HELP my silkie hen can't walk!! :(

[ILUVexoticchickenbreeds]

I have a question for chicken experts.

Just a few days ago I noticed one of my silkie hens whom is 5 months old started walking abnormally and was dragging one foot and today she can barely walk and is slipping and sliding both legs to the sides and it's so bad she even got one foot stuck twice in chicken wire fencing . Is there anything I can do to save her legs and get her walking back to normal so she can walk and move like a normal chicken again? Right now she is refusing to move and just hides out in the coop all day and never wants to come outside while normally she just like all my other poultry loves to go outside and free range my property during the daytime at night I lock all my chickens and other poultry inside the coop. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Do I need to call the vet and have my vet come out and see her? Is there any supplements I can buy to give to her that will help her get and feel better sooner than later? Thank you in advance for any and all advice. Don't know if this helps but I just got her and some other silkie hens she came with two weeks ago from someone who never let them outside their coop and had them locked inside 24/7 with just a tiny the size of a outdoor kennel space for them outside on only woodchips no natural footing meaning no dirt or grass.. The lady I got them from has 20+ of them. So I don't know if maybe this issue of her legs comes from the type of housing she lived in before I got her and the other 6 hens? Thank you again for any and all advice As I am fairly new when it comes to owning poultry as a result don't know a lot about them. She seams to be eating and drinking fine so at the moment I'm not worried about lack of appetite or lack of drinking. Her and all my chickens diet is layer pellets,whole corn and scratch grains and left over food scraps so yes human organic compost as I only eat organic food so all compost I give them is organic.

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

Sounds more like Mareks unfortunately.

 

[ILUVexoticchickenbreeds]

What is Mereks? Do I need to get my vet out to have Merecks treated as a result this issue fixed or can I treat it myself as a result fix this issue myself? Thank you

 

[chicknmania]

It does sound like Marek's, but there are some things you can try. Search Hypericum Perforatum on here, and follow the directions exactly. DON'T use just St John's wart capsules, use the Hypericum and follow the directions! If you can't find the thread, let me know. It's a very controversial treatment and the thread is so long, but I have had good results with it.

You can also try just vitamin therapy...I would use Rooster Booster B & K vitamin supplement and give it to her directly, a couple of times a day. Some people have had luck with giving the bird crushed Tums, too, but i've never had much luck with vitamin therapy in treating Marek's.

People say there is no cure for Marek's. I had one hen with it that I treated with Hypericum Perforatum, and she did recover, but died 6 months later from worms. I had another pullet who I believe also had it, and same thing, she did recover after I treated her with the Hypericum Perforatum, but a few months later she developed a Staph infection in her leg and it killed her. Point being, I think any bird who contracts Marek's has a compromised immune system to begin with, and the Marek's just makes everything more challenging for the bird to overcome other things, even if it does recover from Marek's disease. Marek's is everywhere, and either a bird develops an immunity to it, or they don't. I've also had birds with Marek's symptoms who did not recover using the Hypericum, so it does not always work. Fortunately, many birds do develop an immunity to it. Try putting the rest of your flock on some vitamins for a week or so, just to give them a boost.

It's best if you quarantine your sick bird. She will thank you for putting her in a comfy cage or pen where light is dim and she can have a little warmth and privacy. If you can keep her separate from the flock but where she can still see and/ or hear them, all the better.

If your vet will look at her for you, of course, that is always best. Sometimes chickens develop neurological problems for other reasons. Worms, vitamin deficiencies, and some kinds of avian cancers, also can cause those symptoms. Where there's life, there's hope, so worth trying any or all of the things I mentioned. Have you ever dewormed your flock? If not, ask the vet to do a random fecal float for you on her and maybe some other flock members, just to make sure.

Good luck, and welcome! Please let us know how she does. We care.

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

What is Mereks? Do I need to get my vet out to have Merecks treated as a result this issue fixed or can I treat it myself as a result fix this issue myself? Thank you

Mareks is basically a viral cancer, that causes tumors that pushes on nerves and causes leg paralysis, and blindness. Generally legs are out in front and pointing back.

It is seen mostly around 3-6 months of age, but can pop up during times of stress.

Many birds carry, most become immune, but generally those that become symptomatic will die no matter what you do as it is a cancer.