Hen can't walk

[mipsy6]

Thanks as well. And good luck kiya4jah. I hope your chicken gets better soon.

I gave my wobbly RIR a big dose of liquid childrens multi-vitamin this morning, along with some yogurt, so I'm hoping that will help. Should I expect to see improvement right away, or will it take a few days?

Also, is this something I should be worried about long-term, or just a problem that happens to growing chickens? Will I need to always supplement their food with vitamins?

 

[kiya4jah]

Im not sure as this is the first time I have delt with rickets. Lets keep eachother posted.I think that once we have the hens re balanced with vitamine d and calcium they should be ok. I hope that there is no permenant disability.

 

[mipsy6]

Hey, kiya4jah, how's your chicken doing?

Mine is okay. She's still limping a lot, although her weakness seems isolated to one leg, and her energy seems decent. I'm still giving her a big dose of of childrens liquid multi-vitamin every morning, and other special food like yogurt and cooked oatmeal. Hard to say if anything is helping her, but hopefully it is.

I also put apple cider vinegar in their water, to help prevent infection. Not sure if that really works, but they drink the water fine so I don't think it hurts.

How's your hen?

 

[mudderhen]

I don't know about chickens, but in humans, vitamin D is a fat soluble vitamin, meaning any excess is stored in the fat in the body, and can build up and become toxic/lethal. I think the polyvisol is fine, but I would caution against giving any doses of pure vit. D.

 

[dlhunicorn]

I would give the polyvisol >three drops a day for a week then taper off the next (then stop with that vitamin).
You can add wheatgermoil through their feed as well as Aviacharge 2000 (mix it in with just enough cooked-in-water human oatmeal to make their feed clump together).

 

[kiya4jah]

My hen is the same. She still can't walk well and her feet are all curled up. I have continuded with the treatment plan and will taper off tomorrow. She seems good with the exception of scooting around with the other hens. I don't know if I should expect her to die or not or if she will pull through and heal. I also don't know what will happen when she is ready to lay in a week or so. I guess we shall see. I still have hope for her.

 

[mipsy6]

I hope your girl gets better soon! Do you still think she has rickets? I am starting to think mine doesn't, and that its an actual leg injury like a sprain or tendon problem, because her weakness seems to just be on one leg. Of course, now she's losing feathers on that leg as well, although I can't tell why. I posted about it in a new topic since this thread was more about rickets.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=61338

Anyway, good luck with your weak-legged hen! Keep us updated.

 

[sammi]

kiya4jah...
you say her feet are curled up?
(this is a bad sign)
is she eating and drinking?

please describe her droppings..color and consistency.
has she been wormed?

please check the crop...is it empty?
does it feel hard or have a lump?
does it feel grainy?

here is a recipe you can try..

“” This amount feeds one bird””

Feed the birds three times a day for three days a mixture of

This mixture is what you will need for the entire three feeds…. It is not 3 egg yolks and 3 teaspoons of honey etc…. divide the contents into three

½ to 1 x egg yolk…..

1 teaspoon honey…. .given for energy

2 x tablespoons yogurt…. Given for calcium and also to make the bowel go back into normal production after this upset
Only use the plain yogurt never the one with fruit or extra sugar in it, not good for the bird

3 to 4 tablespoons rolled oats…. To give substance to the feed, or use chicken crumbles or layer pellets but soften them with some boiling water first

Sprinkle of multi vitamin powder (only if you are not already giving it to them in their drinking water, or other vitamins..don’t overdose) just a few grains will usually be enough for this size mixture

2 to 4 table spoons of apple sauce or grated apple, it must be grated not chopped up for ease of digestion

Mix to make a crumble mixture not runny

If the bird is not eating you will have to force feed... roll into small pellets the same size as a layer pellet.... and force feed, and then massage the neck in a downward motion to get it down into the bird's crop, make sure your keep the neck straight, its really hard getting something down a neck that is bent or curved, the bird may be too weak to eat or have lost the desire to eat…. Don’t hold back…. The longer it goes without this the worse it will get

If you must give it something to drink – only give drops onto the beak.
don’t try and pour any fluid down a chickens throat, it will more than likely go into the air passage and into the lungs and end up drowning the bird

 

[kiya4jah]

Thanks Sammi, She is eating and drinking just fine. She is bright eyed and clucks often. She will wiggle her way out of the coop to forage a little and then I will hand feed her your mix and then put her back in the coop for the night. She doesnt seem ill at all except that she can't use her legs well. Her droppings are brown with white, her crop is empty and supple,and she has not been wormed.