Hen needs help!

[ninjawesome]

Hey everyone,
I've had chickens for about a year now and my silver laced wyandotte is having some issues. A few months ago she was laying faithfully but for some reason she just stopped and now she's laying down on the ground sideways with her wing spread out and foot sticking up, not doing anything (she's not eating, drinking, etc. so although I don't want to, I've tried to force feed her water and put food right in front of her which she gladly munched on.) She's been doing this for several days. I have removed all waste that may be covering up the vent. I have tried to prop her up and help her stand (If she is just stuck) but it almost just seems like she is really sick from poison, or she has her leg/foot broken, or some sort of internal bleeding. Below is a picture of her right now. We had a similiar experience with a chicken about a month ago and have no idea what is going on. The only difference with that other chicken is that this one is still alive. I wonder if there's a way I can still save her and I really need your guy's help. Marek's disease? Broken leg? Somehow get poisoned? Any other ideas? Thanks so very much.

 

[Eggcessive]

Keeping her as close to her food and water is best for now. A chickens sling or chair for several hours at a time might help to keep her upright and cleaner. Unfortunately, since you have had a similar illness recently, I would suspect Mareks disease. Mareks can cause paralysis or weakness in one or both legs or wings, and in the neck. It can also cause skin lesions, tumors, and eye problems. Other things to rule out would be poisoning, such as lead, chemicals, or molded feed, botulism, or a brain disorder. Injury would be the most common answer. Poultry vitamins placed in the water or food should be given, just in case of a deficiency. If sshe dies or you put her down, I would send her refrigerated body off to your state vet or poultry lab for a necropsy to look for Mareks. If she does have Mareks, all of your chickens could now be carriers, so you would only want to add vaccinated chicks or birds to your flock in the future. Here is some reading about Mareks and a link or two about getting a necropsy done:
https://extension.unh.edu/resources/files/Resource000791_Rep813.pdf
https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/the-great-big-giant-mareks-disease-faq
http://www.usaha.org/Portals/6/StateAnimalHealthOfficials.pdf
http://www.metzerfarms.com/PoultryLabs.cfm

 

[ninjawesome]

@Eggcessive thank you so much! She is much happier and seems much more chipper now. You can see her eatin' away

Hopefully she'll get better!

 

[Eggcessive]

Please keep us updated on how she is doing. I hope the vitamins and TLC give her a chance to get better.