Hen is staggering

[Roofey]

My otherwise healthy hen has appeared today with a pronounced stagger, walking almost cross legged and slightly sideways, occasionally lifting feet.
What can this be?

 

[Myrshine]

This can be a result of many different causes and factors such as:

1) Vitamin deficiency- Most people get worried and confused because symptoms of a vitamin deficiency can mimic some serious diseases that we all worry about like Marek’s Disease Virus (MDV) and Avian Lymphoid Leukosis (ALV). A vitamin deficiency, more specifically, a vitamin B-12 deficiency, can cause birds to fall over, unable to stand or walk, stumble while walking and overall just generally weak or having trouble with their legs. Luckily a vitamin deficiency is easy to treat, there are many sources that you can get vitamins for poultry. I personally use the Rooster Booster Vitamin B-12 liquid that goes into their water. While a vitamin deficiency is easy to treat, it can take a while (about a week to 2 weeks, sometimes, they just jump up all normal again, it really depends on the bird honestly) until your chicken regains strength to walk again.

2) Injury or trauma to the leg(s)- Chickens and other poultry that love to jump off of or onto tall spaces can easily hurt themselves if they’re not careful. If you have bigger livestock such as horses or cows, they can sometimes step on a birds foot or leg (trust me it happens). Check the legs, foot and toes to make sure there isn’t any swelling, broken bones or visible injuries to the leg(s). Breaking a leg is more serious than breaking toes, especially if it’s broke all the way through. Wrap the leg comfortably and antibiotic spray (if there is a scratch, cut, etc) if its broken or has exposed flesh. Keep the bird affected isolated to prevent further damage and from bullies in the flock. Depending on the cause of the injury, recovery can take from 1 week to 3 weeks.

3) Bumblefoot- Most people don’t think about Bumblefoot because it normally affects one foot, but this is false as the infection can be in both feet and cause pain, causing birds to stumble while walking, not wanting to move much, limping and sometimes falling over. Bumblefoot is caused by the Staphylococcus bacteria that infects the feet of poultry. They get it when they got a little cut or scratch at some point and the bacteria enters the area and causes an infection. Bumblefoot can be painful for the bird and cause swelling, redness, hot skin and sometimes a fever. Bumblefoot is very common, but also contagious to humans, so always wear gloves and a mask if possible. You can look up videos on YouTube about how to treat Bumblefoot as it can be a tricky process.

4) Marek’s Disease (MDV)- While I don’t always think Marek’s Disease is always the cause, I still have to mention it because it’s always a possibility when you own chickens. Marek’s Disease is a highly contagious Herpesvirus infection that causes tumors to grow on the internal organs, causing leg paralysis, stumbling, trouble walking, falling over, splayed legs and other serious symptoms that can include, body tremors, paralysis of the neck and wings, weight-loss and sudden death. Marek’s Disease can be spread by carrier birds, dander, feathers, feces, respiratory secretions and other bodily fluids from infected birds. Birds ever rarely recover and recoverers become carriers, shedding the virus and easily infecting nearby healthy birds. Getting a necropsy done is the best way to get accurate results. If you’re in the US, you can contact your State of Agriculture for testing or send the body or samples off to Research Associates Laboratory (RAL) to get results.

5) Avian Lymphoid Leukosis Virus (ALV)- Avian Leukosis Virus can mimic many diseases and is often confused or misdiagnosed as Marek’s Disease because of how similar symptoms can be. Birds infected by ALV will present symptoms such as diarrhea, leg paralysis, stumbling, falling over, unable to walk, bloody poops, splayed legs and sudden death. Unlike the Marek’s Disease Virus, ALV is caused by the Retrovirus and causes cancer in the organs. ALV infected birds can spread the virus to their offspring as it forms in the egg, making any chicks that happen to hatch, always infected. Most chicks will either not hatch at all and die before they break the shell or they’ll decline fast as they grow. ALV spreads the same way as any other disease (feathers, dander, respiratory secretions, feces, bodily fluids, etc). Getting a necropsy done is the best way to get accurate results. If you’re in the US, you can contact your State of Agriculture for testing or send off a body or samples for testing at Research Associates Laboratory (RAL) to get results.

I hope this helps, I always suggest testing before treating, so you know what you’re dealing with and how to properly handle it when or if you get any results! Again, this is all said from my experience and I hope it’ll help you.