hand, so doubtful we will ever know.

 

[BackyardBoogie]

Sorry for your loss. Thank you for posting the necropsy results. Usually younger chickens get Mareks, but older ones can get it if exposed in the last month or two. Have you added any new birds recently who could have been carriers?

Google The Great Big GIANT Mareks Faq for a lot of detailed info on the disease.

I did this, wow! What a great source of info!!