Help! Chicken falling over!

MacysChickens

Hatching
Sep 26, 2017
4
2
9
Hello! A week ago I found my 6-month Ancona hen falling over and acting super drunk. My out-of-state chicken-loving cousins advised me to remove her from the rest of the flock to see how she does, but she has not gotten better. She is eating and drinking fine, and is laying normally (she's one of my best layers). I have checked for injury but do not see anything that indicates that she is hurt, although she falls over to her right side and does not put weight on her right foot. I have checked meticulously for a broken bone, something dislocated, or something that would make her unable to walk. She is extremely lethargic, but has moments of "picking up" and will try to run before falling back over. Her eyes are clear, her comb is nice and red, and her poop is normal, breathing is normal, and she is alert. No other birds are displaying this behavior. This morning, she began drooling after spending some time at the waterer, but this only lasted a minute and I have not seen it since. She feels light, but she has always felt light, as she is much smaller than my marans. Any ideas??? I've combed through articles regarding diseases she might have and nothing seems to fit!
 
At this age and time of year, Mareks disease may be a possibility, but there can be other possibilities, such as a vitamin deficiency, dehydration, or an injury which has made her unable to get enough food and water. Mareks can cause a number of different symptoms, different in each bird, but some may have a paralyzed or weak leg or two, or drooping wings, twisting of the neck, eye changes, and a problem with resisting common diseases from poor immunity. First start some poultry vitamins, such as Poultry Cell or Vitamins With Lactobacillus, but make sure it contains riboflavin or B2. Keep her close to her food and water in a basket, chicken sling, or a dog crate. Here is some reading about Mareks:

https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/the-great-big-giant-mareks-disease-faq.66077/
 
Thanks! I've looked into Mareks, but she just doesn't have any of the other symptoms other than the inability to walk. She does not hold one leg out like the splits, her wings aren't weak, neck doesn't twist, and eyes look normal. I will look into getting her extra vitamins, though! Thank you!!!
 
An early symptom of Marek's Disease. No treatment, no cure. If Marek's, and she recovers, she will be forever a carrier. Usually the limp on one leg, then one wing, same side doesn't "work", then the other leg and wing, and they go down and cannot walk, just scoot if possible. No pain, will eat and drink if they can reach food until throat is also paralyzed, then die. But not all the symptoms appear and some recover, and still may lay (Marek's is not transmitted in eggs) sometimes, until they recover ordie. Hope this is not the problem!!! I vaccinate all chicks--AT HATCH, not successful if already exposed, and I never purchase chicks or older birds that were not vaccinated at hatch.
Good luck and do not medicate for unknown reason, but do keep her isolated,with food,water, nearby that she can reach! She may be okay in a week or so!!!!!
 
That is good news! I have had rare birds that did not develop immunity--but you can be most hopeful that she will recover soon and show no more symptoms. Usually pullets will show Marek's symptoms about the time of their first eggs, so this is also good news, that she is a little older. Cockerels usually show symptoms earlier, at 2-3 months. Meds are never a good thing without really knowing they are needed, but the feed additions can be really helpful. Do hope all goes well--love our pullets and hens!
 
Thank you! My vet wants to charge me $200 just to look at her, before any treatment... so I'm trying to exhaust my options before spending $200 for a consultation...
 
Vet will prescribe an expensive drug, maybe inject and will still not KNOW what your dear pullet suffers from! Very few veterinarians have any training in family flock poultry. And the Huge Commercial flocks get treatment that may not control what goes through those flocks, crowded and huge numbers, and that does not apply to our chickens! Takes lab work to identify bacterial diseases and virus infections are seldom identifies. A salesman at my feed store was there, one day, and I asked him about meds for home flocks. His answer was that it is best to just eliminate sick birds than treat them, if you are not sure about illness. It bothered me a lot at the time, but I do understand that answer now, when I read about all the medicines given to poultry, to try, without knowing and the poor bird may suffer from the treatments and die, anyway, and infect its penmates. I had a vet who called me for some calls he had for home flock sick birds. While he could do as well as I can, I have one more option--BOOKS on poultry that he does not have, nor has ever seen. He does not do chickens at all any more. But he did send one of my birds (that died a week after I received the Cock} to another State University for necropsy. IT WAS Marek's, but just in the nerve tissue, none of the easy to diagnose symptoms. It was a gorgeous cock, given to me, that had been vaccinated, but had traveled to shows and apparently the stresses he endured, broke his immunity. It is your decision, but I would not spend $200 unless the Veterinarian is a Poultry Specialist and felt he could diagnose, treat and cure! Best of luck!!!!!
 
You might phone the vet, and ask if you can just bring in some fresh droppings for a fecal float, which usually varies in price from $15-35, to look for coccidiosis and worms. Cocci which can become chronic in poultry with immunity problems, has been know to cause extreme weakness which may affect walking and standing. Have you seen any curling under of her toes? Riboflavin deficiency can cause curled toe paralysis, and giving vitamins may help, if it is that. Hopefully, it isn't Mareks. A necropsy after death when the state poultry vet tests feather shafts or tumor tissue, is the best way to diagnose it. For necropsy contact info if you should lose her later on, click on this link:
http://www.metzerfarms.com/PoultryLabs.cfm
 
Thanks! I've looked into Mareks, but she just doesn't have any of the other symptoms other than the inability to walk. She does not hold one leg out like the splits, her wings aren't weak, neck doesn't twist, and eyes look normal. I will look into getting her extra vitamins, though! Thank you!!!
Did you ever figure out what was going on with your hen? I have a 12 week old Wyandotte who has been like this for 2/3 weeks now. She eats, drinks, keeps yo with her flock. I can’t find any visible injury. She falls backwards like she’s losing balance then sits down. At night, she acts like her legs are too week to hold on to the roosting bar and she falls off the back of it. I put her back up until she finally gets her balance enough to hunker down for the night. She literally has nothing else wrong with her. I put vitamins in her water. I don’t know what it could be. The rest of the flock is fine. She doesn’t have any other symptoms of Mareks so I’m just not convinced that’s what it is.
 

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