Hen sitting on her butt

[Silkie Sue]

Hi Everyone,
I just returned from a poultry auctionand I purchased a Polish Rooster ( he is Awesome) and 2 black Silkie hens.
The hens were in a box together and when we got home I took them out and the one is fine and the other is sitting on her bum with her legs in front of her, I felt them and they seem alright and she trys to get her balance to stand but it isn't working. I gave her electrolytes and water,she has not eaten or pooped since I've been watching ( around 1:00pm)
Any thoughts?

 

[silkiechicken]

Not quite sure... but do keep them quarantined and FAR away from your current birds in case it is something infectious. Often paralysis is an indication of Mericks disease but I am not sure.

 

[Fancy Feather Poultry]

I dont know if chickens can but, maybe shes lame?

 

[Silkie Sue]

Thankyou for your replies.
I have her segregated from the rest of the chickens. I will look up Meriks disease. I don't think she is lame. When I hold her she grabs my fingers with her feet and tries to stand. I called the phone number on the box where she came from and the guy said she was fine when she went into the box.He sounded alittle defensive but I just wanted to know if maybe he noticed her doing that before, he said no. He said she has been laying eggs up til today. I felt her abdomen to see if she had an impacted egg but could not feel anything abnormal. I'll keep ya posted
Thankyou

 

[sammi]

check her eyes for cloudiness or any gray color, and make sure she is able to see.
feel her legs, back and hip for possible injury..any swelling or heat.

get some vitamins in her..if she won't eat or drink..
you can use Polyvisol children's vitamins 2-3 drops in the beak, once a day for a week, then taper off.

do keep her hydrated by putting drops of water on the beak.
she might also need electrolytes for shock/stress.

try making up this mixture:

Feed the bird three times a day for three days a mixture of

This mixture is what you will need for the entire three feeds…. It is not 3 egg yolks and 3 teaspoons of honey etc…. divide the contents into three

½ to 1 cooked egg yolk…..
1 teaspoon honey….
2 x tablespoons yogurt….
3 to 4 tablespoons rolled oats…. To give substance to the feed

Mix to make a crumble mixture not runny, if you have to roll into pellets and force feed, and then massage the neck to get it down, the bird may be too weak to eat or have lost the desire to eat…. Don’t hold back…. The longer it goes without this the worse it will get

in the first day's feed, sprinkle a crushed Tums into it.

 

[Silkie Sue]

Hi,
Thankyou for your replies.
It is day 4 and she is eating and drinking on her own. I am giving her the electrolytes in her water still and I gave her .1 cc of boragal ( antibiotic )
She has improved greatly.
I believe she was in a place where she was picked on and just started hiding and not eating or drinking. I can pretty much feel every bone in her body. My husband has turned a part of our basement into a chicken rehab.. ha ha
He even put wood shavings on my carpet to make her feel at home...
She started walking yesterday and perching on a low to the ground perch he built her on the floor.
I have pictures of her progress but I am having trouble getting into my Photobucket account at this time.
I will post pics as soon as i figure that out.
Thanx again