Help! Sick chicken!

chickengirls16

In the Brooder
Jun 14, 2025
20
26
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This morning we were moving our pullets and cockeral to a new fence and when we set our diamond duchess pullet down she started hobbling and her tail was tilted to the side and randomly loosing balance. Still doing that. She doesn't do anything when we push on either of her legs, and it seems to be her right leg. We have had past experiences with mareks disease, is it mareks? Is it just a leg injury? Please help!:(
 
This morning we were moving our pullets and cockeral to a new fence and when we set our diamond duchess pullet down she started hobbling and her tail was tilted to the side and randomly loosing balance. Still doing that. She doesn't do anything when we push on either of her legs, and it seems to be her right leg. We have had past experiences with mareks disease, is it mareks? Is it just a leg injury? Please help!:(
Can you please get a picture of the chicken?
 
Was the chicken in a crate or box with the others while she was moved and possibly got injured? Do you see any swelling, redness, or green bruising later on along the entire foot or leg? It sounds like an injury or she may have developed wry tail. I agree that pictures may be helpful. Mareks is a disease that makes carriers of the whole flock and it sticks around for months to years even after all chickens are gone. So it would be a concern. If she is trying to walk on a weak or numb leg and using her wings to balance, that can be symptoms of injuries or Mareks. When possible, you may also want to upload a video of her walking to YouTube or a similar site. Watch out that she is not bullied or trampled, and make sure that she can reach her food and water. It might be necessary to separate her in a dog crate with food and water.
 
Was the chicken in a crate or box with the others while she was moved and possibly got injured? Do you see any swelling, redness, or green bruising later on along the entire foot or leg? It sounds like an injury or she may have developed wry tail. I agree that pictures may be helpful. Mareks is a disease that makes carriers of the whole flock and it sticks around for months to years even after all chickens are gone. So it would be a concern. If she is trying to walk on a weak or numb leg and using her wings to balance, that can be symptoms of injuries or Mareks. When possible, you may also want to upload a video of her walking to YouTube or a similar site. Watch out that she is not bullied or trampled, and make sure that she can reach her food and water. It might be necessary to separate her in a dog crate with food and water.
Thank you so much! We're pretty sure it's mareks as it seems to be getting worse 😕 when we inspected her leg earlier it didn't seem to be red or swelling, may be green but probably the diamond duchess leg color. Sorry, I don't think the picture is helpful but Double thanks!
 

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Let us know how she gets along. The thing is, it is not N emergency to know if it is Mareks or not. There is time to offer super B complex vitamins, in case of a deficiency. An injury might get better with some rest and separation. Do you usually get a necropsy with your state vet to confirm Mareks in your flock?
 

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