Help with big chicken - bumblefoot? - Marek's? - what should I do?

[cwbest]

My big white hen sat down 5 days ago and won't get up. She's eating or drinking fine. Researching it came up with potentially Marek's Disease but the feet look like bumblefoot. Would bumblefoot cause her to stop walking all together? Should I try the surgery or the soaking method? I've attached some pics. ANY advice will be appreciated... Thanks, Chuck

 

[KayTee]

The scab on the bottom her foot does look a lot like bumblefoot, but I have a few questions:

1. Is she unable to move at all, or does she shuffle around / try to use her wings to push herself around? Basically does it seem to be paralysis, or just a reluctance to put weight on her feet / legs?

2.. In the third picture there looks to be a black mark on the back of her leg - is that just a pigment mark, or a scab?

3. Why are her feathers wet? Have you been bathing her because she has diarrhea, or is it something else?

 

[cwbest]

Thanks for replying. She seems to not want to use her legs at all - won't move using any part of her body. If put upside down just sits there. The mark on the back of her leg is another scab from lying down. She's so large she never wants to roost with my other hens and has developed a small scab from lying on the coop floor. She's wet because my daughter cleaned her up from being in a separated box and got feces all over her backside. No diarrhea from what I can tell.

 

[KayTee]

I have never heard of bumblefoot causing a chicken to stop moving completely like that, usually they will limp because of the discomfort. If you haven't checked her feet in a while then it could just be that she has been suffering from it for a while, but that it is not the actual cause of her problems, just a secondary thing. Had you noticed her limping or looking in discomfort before she stopped moving completely?

A sudden paralysis could be due to a number of factors. Have you checked out the Marek's article by Nambroth? You can find it here:


https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/the-great-big-giant-mareks-disease-faq

It is one of the most comprehensive and easy to understand articles that I have seen about the disease, and includes a section about diseases that resemble Marek's.

Although I don't have any direct experience of the disease in my own flock (touch wood), I have a few more questions which might give others on BYC an idea on how to help you:

How old is your girl, and do you know what breed she is?
When and where did you get her, and do you know if she was vaccinated for Marek's?
Does she have any other symptoms at all (changes to her eyes for example)?
Are any of your other hens behaving differently in any way at all?
Have there been any changes (no matter how small) in their environment recently?

The more information you can give us, even if to you it seems totally irrelevant to the situation, the better we can help you.

 

[cwbest]

She's 3 months old, got at Tractor Supply store labeled "white pullet", thinking she's a Cornish hen meat bird? She never did like walking down the ramp out of the coop, ate her food sitting down, eye's look normal I think (see picture), I've isolated her from the rest in case it's Marek's. Going to Tractor Supply now to see if their pullets are vaccinated or not. Thanks again...