Hen sitting/walking on hocks

[Birdfull]

Thank you for the info. I got a lot of advice from online and irl that it could be a b2 deficiency so I went with that but it’s been 3 weeks of mega doses (50mg at first now 100mg) and I’m getting impatient for more improvement. I’d like her to be up and standing most of the time if not all and we aren’t close to that. She CAN stand and walk though!! But won’t do so most of the time.

 

[C Siena]

I'm just brainstorming here. When you had her in the sling, at any time were her feet touching the floor/ground? I wonder if she can be in it and you put your hands under her feet, if she will raise her body, pushing with her feet/legs? Maybe you could do this several times a day. Like therapy, with her only needed to support her body weight for a couple/few seconds at a time. If/When you notice any progress, increase strength, you could allow her to stand longer, say 5-6 seconds.

I'm no expert by any stretch of the imagination. I know she about 23-24 weeks now but she probably lost strength due to not using all of her legs to move. I did this with a chick with splay legs, both and totally out to the sides. I could not get the bandaid/tape on her, it kept coming off, so I tried my own therapy.

Please forgive me if this sounds stupid.

 

[chickenrunsquad]

Thank you for the info. I got a lot of advice from online and irl that it could be a b2 deficiency so I went with that but it’s been 3 weeks of mega doses (50mg at first now 100mg) and I’m getting impatient for more improvement. I’d like her to be up and standing most of the time if not all and we aren’t close to that. She CAN stand and walk though!! But won’t do so most of the time.

I'm thinking of calling the hatchery tomorrow to see if they know anything we don't, especially if it's a genetic trait in Sapphire Gems. I'll update here if I find anything. I read somewhere else on this forum that someone took 2 months to heal a paralyzed rooster! So it may also be a matter of time.

The other theory we are thinking is that an egg may have pushed against her nerve and damaged it. She has only laid two eggs so far and there's just far too much of a coincidence in timing when she was running around being curious and then suddenly can't walk after her second egg. So maybe the nerve will heal in time.

 

[chickenrunsquad]

Also: here are photos of my SG, you can see her toes curl like yours. I just made this little wheelchair for her today and she pretty much just sat there, didn't attempt to use her legs at all. Her toes curled in and they dragged on the floor. It was pretty cute to push her around though lol.

 

[chickenrunsquad]

@chickenrunsquad Some hens may have temporary problems walking if an egg is stuck, or if they have been having trouble passing one. Make sure that she gets riboflavin (B2) daily. Hopefully that will take care of her problem.

Thank you for your advice!! That is one of the theories I'm thinking, in addition to the riboflavin deficiency. I did end up crushing up some eggshells in a blender after sanitizing them in the oven and fed them to my Sapphire Gem for a calcium boost.

 

[C Siena]

We hatched a SG 26 months ago, who is showing none of this. We have another SG that we purchased from Rural King, who is doing fine at 2 days shy of 20 weeks. She began to lay a week ago, 1st egg malformed and then fine for the next couple.

 

[Birdfull]

I'm just brainstorming here. When you had her in the sling, at any time were her feet touching the floor/ground? I wonder if she can be in it and you put your hands under her feet, if she will raise her body, pushing with her feet/legs? Maybe you could do this several times a day. Like therapy, with her only needed to support her body weight for a couple/few seconds at a time. If/When you notice any progress, increase strength, you could allow her to stand longer, say 5-6 seconds.

I'm no expert by any stretch of the imagination. I know she about 23-24 weeks now but she probably lost strength due to not using all of her legs to move. I did this with a chick with splay legs, both and totally out to the sides. I could not get the bandaid/tape on her, it kept coming off, so I tried my own therapy.

Please forgive me if this sounds stupid.

Not stupid at all! She is standing under her own power for over a minute at a time, and walking and even running a few steps at a time. I repeatedly lift her and “make” her stand on her feet and she can. Sometimes she will stand up of her own volition but not frequently. Perhaps having her stand for 5 to 10 minutes at a time in the sling is in order. She has some strength but needs more. I think she may not flap as much now because I’ve been handling her a lot the past few weeks and making her take baths so she may not be as fussed. Thank you!!

 

[Birdfull]

I'm thinking of calling the hatchery tomorrow to see if they know anything we don't, especially if it's a genetic trait in Sapphire Gems. I'll update here if I find anything. I read somewhere else on this forum that someone took 2 months to heal a paralyzed rooster! So it may also be a matter of time.

The other theory we are thinking is that an egg may have pushed against her nerve and damaged it. She has only laid two eggs so far and there's just far too much of a coincidence in timing when she was running around being curious and then suddenly can't walk after her second egg. So maybe the nerve will heal in time.

I have three other sapphire gems and they are perfectly fine. I asked if you got her at a TSC because maybe her parents together produced this possible genetic problem. And we all have siblings, you know? Not necessarily a trait of SGs. Just these birds from a particular set of parents….so maybe your hatchery provides to your local store and TSCs?? Perhaps you can ask if you call.
Yes I’ve heard it can take weeks or months!! Trying to keep the faith!!

 

[C Siena]

Not stupid at all! She is standing under her own power for over a minute at a time, and walking and even running a few steps at a time. I repeatedly lift her and “make” her stand on her feet and she can. Sometimes she will stand up of her own volition but not frequently. Perhaps having her stand for 5 to 10 minutes at a time in the sling is in order. She has some strength but needs more. I think she may not flap as much now because I’ve been handling her a lot the past few weeks and making her take baths so she may not be as fussed. Thank you!!

Way to go! I would increase the time slightly each day, if she can handle it. Maybe time it and add a minute if possible. Also maybe 4 "therapy'' sessions a day, or 3 or 5, again depending on her strength and stress level.

You can gauge what to do, how long, how many times a day by her behavior. Like us, if we have a hard workout one day, we may not do as much the next. Keep up the good work.

 

[chickenrunsquad]

I have three other sapphire gems and they are perfectly fine. I asked if you got her at a TSC because maybe her parents together produced this possible genetic problem. And we all have siblings, you know? Not necessarily a trait of SGs. Just these birds from a particular set of parents….so maybe your hatchery provides to your local store and TSCs?? Perhaps you can ask if you call.
Yes I’ve heard it can take weeks or months!! Trying to keep the faith!!

Hi! I called the hatchery and forgot to ask about selling in TSCs, but the hatchery is Hoover's Hatchery in Iowa (I think they are large enough where it is likely they stock TSCs in MN). They believe my SG has Marek's, despite her being vaccinated, since that is the most common cause of paralysis. I don't think my girl has Marek's though. They do not think it's genetic; the CS rep said they change breeding pairs every year and so it can't be that?? I'm not sure I understood them correctly. Not sure if that helps or hinders your theory of a set of parents passing on a trait that predisposes a riboflavin deficiency.

Today, I let my SG stay with the other girls in the run and she immediately dust-bathed with them all for over half an hour! They must have missed her. She stopped panting too, which is an amazing sign! She must have been stressed/depressed/lonely. Still unable to walk, but uses her hocks and flapping to get around. She seems to be gaining movement in her toes. Slowly but surely!