Help my chicken - Unknown Illness

[leveric]

So my dad recently picked up a couple of Isa Brown hens from my friends this morning and noticed they were both fine. It was merely an hour later that one of the hens developed rather severe symptoms of what I believe to be Mareks disease however I'm unsure if Mareks symptoms develops within an hour or less. We checked for egg bound but that doesn't seem to be the case.

Here are the following symptoms:
- Gasping of air
- Legs seem to be weak or in a minor form of paralysis
- Loss of appetite (from what I can tell because she only eats a little)

She seems to display the normal behaviour of a hen in that she is aware and sticking her head up to check on possible threats and she is constantly looking around. I have separated her from the flock.
Thank you all for checking this thread and helping me, and if you need extra detail or even pictures just ask.

 

[webbysmeme]

So my dad recently picked up a couple of Isa Brown hens from my friends this morning and noticed they were both fine. It was merely an hour later that one of the hens developed rather severe symptoms of what I believe to be Mareks disease however I'm unsure if Mareks symptoms develops within an hour or less. We checked for egg bound but that doesn't seem to be the case.

Here are the following symptoms:
- Gasping of air
- Legs seem to be weak or in a minor form of paralysis
- Loss of appetite (from what I can tell because she only eats a little)

She seems to display the normal behaviour of a hen in that she is aware and sticking her head up to check on possible threats and she is constantly looking around. I have separated her from the flock.
Thank you all for checking this thread and helping me, and if you need extra detail or even pictures just ask.

Did they just get moved to your property today?

 

[webbysmeme]

Chickens don't like change. It puts them in some kind of shock or something like that. I don't know a lot about hens, I just got into them in the spring of 2018. Sorry I won't be much help to you. But, at least you know that you aren't alone! I'm here.

 

[leveric]

Thank you for taking your time to help me, the two hens had just moved this morning, one is coping well, the other developed these serious symptoms i mentioned, I have considered stress because of change and separated her and put her in a calm environment with available food and water, though seems like a far fetch to develop weakness in the legs to the point where she could hardly stand as a result of stress. but then again I wouldn't know how these little creatures cope with stress!

 

[gtaus]

developed rather severe symptoms of what I believe to be Mareks disease

I sure hope it's not Marek's disease. Anyway, I found a good YouTube video showing symptoms of the disease in a chicken which may be helpful to compare to your hen.

There are many YouTube videos on Marek's Disease that may be of interest.

 

[glassdragonfly]

Stress can cause crazy reactions in birds. I would do just what your doing,but in the morning I would bring in her friend.She is used to her and that will help her cope with the change. Other than that just keep a close eye one her.

 

[Eggcessive]

It would be a good idea to keep both new hens isolated in quarantine for a month to watch for any disease symptoms, look for mites and lice, and worm them. Sorry that the one hen is seeming to have problems, but it may be something to do with her being caught and moved in a cage. Hopefully, she will get better. Moving is very stressful when they have been someplace all their lives.

 

[leveric]

Sorry for late reply, I have quarantined the two hens and they both keep each other company well. My dad's been giving the sick hen vitamins and calcium supplements incase of deficiencies or possibility of eggbound, we removed an egg from her vent in the case it was egg bound but she is the same since this happened possibly as a result of the stress. We checked for mites and lice and her feces seem normal and she has had a few days to recover from what is possibly a stress disorder. The owners of the hen, despite our effort have decided to kill the sick hen as they won't be able to care for it and we will be on a holiday. Thank you all for your help however I think it is Marek's but otherwise there isn't much our family can do. I will make sure the second hen is established in our flock and doesn't possess any illnesses.

Thanks all!

 

[Eggcessive]

If you suspect Mareks, then the other hen could also be a carrier. If you put the hen down, I would tske her or send her body to the state poultry vet for a necropsy by Friday or on Monday am. If they suspect Mareks they can do testing. You can alao ship it overnight via Fedex or UPS, but it is easier if you get the state vet to email you a prepaid shipping label. Here is a list of state vets:
https://www.metzerfarms.com/PoultryLabs.cfm