HELP! Chickens not walking!

PDX_Poultry

In the Brooder
11 Years
Dec 19, 2008
14
0
22
Portland, Oregon
I have chickens and something is wrong with them...I am not sure what though?

I thought it was from the really cold weather (we have SNOW right now!), but I have an insulated coop with a heat lamp and my chickens are brahmas, sultans, faverolles, orpingtons and I have two easter eggers...

About two weeks ago, my easter egger stopped walking. Her legs are drawn underneath her and stiff. She does not seem to be in pain at all, eats & drinks just fine and sort of wattles around. I separated her from everyone else (into a wire cage in the garage) and she's still a live but still not walking.

Yesterday morning my sultan pullet was unable to walk. Her legs are outstretched in front of her & stiff. I picked her up & tried to move her legs and she screams!
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She was not like that the night before. All of these birds were hatched out of eggs I brought from eBay and before that I did not have chickens--what is wrong with them? I read about Mareks' diesasae but I also read that is not able to pass from chicken to egg??

My birds hatched in May, June, August and the Sultans hatched in early SEptember. Other than not being able to walk, the Sultan pullet is not really wanting to eat or drink. She flaps her wings around a lot and screams/cries and acts like she cannot walk. I called two different vets and they do not see chickens. One even laughed when I asked.
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They have one perch but it's low to the ground or my brahmas would not perch on it. it is about 18 inches from the floor.

They are all eating cracked corn (free choice) and Purina Start 'n Grow. And I give them fresh water twice per day because it keeps freezing...
 
Not sure what is wrong, but cracked corn probably shouldn't be out there free choice year round. Right now in cold, may be fine, but they could be stuffing them selves with the treats and lacking nutrients from their regular feed.
 
Still not sure on the birds, but cracked corn now in our weather is fine. Just not something to do in the summer or long term. They need it now for the extra calories.

As for the birds, still not sure, but keeping them warm and monitoring them for now sounds like the best you can do. If they are eating and drinking, that's 80% of the battle.
 
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Well I read that Marek's involves flaccid paralysis and is not transmitted through eggs. My birds have STIFF legs that are folded up under their bodies and I got them as eggs from eBay...my coop is all new & I've never owned chickens before this. I have called two different vets and no one will my chickens.
 

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