Hen losing balance and loss of wing control

Jesseandjenny

Hatching
6 Years
Nov 24, 2013
1
0
7
Long time browser first time posting.

Found one of my approximately 7mo old hens (rhode island red cross breed) 2 weeks ago falling over whenever she would try to peck the ground. Noticed one wing dragging.

I immediately quarantined her for 2 weeks and kept her on antibiotics for most all of that time. At one point she was laying on her side quivering for an entire day. Then she started getting better. After 10 days of sitting up in her pen I put her back in with the others. After 2 days back in the coop she seems to be relapsing.

Symptoms:
I found one hen dead in the run (2 months ago)
I found 2 really small eggs spotted and bumpy (inconsistent with my other rhode island red eggs (one Month ago))
Runny poop (sometimes)
Loss of balance
left wing hanging
Loss of weight
Lice on my hands after holding her
Occasional diarrhea from my other 2 hens

Treatments
I dusted her 2 times with a poultry/garden dust I worked the powder down into the feathers and onto her skin (seemed to take care of the lice)
I dusted all my birds with the same product
I dusted the coop and roosts with the same product
I gave her antibiotics in her water for 12 days

So this morning I go out and her wing is again hanging and her balance is worse and she seems to be no better off than she was a few weeks ago.

Any ideas on what this could be or what I should do? These are our first birds and we just built the coop and run this summer.

Thanks!
 
Last edited:
Welcome to BYC. Unfortunately I think your chicken could be suffering from Mareks disease. I would give her vitamins in the water just in case of a vitamin deficiency, and thenread all you can on Mareks. There is an ongoing thread here called "Not and emergency--Mareks in the flock" where you can ask questions of experienced people with Mareks-affected chickens. Here are 2 very good links (be sure to view all of the pictures in the second one:) http://extension.unh.edu/resources/files/Resource000791_Rep813.pdf
http://partnersah.vet.cornell.edu/avian-atlas/search/disease/502
 

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