HELP, chicken can't walk. *nevermind, she died today.... :(*

[Joey8765]

26/12/10 It started about a week ago when i saw my isa brown just sitting down away from all the other chooks, these isa browns are nasty, as soon as someone gets sick they go for its head. well i seperated her and she hasnt done anything she just sat in the other coop and didnt move. i put some food in and i saw her have a bit of a feed and then at night i put her into the nest box to sleep. in the morning i came to find her still in that exact spot so i picked her up and put her back in the run on the grass and she just toppled over

she was still alive but i dont think she will make another day. . .

is she paralyzed?
she was walking a little bit yesterday.. it got a lot worse over night.

Edit:

died 27/12/10
R.I.P

 

[Silkie Sue]

what is it a "chicken paralyzin fog" goin around
i also am stymeed by a non walkin-non standing house chicken

let me know if you come up with anything or she gets better

 

[Joey8765]

she wasnt drinking so i fed her some water through an eye dropper and gave her a little bit of damp bread to eat. she tries to eat the food but she just pecks it and leaves it on her beak i dont think she even has enough strength to swallow. we'll see how she is in the morning.

 

[Brendarh]

I also have a 6 month old silkie who began staggering about 3 days ago & now can hardly stand. She is eating & drinking a bit but it is very hard for her to get over to the food. Is it Merek"s disease? Is it too late for the other chickens-will they get it, too? Do I get them vaccinated? Any advice? I haven't found a vet nearby yet who treats chickens.
Thanks

 

[Joey8765]

hmm mareks disease.. had a bit of a search on google and i came up with this: Acute Marek's disease is an epidemic in a previously uninfected or unvaccinated flock, causing depression, paralysis, and death in a large number of birds (up to 80 percent).

the chicken i have sure looks depressed and also mareks disease also relates to blindness and she has funny eyelids when she blinks they sort of stay there for a while, i dont know what that is...

but she sure loves a scratch on the neck!

 

[Silkie Sue]

she is beautiful
i bought a hen that looked just like her at an auction and when i got her home ( she was in a box with another hen) she was sitting just like your chicken, everyone threwout the "Mareks".
unless you are a commercial chicken farm or have chickens coming and going at all hours the chance that your chickens ailment is Mareks is a very long shot.... anywhoo, my hen came around after some tender loving care and extra attention, childrens POLYVASOL vitamins also were given, and about 2 weeks later she was back to normal and lived a great life...
good luck to you

 

[tammye]

I agree with silkie sue, I have also had a hen suddenly unable to walk, otherwise fine, looked it up here found a thread about using vitamin B12 and vitamin E to treat the paralysis and it worked, like just said, took about 10-14 days. Put the viamins in water or get the powder caps and sprinkle vit. b12 over favorite treat. electrolyte solution in water and warm baths to improve blood flow and relax muscles, keep her separated until able to fully walk again. Good luck, don't give vit. E every day, it is fat soluable so stays in the body longer, say every third day un til better. I now give all my hens a dose of vitamins now everyother week

 

[Matt A NC]

Alot of times a staggering bird that goes down can be botulism or other toxicity that results in paralysis. This is what happened to DeeDee. She took 4 days to mostly recover in the house away from everyone with lots of attention. Took a full week for her to back to 100%.

Matt

 

[fiberart57]

Empty a capsule of Vitamin D and E into her food, wet it down to make a mash, stir it up good and give her some of it. Then you might give the rest to the other hens in your flock. I wouldn't let her eat the entire capsule's worth of oil because that's a pretty high dosage for a chicken.

Here in Colorado we've had an uncommonly overcast winter and yesterday was the first full day of sunshine in two weeks. I had a hen not walking straight and this straightened her out within a week.

Good luck.

Mary

 

[Miss Lydia]

Yep I think we could all use some extra vit. D this time of year. hope it helps...