Hen cannot stand *****PICS**** UPDATED...passed away :(

[FosterFamily]

Hello I am new to this site and new to raising chickens. We have a flock of 5 hens... and yesterday we noticed our RI red was laying around a lot and when she moved she had a limp. We figured she had hurt her leg, but upon examination we could not find any evidence of her foot/leg/hip being injured...no swelling, cuts etc. Late last night we noticed she was looking more and more lifeless and was not moving at all. We isolated her in her own box away from the other girls and this morning we checked on her. She looked even worse, she would not eat or drink...she had laid an egg... but it was obvious she could not stand or move. She lays all sprawled out with both of her wings out. She seems to tuck both of her legs under her bell...

At first we thought maybe she was dehydrated and might have an impacted crop because she had been eating grass clippings... but we examined her crop and it all seems normal. Her comb is normal so is her vent and her eyes are clear. She has started showing signs of labored breathing or respiratory distress... We have been giving her fluids from an eye dropper... water, then some water with a little honey in it. I put some food in there just now and she has taken a few bites, but when she eats she seems to have even a more difficult time breathing. We have examined her from head to toe and cannot see any external injury. I have been trying to do some research online about paralyzed birds... (because it seems she cannot move at all) and was thinking maybe it is botulism or maybe maerks (sp) but I don't really know how she would get either of them. Our other birds seem just fine...

Our RI is 7 months old...and up until 2 days ago she was the picture of health and one of our best layers. If any one has any suggestion or information we would greatly appreciate it. I just checked on her and it seems she might be loosing control of her neck... PLEASE HELP!!!!

 

[FosterFamily]

Quote:

 

[karen71]

Give them time I have no answer but there are many knowledgable (sp) people on here -
Hopefully this will bump you up and someone has an answer

 

[nnbreeder]

How old were the grass clippings and does she have access to a compost pile? The clumps of grass could be moldy within a few hours of cutting it.

 

[nnbreeder]

Here is a long but good read on Botulism.

http://fowlfacts.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=afflictiondiseaseff&action=display&thread=1212

Here on this site do a search for botulism, a flush with Epsom Salt may be in order.

If treatment for Botulism doesn't work do a search for Zane here on BYC. That thread is loaded with good info on Marek's disease.

 

[sammi]

is the hen thin?
what all do you feed?
do you give oyster shell or any calcium supplement?
what do you use for bedding?

when you checked the crop..finding it "normal"..when did she last eat before you checked it?
please check again for any lumps or grainy feeling.
if you can check the throat and mouth, look for any whitish or yellowish sores or plaque..or any sour or odd odor.

can you hear any wheezing?
any mucus from eyes or beak?

is she having any other odd movements?(for example..head twisting, or weak neck, etc)
check the eyes for clarity.

describe the droppings..color and consistency.
check the vent for drainage or runny droppings.
feel beak..does it feel weak or rubbery?

did you check the bottom of the foot for any sore, scab, raised are, or heat?
when was she last wormed?

are the birds penned or free range?
have these chickens always been together or are any of them new to the flock?

please try to answer all the questions..this hen could have rickets,
but need more info.

 

[The Wolf Queen]

Could be a poisonous spider bite.

 

[sammi]

if she is losing control of her neck it could be something toxic or rotten she ate..
Botulism..

but please answer the questions..

 

[FosterFamily]

wow... thank you so much... here are the answers to the questions asked;

The hen is not thin, she is pretty plum. She is fed scratch grain/layers feed also gets some grass clippings (however we have stopped this as we suspect it could be the culprit) as well as some food... cabbage/kale/apples/oats etc. The feed the chickens eat have oyster shells and we also have the run lined with small gravel.

When feeling the crop it did initially feel grainy... like bits of rock... but now mostly empty with a little bits of grain)
we see no yellow sores/no runny vent...comb look good feels like the rest of our birds... eyes are clear...

We use wood shavings for bedding.

I cannot hear any wheezing... but her breathing is labored... she takes breaths with her mouth open.
as for her neck movements... she twists her neck around and sticks it under her wing every once in a while... it looks like she is trying to move herself or maybe balance her body... it does not seem to be involuntary.

Droppings... She has had two movements since we isolated her one was dark in color and loose and the second was very thin and a yellow/green color.

The beak feels hard and normal, not rubbery.

The bottom of her feet have no sores/wounds that we can find, no scabbing.. When we pick her up she can kind of move her legs but I cannot tell if it is an involuntary movement.

We have never wormed our chickens... they are 7 months old. (I am not sure what the protocol is for worming...advice would be great)

The chickens are mostly penned... we do let them out on occasion to roam our yard... we do not use any chemicals of any kind on our grass... they all grew up together and there are no new birds.

The grass clippings were getting pretty old - ... we removed them because you could smell them getting moldy... I think this could be the cause, but wonder why only one bird is ill.... if it is infact the clippings that made her ill what is the best solution?

We noticed 2 days ago that she had a limp...and then she seemed to go down hill very fast. She has made it a full 24 hours now with out moving...and she is still laying eggs... I would really appreciate any advice. Thank you so very much for your questions and your help... I am so worried about her!!!!

 

[emilyweck]

Hi there. Put her in a dark place where she doesn't get the urge to lay eggs. Isolate her from the rest of the group. I would atleast put her on the obvious routines for "normal" issues. Such as Chorid or VetRx.

I'm sorry for your situation!