HELP! What is wrong? Droopy wing, beak down, Pictures..

[Msbear]

Dawning, good luck with your little guy.

3horses, Im going out now to get the molasses and applesauce now. I saw an earler post that explained what the ratios were so I'll find that. She actually started eating a bit yesterday... when I fed her. ..some 12 grain bread soaked in milk. Her poo still looks pretty decent and she flapped her wings and moved her legs to try to excape the bath which she hasn't done the other two times so??? Im still holding out a little hope.

another symptom I'd like to mention: after I feed her a bit and give her some water with vitamins, she will perk up. But, it's wierd... her head kind of shakes and her body shakes a tiny bit like maybe muscle spasms? I will hold the food up to her and "chook chook" and point to try to get her to peck and her eyes zero in.. I can see her pupils dialate and she will work up a peck like it took every last bit of energy.. then her head will kind of go back and fourth and she'll settle back down?

 

[ZRider10]

Threehorses,

I just brought her inside, kept her warm and helped her drink some water. I didn't do a flush or anything or vitamins. I assumed it was Marek's and was just waiting until I had time to dig a hole before culling her. Then she started getting better! Now she's not up to a normal energy level, but she's in a crate in the shed and roosting on top of her waterer. Considering she couldn't stand or hold her head up when I found her last week, I'm pretty happy with her recovery.

I do have a compost pile in my yard that will soon be fenced off.

I'm not sure how long I need to keep her isolated for or if I even need to at all if it was a toxin. Any guidance would be much appreciated. Thanks!

 

[Msbear]

I did the molasses flush with no noticable results. I forced fed her that day and she just kept spitting everything up. I got really frustrated and drained and did not feed her or water her all day yesterday or today with the intentions of culling her this evening. She has been laying in a crate out in the yard under a maple tree all day.. not moving.. still

I just sent my hubby out with the plastic bag and pruners

and he came back in with the hen and asked if she was moving at all today... I asked why? He pulled her up and her wings were flapping, her neck was extended and her legs were moving back and fourth!!

I was shocked and went a made a wet mash and got her some electrolyte water. She is now laying on my kitchen table EATING the food HERSELF!!!

I am boiling her some eggs as well and I cannot say how happy I am. This is an incredible turn. I really hope she can recover fully.

 

[threehorses]

Quote:
Phew!! Talk about just under the wire!

And again oddly I didn't get any notices until this last post - none for the other three or four posts. /sigh

These things do take time. Remember that there are some cases where things happen overnight, but sometimes if it's just vitamin problems (or mycotoxins) it can take well over a week, two weeks, or more to improve. In this case, she did it quickly.

In most of these cases, since we don't know what's going on (and we're trying a broad spectrum approach) we can't give a real time-frame. I always like to see 2 weeks go by at least, particularly if there's any chance of nutritional issues or neurological issues.

 

[Msbear]

I just cannot believe it. I thought for sure we were at the end and that maybe she had some sort of leg injury or something other than toxins as her poo has been in the normal range for some time. Honestly, I was just sick of caring for her and seeing her continue to go downhill. Now I feel like sucha bad momma

but at least my husband had enough of a clue to see that she had improved... what close one!!

3Horses, thanx sooooo much for your help. I never would've thought it to be possible for her to recover with how pathetic she was. I've learned a valuable lesson here.

 

[hippichick]

Erin, I'm so happy she's doing better. Boy, was that a close call. I'm nursing my favorite blue Orp roo right now, and improvement is very slow. Your post gives me hope. I'll definitely not give up. Hope your little hen makes a full recovery.

 

[Dawning]

Thank you all,

Well time will tell but I do believe my BO rooster is not getting worse, with some hope he is even better. We have supplemented vitimins rounded out his diet and made sure he has kept warm, dry and clean while he still eagerly tries to get around. His eating is still great. I am still not sure what the exact issue was that happened so suddenly, BUT I am pretty sure we have made progress as to correcting what that was and he is on the road to form of recovery. I may never breed him to his pretty hens, but hopefully he will be old and grumpy about it.

I think that it may have been a vitimin issue, I think that because I have relized I spoiled my baby to much and he preferred fresh food and snobs the feed that has all the vitimins he needs. So I now add vitimins to his freash food and although it is not a miraculous recovery, he no longer plops and falls over at the end of his excited attempts to get around. My hens have been great comfort to him, I know I risked getting them sick if it was contagious, but due to our circumstances that was our best option. And he has done very well with them to mother him and keep him company. Even during adverse weather they stick it out with him and surround him until us humans realize and come to the rescue. And I think I may be in love with my Barred rock hen, she just might be the prettiest little hen that ever clucked, ever! I can't wait till she lays her first egg.

Thanks for all the help and advise, and I read so many back post with good advise I couldn't name a tenth of them. THANK YOU EVERYONE.

I do hope the other chickens in this post, who are lucky to have such awesome owners that care so much, recover and thrive!! Also I look forward to my future contacts in this great forum!!

Dawning

 

[frankensusan]

Thank you for posting pictures and play by play on this illness. It really helps.

Susan

 

[threehorses]

Quote:
Basically, keeping them on a fortified diet, age appropriate, covers most of their needed vitamins in a balance that is specific for poultry. There have been just heaps of money spent on that one subject for decades, into centuries now. Added vitamins usually shouldn't be necessary - but when we add a lot to their diet, we upset the balance and deficiencies develop. Many of the vitamins/minerals have interrelationships that are quite complicated (like the Calcium/VitaminD/Phosphorus interrelationship - a most notable one).

So my "basic rule" is keep 95% of the diet completely fortified pellets or crumbles. The other can be healthy treats, even grains. Scratch is always to be fed in handfuls - as it's not a "feed" but a sort of useful treat designed to encourage birds to 'scratch' around in the yard or in their deep bedding for exercise, interest, and aeration/drying of the bedding. Nevermind what The Feed Store Guy says.

I hope that with your continued care your rooster will get back on track!

 

[gretchenhau]

Someone sent me here, and I believe that my EE has the dreaded b word. She looked just like the picture last night, this am she was sitting, and this afternoon she was out, hiding in the weeds, but up head still strange, but not as bad as last night. Where should I start today, now? flushes, let nature work since she is some better, oh my, Then I am out to scour the premises to see what she might have gotten into.