Hen losing weight, having difficulty walking.

[sevenbabychicks]

Sadly, Nigella died this morning. I checked on her at 7:30 and thought she looked perkier, although I noticed that her crop was still full of last night's dinner. I checked on her again at 8:30 and she was dead. As a last-ditch effort, I put some wormer in her water last night, and I worry that it hastened her demise. Ugh. It's always so hard when the cuddly ones go.

Buckabucka, I hope so much that your hen keeps improving! I'll keep checking back on this thread with my fingers crossed for her.

 

[buckabucka]

Sadly, Nigella died this morning. I checked on her at 7:30 and thought she looked perkier, although I noticed that her crop was still full of last night's dinner. I checked on her again at 8:30 and she was dead. As a last-ditch effort, I put some wormer in her water last night, and I worry that it hastened her demise. Ugh. It's always so hard when the cuddly ones go. 

Buckabucka, I hope so much that your hen keeps improving! I'll keep checking back on this thread with my fingers crossed for her.

I am very sorry for your loss.

I think you really did everything you could for her.

 

[buckabucka]

Today isn't her best morning. I'm starting day 2 on the B vitamins. Yesterday she was outdoors in the tractor much of the day. She stays flat, but enjoys eating the grass and pecking at the dirt. Her panting symptoms had dimished significantly.

Before I brought her in, I tried helping her walk, by lifting her up and letting her move her legs along. When I let go, she would take a few steps on her own, and she was standing upright more frequently, so I was encouraged.

After I brought her inside though, she began panting more frequently, even when she is just sitting there. This morning, she is panting most of the time, although she still has a good appetite. I don't know if the panting is a sign of pain, stress, or a respiratory issue. Her breathing does not sound rattle-y at all, just a lot of open mouthed breathing. I wonder if she has heart disease or something.

We haven't given up on her yet, but we'll see how this progresses.

 

[janinepeters]

Sadly, Nigella died this morning. I checked on her at 7:30 and thought she looked perkier, although I noticed that her crop was still full of last night's dinner. I checked on her again at 8:30 and she was dead.

Sorry for your loss! I think this was probably Marek's disease, extremely common in chickens. It affects the nervous system, and symptoms vary, depending on which part of the nervous system is affected. Weakness of one or both legs is a very common symptom. It can also affect the nerve to the crop, causing partial paralysis of the crop muscle. Thus the crop cannot contract enough to empty completely, resulting in malnutrition and a firm, chronically full crop. I mention this because you commented a few times about her crop being full.

 

[buckabucka]

I think DH is going to do in our lame hen today. She is alert and has a great appetite, but after a week and a half in the house, she has shown no improvement. She cannot walk, or scratch around, or go in with the flock.

We are sad, but this is one of the realities of raising chickens. It is hard for me, since I have been working with her one on one all this time. This is the first time we have to do this, so I hope it goes smoothly. I feel like we did what we could.

 

[zhockeymom]

I have the same problem. My polish has been lame for about a week. She can't walk or stand. She was scooting and eating and drinking normal. Now she's emaciated and looks worse. I have tried several things but I think that she's either had a stroke or has Mareks. I don't want her to suffer.