Hen suddenly acting lame! Seeking explanation, advice, guidance for self-treatment if possible!

[henshomestead]

Hello! This is my first time posting to a forum, I just wrote out a message to my uncle seeking advice on a hen and thought it might be beneficial to edit it a bit and repost it here. Any replies are greatly appreciated.

We have a problem with one of our chickens! I've been observing her carefully so I have a lot of info. Hopefully it helps.

Two nights ago I found one of our hens lying on her back in the coop. I picked her up and she was ruffled and completely limp except for her head, and didn't react despite usually being flighty. I set her back down and let her go to sleep. By the next morning she had improved fairly. She still can't stand up but uses her legs to kick around the coop and she's super alert. I don't think it's Marek's because she improved, her vision is fine and there's no signs of sickness in her or any of the other chickens, and they were vaccinated at the hatchery. Not scaly mites because her legs look fine, maybe a tiny bit dry and rough though. Based on how they look I would consider the possibility but I've heard lameness/motor issues only happen with severe scaly leg mites. I even checked her for ticks but that's easier said than done!

I checked her reflexes and one leg is a lot more reactive than the other but they both seem kind of weak. She seems to keep her left leg outstretched and it's mostly limp whereas the other leg will retract slightly if you touch it. She doesn't seem to be in pain with either leg but will start shaking after I look at her for a few minutes. I'm guessing that's just nervousness? The issue is definitely in her leg(s) and we think it's an injury but the lack of pain or sensitivity in either one is confusing.

I tried putting water by her both in a bowl and then her own feeder but I haven't seen her drink (it seems like she doesn't understand that it's water) so I've been giving her gatorade with a straw which she loves. She's eating food normally and seems very content and healthy. We did isolate her last night; she's in her own box in the house with water and food next to her. I isolated her because the other chickens were stepping on her which surely won't help her recover, but also in the odd case that it is something contagious.

She isn't pale, lethargic, or bruised anywhere as far as I can see. (After sending this I noticed a tiny blueish dot on her toe on the lame leg but like I said no pain and I think it's just a marking.) She does nod off sometimes, typically after I give her gatorade, then wakes back up. She is one of four Dominique hens (so notably smaller than the other breeds) and just under 4 months old. Sorry for all the information but I've been doing a lot of research and can't really figure it out so I wanted to be as specific as possible. Thank you!!

That's all. I'd like to add that we're wary about taking her to the vet because it could be very pricy just to go through weeks of testing and experimenting. We don't have a farm-specific vet anywhere within like three hours so she'd be going to a regular vet. On one hand, these are sweet, eventually egg-laying hens that we pet, feed by hand, and love dearly. On the other hand, we have 23 chickens and can only put so much effort and money into one hen, especially when we need to look out for and prioritize the good of the entire flock. However I HAVE been taking care of her like she's my own child so anything we could try would be great haha.

Basically trying to get advice on what you guys think the issue IS, whether you think she'll continue improving, and what we can give her to help foster improvement preferably without needing to go to the vet.

edit: adding photos from today.

 

[GlicksChicks]

I am no expert, so I am sure you will get much better advice than what I have, but I can at least try to help a little.

It could probably help to give her an epsom salt soak to relieve any pressure or problems in her feet. It could also help to give her some vitamins. The electrolytes are a good idea to keep her aware.

It is good that she is improving! Maybe try some mobility exercises with her legs to see how they move, if any seem overly stiff or painful for her.

 

[henshomestead]

I am no expert, so I am sure you will get much better advice than what I have, but I can at least try to help a little.

It could probably help to give her an epsom salt soak to relieve any pressure or problems in her feet. It could also help to give her some vitamins. The electrolytes are a good idea to keep her aware.

It is good that she is improving! Maybe try some mobility exercises with her legs to see how they move, if any seem overly stiff or painful for her.

I really appreciate it! We are going to watch her for further improvement and give her an antibiotic just in case. I think mixing in vitamins and further investigating with her legs is a good idea. Thank you!

 

[GlicksChicks]

I really appreciate it! We are going to watch her for further improvement and give her an antibiotic just in case. I think mixing in vitamins and further investigating with her legs is a good idea. Thank you!

Of course! I have a rooster that suddenly went lame in his leg for no reason, thinking a sprain from jumping from roosting. After a few months he isn't limping anymore!

Maybe your hen jumped from a roost and landed on it wrong and the pain was causing her to shut down. My rooster had no pain in his leg either, but no bumblefoot, mites, or swelling. He ate and drank like normal and actually kept mating with his ladies. Maybe that is what it is with your hen and some TLC and rest will help her!

 

[EggSighted4Life]

I don't think it's Marek's because she improved, her vision is fine and there's no signs of sickness in her or any of the other chickens, and they were vaccinated at the hatchery.

Hello and welcome to BYC!

Sorry one of your birds is having difficulty and experiencing paralysis.

Sounds like Marek's is a possibility and since the vaccine is not 100% effective at HIDING the symptoms and it does NOT prevent the disease nor do symptoms effect entire flocks in the same way or at the same time or present with ALL of the possible symptoms (age varies).. Many Marek's infected birds will improve or never show signs in the first place. The following link is good resource which also includes the other things that can look similar to Marek's..

https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/the-great-big-giant-mareks-disease-faq.66077/

Chair images from google..

Does her crop feel normal, is it emptying over night? Do they free range where she might have gotten into something toxic like spilled oil, plants growing,etc? Is there any reason to think it's a vitamin deficiency? Like are they fed too many treats or not an age appropriate formulated ration, just scratch.. etc? How are droppings?

What antibiotic did you use?

 

[henshomestead]

Hello, thank you so much for the response! My uncle who has been raising chickens his whole life also suspects Marek's which is sad to hear. While I'm still hydrating and keeping an eye on this hen I'm trying to accept that she will probably decline and change my focus to the health of the flock. All chickens are healthy and lively besides her as of right now.

Her crop honestly feels empty. I do see her pick at food throughout the day. It might just be the odd angle she's at making it hard for me to tell. They do free range, and poison was one of the first things we suspected but because I was able to isolate the issue to her leg I gave up on that theory. Do you think it still could be related to that? My dad who also runs the farm does give them "empty" treats like cornflakes while they graze but I don't think it's a harmful amount. Could be too many because he's not as uptight about the chickens as I am ha. We also give them fruit and nutritional snacks often. They are still on Dumor 20% chick starter but hardly eat it during the day and mostly graze for food.

Her droppings in particular are mostly getting stuck in the feathers near her vent which is worrying me and making it hard to see what they're like. Possibly watery because I noticed the cardboard in her box was wet near her back half.

They've just been on amprolium (Corid in their water) for maybe a week because we noticed both reddish droppings and thin white droppings and didn't want to take any chances. Haven't seen any red or thin white since. Because this is just for coccidiosis I am trying to decide whether we should get a different general antibiotic and if so what kind. Again thank you so much for the feedback.

 

[henshomestead]

Of course! I have a rooster that suddenly went lame in his leg for no reason, thinking a sprain from jumping from roosting. After a few months he isn't limping anymore!

Maybe your hen jumped from a roost and landed on it wrong and the pain was causing her to shut down. My rooster had no pain in his leg either, but no bumblefoot, mites, or swelling. He ate and drank like normal and actually kept mating with his ladies. Maybe that is what it is with your hen and some TLC and rest will help her!

I hope I get your luck with recovery! Starting to seem like a possibility of Marek's but your description of your rooster's behavior fits my hen perfectly so that gives me a little hope. I'm glad to hear things changed for the better for him. She's definitely getting a lot of rest and care haha!

 

[GlicksChicks]

I hope I get your luck with recovery! Starting to seem like a possibility of Marek's but your description of your rooster's behavior fits my hen perfectly so that gives me a little hope. I'm glad to hear things changed for the better for him. She's definitely getting a lot of rest and care haha!

Keep us updated! I hope that she gets better soon!!

 

[henshomestead]

I hope I get your luck with recovery! Starting to seem like a possibility of Marek's but your description of your rooster's behavior fits my hen perfectly so that gives me a little hope. I'm glad to hear things changed for the better for him. She's definitely getting a lot of rest and care haha!

Hello! This is my first time posting to a forum, I just wrote out a message to my uncle seeking advice on a hen and thought it might be beneficial to edit it a bit and repost it here. Any replies are greatly appreciated.

We have a problem with one of our chickens! I've been observing her carefully so I have a lot of info. Hopefully it helps.

Two nights ago I found one of our hens lying on her back in the coop. I picked her up and she was ruffled and completely limp except for her head, and didn't react despite usually being flighty. I set her back down and let her go to sleep. By the next morning she had improved fairly. She still can't stand up but uses her legs to kick around the coop and she's super alert. I don't think it's Marek's because she improved, her vision is fine and there's no signs of sickness in her or any of the other chickens, and they were vaccinated at the hatchery. Not scaly mites because her legs look fine, maybe a tiny bit dry and rough though. Based on how they look I would consider the possibility but I've heard lameness/motor issues only happen with severe scaly leg mites. I even checked her for ticks but that's easier said than done!

I checked her reflexes and one leg is a lot more reactive than the other but they both seem kind of weak. She seems to keep her left leg outstretched and it's mostly limp whereas the other leg will retract slightly if you touch it. She doesn't seem to be in pain with either leg but will start shaking after I look at her for a few minutes. I'm guessing that's just nervousness? The issue is definitely in her leg(s) and we think it's an injury but the lack of pain or sensitivity in either one is confusing.

I tried putting water by her both in a bowl and then her own feeder but I haven't seen her drink (it seems like she doesn't understand that it's water) so I've been giving her gatorade with a straw which she loves. She's eating food normally and seems very content and healthy. We did isolate her last night; she's in her own box in the house with water and food next to her. I isolated her because the other chickens were stepping on her which surely won't help her recover, but also in the odd case that it is something contagious.

She isn't pale, lethargic, or bruised anywhere as far as I can see. (After sending this I noticed a tiny blueish dot on her toe on the lame leg but like I said no pain and I think it's just a marking.) She does nod off sometimes, typically after I give her gatorade, then wakes back up. She is one of four Dominique hens (so notably smaller than the other breeds) and just under 4 months old. Sorry for all the information but I've been doing a lot of research and can't really figure it out so I wanted to be as specific as possible. Thank you!!

That's all. I'd like to add that we're wary about taking her to the vet because it could be very pricy just to go through weeks of testing and experimenting. We don't have a farm-specific vet anywhere within like three hours so she'd be going to a regular vet. On one hand, these are sweet, eventually egg-laying hens that we pet, feed by hand, and love dearly. On the other hand, we have 23 chickens and can only put so much effort and money into one hen, especially when we need to look out for and prioritize the good of the entire flock. However I HAVE been taking care of her like she's my own child so anything we could try would be great haha.

Basically trying to get advice on what you guys think the issue IS, whether you think she'll continue improving, and what we can give her to help foster improvement preferably without needing to go to the vet.

edit: adding photos from today.

I just wanted to update that she is now breathing through her mouth heavily and sharply and shutting her eyes often. She shifted slightly overnight but doesn't try to kick around anymore. Her crop is full and squishy as it should be at this time of day. Her ears are clean. Not drinking water unless I direct her beak to it (and then she only drinks what gets on her beak, not willingly) or straw it into her mouth. She hasn't made a single noise today, just shakes when I touch her. Absolutely no noise

My parents are looking into euthanasia because she hasn't shown improvement + seems very uncomfortable. Also, she can't move away from her droppings, and flies are trying to get at her vent which must be annoying to her. No matter how much I clean her it's hard to keep up on.

Can anyone who had experienced Mareks tell me whether it sounds like this is the end and euthanasia is the right thing to do? My uncle said that eyes closed and laying with her head on her back = the end and she seems to be approaching this point. It's just hard to accept that rather than keep trying other solutions. I keep worrying that it could be something treatable and we're being brash. So any confirmation would be great. If she had a different issue she probably wouldn't have gotten to this point, right?

P.S. all of our flock besides her is very healthy, active, sweet and hilarious as ever which I'm very grateful for. It's just emotional to lose our first bird which seems to be happening! thank you all for the help and advice.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

I'm sorry that your pullet is not doing well and might not make it.

Your Uncle sounds like a wise and experienced keeper. Sometimes, though unfortunate, you need to consider the quality of life of the bird and end suffering.

If you lose her, sending the body for necropsy would give you a lot of information about why this bird declined. With this information, you can move forward and make any changes in flock management, treatment etc., if necessary.

You can find your Lab in this link.
https://www.metzerfarms.com/poultry-labs.html