1) What type of bird , age and weight (does the chicken seem or feel lighter or thinner than the others.)
New Hampshire Red, 9 months, didn't weigh her but she feels quite thin
2) What is the behavior, exactly.
She can't stand, falls over forward or sideways. When put by herself in a cage she will climb up or wedge herself in between the water dish and the cage wall or something else. Seems to me she is looking for something to hold her up as if she can't balance herself. She also uses her wings a lot to move about. She can move her legs and claws. I don't think they are paralyzed.
It started when I noticed her limping. I thought the roo had been too hard on her. She spent some days in the nesting boxes, seemed to get better and then got worse, the other chickens started being quite aggressive towards her so I took her indoors. She wasn't interested in feed or water for a few days, but recently started eating and drinking again, but very small amounts and not her usual feed.
3) How long has the bird been exhibiting symptoms?
About 3 weeks.
4) Are other birds exhibiting the same symptoms?
No
5) Is there any bleeding, injury, broken bones or other sign of trauma.
Not that I can see, I felt both her legs and they feel fine to me.
6) What happened, if anything that you know of, that may have caused the situation.
I thought the roo had roughed her up but now I'm not sure. If it was just a leg injury it should have healed by now. She is still keeling over when I try to have her stand on her own. I wonder if she could have a brain injury or something like that that interferes with her balance.
Sometimes I have the feeling that she can't see all that well, but I have no confirmation of that.
7) What has the bird been eating and drinking, if at all.
Normal layer food, at first, now she's just interested in food that is easily swallowed, so not interested in feed or seeds but when I wet the feed and make a mash she will eat some of it.
8) How does the poop look? Normal? Bloody? Runny? etc.
Normal but not much now that she eating a little again, before that very bright green, but that's probably because she had not been eating before.
9) What has been the treatment you have administered so far?
TLC: Rest, provide some peace and quiet. I don't know what's wrong so I don't really know what to do about it.
10 ) What is your intent as far as treatment? For example, do you want to treat completely yourself, or do you need help in stabilizing the bird til you can get to a vet?
I do not want to go to a vet. I just wonder what else I can do.
11) If you have a picture of the wound or condition, please post it. It may help.
12) Describe the housing/bedding in use
At first she was in the coop that has pine shavings on the floor, straw in the nest boxes and pdz under the roost. There is straw and dirt outside in the run. It is theoretically possible that she got into something moldy there. But none of the other birds show any symptoms.
Edited to add: I checked her for visible signs of external parasites and she looks completely clean. No legmites, or any other critters that I have been able to see.
So my questions:
1. Could this be neurological, some kind of head trauma or something else that got into her balance system?
2. could it be bacteriological, some infection that makes her light headed? Should I try antibiotics?
3. Would the above describe Marek's?
New Hampshire Red, 9 months, didn't weigh her but she feels quite thin
2) What is the behavior, exactly.
She can't stand, falls over forward or sideways. When put by herself in a cage she will climb up or wedge herself in between the water dish and the cage wall or something else. Seems to me she is looking for something to hold her up as if she can't balance herself. She also uses her wings a lot to move about. She can move her legs and claws. I don't think they are paralyzed.
It started when I noticed her limping. I thought the roo had been too hard on her. She spent some days in the nesting boxes, seemed to get better and then got worse, the other chickens started being quite aggressive towards her so I took her indoors. She wasn't interested in feed or water for a few days, but recently started eating and drinking again, but very small amounts and not her usual feed.
3) How long has the bird been exhibiting symptoms?
About 3 weeks.
4) Are other birds exhibiting the same symptoms?
No
5) Is there any bleeding, injury, broken bones or other sign of trauma.
Not that I can see, I felt both her legs and they feel fine to me.
6) What happened, if anything that you know of, that may have caused the situation.
I thought the roo had roughed her up but now I'm not sure. If it was just a leg injury it should have healed by now. She is still keeling over when I try to have her stand on her own. I wonder if she could have a brain injury or something like that that interferes with her balance.
Sometimes I have the feeling that she can't see all that well, but I have no confirmation of that.
7) What has the bird been eating and drinking, if at all.
Normal layer food, at first, now she's just interested in food that is easily swallowed, so not interested in feed or seeds but when I wet the feed and make a mash she will eat some of it.
8) How does the poop look? Normal? Bloody? Runny? etc.
Normal but not much now that she eating a little again, before that very bright green, but that's probably because she had not been eating before.
9) What has been the treatment you have administered so far?
TLC: Rest, provide some peace and quiet. I don't know what's wrong so I don't really know what to do about it.
10 ) What is your intent as far as treatment? For example, do you want to treat completely yourself, or do you need help in stabilizing the bird til you can get to a vet?
I do not want to go to a vet. I just wonder what else I can do.
11) If you have a picture of the wound or condition, please post it. It may help.
12) Describe the housing/bedding in use
At first she was in the coop that has pine shavings on the floor, straw in the nest boxes and pdz under the roost. There is straw and dirt outside in the run. It is theoretically possible that she got into something moldy there. But none of the other birds show any symptoms.
Edited to add: I checked her for visible signs of external parasites and she looks completely clean. No legmites, or any other critters that I have been able to see.
So my questions:
1. Could this be neurological, some kind of head trauma or something else that got into her balance system?
2. could it be bacteriological, some infection that makes her light headed? Should I try antibiotics?
3. Would the above describe Marek's?
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