Help needed!! Mareks??

[Gemgem11]

Hi 2 days ago I went to lock the chickens away at night and one of the girls was on the floor looked like she had fallen off the perch and was on her back kicking her legs trying to get back the right way up.. I turned her back over and she just sat there on the floor
I decided to bring her in thinking that she would die but 2 days later here we are she is still alive eating normally and drinking when I put the water near her, it seems like the left hand side of her body is weak the wing feels almost stiff to lift and the eye looks different but not cloudy or grey she can walk but is only doing a few steps to come and get some corn then just stands there and when she starts to wobble she can only lift the one wing to steady herself some times falling almost backwards like she’s sitting on her bum all I can think of is mareks but all the rest of the flock seem fine at the moment any ideas? I have added a couple of pictures so you can see the difference on each side
thanks

 

[Shadrach]

Hi 2 days ago I went to lock the chickens away at night and one of the girls was on the floor looked like she had fallen off the perch and was on her back kicking her legs trying to get back the right way up.. I turned her back over and she just sat there on the floor
I decided to bring her in thinking that she would die but 2 days later here we are she is still alive eating normally and drinking when I put the water near her, it seems like the left hand side of her body is weak the wing feels almost stiff to lift and the eye looks different but not cloudy or grey she can walk but is only doing a few steps to come and get some corn then just stands there and when she starts to wobble she can only lift the one wing to steady herself some times falling almost backwards like she’s sitting on her bum all I can think of is mareks but all the rest of the flock seem fine at the moment any ideas? I have added a couple of pictures so you can see the difference on each side
thanks

I've never had to deal with Mareks disease thankfully but you won't know if it is definitely Mareks until she dies and you have a necropsy done.
I've had two paralyzed hens here, neither was from Mareks.
Stress can cause partial paralysis as can pressure on nerves from problems with internal organs. Some hens that carry too much fat for example.
Nobody can tell you if it's Mareks or not so assume it isn't to start with and look for other possible couses.

 

[Mtnboomer]

I have dealt with mareks and the problem is that not all birds become symptomatic. Some birds live for years with no signs. Then you open them up and they are full of tumors.
Wry neck is a common symptom of mareks disease as well as other neurological problems such as standing on one leg, loss of balance, walking backwards and inability to stand. These symptoms may also have other causes.
I hope your hen does not have it but if she dies or you put her down have her necropsied to confirm or deny. If she does the rest will too but remember they may not be symptomatic.
Good news is the meat and eggs from MD birds are still edible!

 

[Eggcessive]

How old is she? Can you get a closeup of her left eye? Is it the left or right leg that is affected? The right wing looks drooping. Her tail is also drooping. Has she laid an egg recently? Can you insert a finger into her vent an inch or two to feel for a stuck egg? It might be Mareks disease, but hard to know without testing or a necropsy. Injury or stroke might be a problem. @rebrascora in the UK might know where to find blood testing or feather shaft testing. Mareks usually affects chickens in their first year. It is spread through feather dander and their dust. Here is some reading about the disease:
https://extension.umd.edu/sites/ext...Preventing Mareks Disease in Small Flocks.pdf
https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/the-great-big-giant-mareks-disease-faq.66077/

 

[Gemgem11]

I have dealt with mareks and the problem is that not all birds become symptomatic. Some birds live for years with no signs. Then you open them up and they are full of tumors.
Wry neck is a common symptom of mareks disease as well as other neurological problems such as standing on one leg, loss of balance, walking backwards and inability to stand. These symptoms may also have other causes.
I hope your hen does not have it but if she dies or you put her down have her necropsied to confirm or deny. If she does the rest will too but remember they may not be symptomatic.
Good news is the meat and eggs from MD birds are still edible!

 

[Gemgem11]

Hi thanks for the reply that is the difference in the eyes

 

[Eggcessive]

The eyes look okay, but the left eyelid is droopy or possibly a little swollen. Is it her left leg that seems weak? How is she doing? Is she still walking short distances or imbalanced. How old is she, and has she been laying eggs?

 

[Gemgem11]

She has stopped laying since I bought her in very unsteady and sort of falls back onto her bum she is still eating and drinking and talking and yes left leg and left wing although she can still move the leg? I don’t know what to do for the best she doesn’t seem in any pain and is loving all the attention I have read other places that they can recover but not holding out a lot hope and don’t want her suffering

 

[Eggcessive]

We had a 7 Y O hen a year ago start wobbling and falling backward or on her side. She stayed in a basket inside the coop for about 5 weeks, although she could stand briefly and sit back down. We wondered about Mareks or something like infection or internal laying putting pressure on leg nerves. She eventually recovered, now walks all over the yard, although slightly wobbly, but is happy and healthy. We will get a necropsy one day when she dies, but I would just give her some time before deciding what to do. I would suggest getting either Mareks testing by blood test (about $20 here:
http://www.vetdna.com/ )
or by a necropsy from the state vet.

 

[Gemgem11]

Update:
So she is still alive eating and drinking well talking and alert etc she still can’t walk she can stand for short periods then sit back down she has tried walking but stumbles and has to steady herself with the right wing.. when picked up her legs move normally they are not limp and she can grip with both feet.. the left wing how ever is still stiff and she does not try to use it. when cleaning her bum i noticed a few bits by her tail bone and vent that looked what I would say bruised but apart from that the rest of the skin is normal colour. Today I gave her a little bath and thought because she got wetter than usual I would carefully dry her with the hair dryer as I was drying her and going through all of her feathers I lifted the left wing slightly to dry underneath and I found a TOOTH!!! It was not dug in her body just stuck in the feathers There are no puncture wounds or any thing that I can see just this lack of walking and the wing not lifting well so the question is maybe if she had been attacked could this lack of walking be some thing to do with it??
thanks