Hen teeters, stumbles, and sometimes falls

[GriffeyGrl]

Thank you so much for posting the video. I have a 6 month old Brahma exhibiting similar stumbling "drunken" behavior. It seemed to come on rather suddenly today. I gave her a check and all joints limbs feel good with no reaction when touched. Feet are in great shape, no scabs or lesions. She is alert, eats, holds her head up, eyes alert & clear, poops look normal. I've felt her abdomen and below the vent, and no swollen or firm areas. Crop feels normal. Comb is just starting to pink up as I think she's close to egg laying, but hasn't started yet. Overall, she looks great, but just can't walk without stumbling or falling over. Wish I knew what was wrong to help both our girls. I really hope you have good outcomes for your little speckles.

 

[oellian]

She is now living in the kitchen, still unable to stand or walk. She seems alert, and in no pain. I have her nestled in a plastic wash basin, swaddled in towels to keep her upright, with a small bowl of moistened feed on demand. She seems basically OK otherwise, so I'm not sure what to do. This isn't good quality of life for a chicken, and the thought of having to put her down isn't a pleasant one.

 

[azygous]

It appears there may be an avian virus on board this young girl. I've been this route with three pullets of similar age. I tried to treat them using everything I could think of from vitamins to various antibiotics. In the end, all three had to be euthanized. The last one I drove alive to the state lab two hours away and they took care of euthanizing her, then did a necropsy to determine what she had. It was avian leucosis.

If you wish to compare notes, here's the long thread I made to document everything I tried to do to save them. https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...update-now-another-pullet-going-lame.1432738/

You might think about contacting your state lab and see if they will euthanize your hen and do a necropsy. Call these people and ask for information. Frederick Animal Health Diagnostic Laboratory 1840 Rosemont Ave. Frederick, MD 21702 MapQuest to Frederick Lab Phone: (301) 600-1548. Fax: (301) 600-6111

 

[Eggcessive]

I had a speckled sussex a couple of years ago that lost her balance falling to the side or backwards just as yours in the video. She was 7 years old and vaccinated for Mareks, so I don’t think it was that. She spent 5 weeks in a basket where she could scoot herself to get out of a soiled area. I had to hand feed her moistened very watery chicken feed, scrambled egg or tuna, and sometimes a little canned cat food.

Eventually she jumped out of the basket, and had enough of that. She was attacked by the others, so I would place her outside just past the chicken fence where she free ranged all day until evening with her own food and water. She spent the night in her basket on the floor of the coop, and I would let her out in the morning. She was accepted by the flock after 6 months, and lived another year, before dying of a reproductive disorder, possibly cancer and internal laying from the necropsy I did. Hopefully your hen will improve, but chickens who have Mareks disease can look this way. I agree that I would get testing and a necropsy from the state vet if you lose her.

 

[oellian]

It appears there may be an avian virus on board this young girl. I've been this route with three pullets of similar age. I tried to treat them using everything I could think of from vitamins to various antibiotics. In the end, all three had to be euthanized. The last one I drove alive to the state lab two hours away and they took care of euthanizing her, then did a necropsy to determine what she had. It was avian leucosis.

If you wish to compare notes, here's the long thread I made to document everything I tried to do to save them. https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...update-now-another-pullet-going-lame.1432738/

You might think about contacting your state lab and see if they will euthanize your hen and do a necropsy. Call these people and ask for information. Frederick Animal Health Diagnostic Laboratory 1840 Rosemont Ave. Frederick, MD 21702 MapQuest to Frederick Lab Phone: (301) 600-1548. Fax: (301) 600-6111

Thanks very much indeed for the thoughtful, informative post.
I'm trying to figure out where that threshold is vis a vis the possibility that she'll recover. She is still alive, and appears stable, but in a condition that doesn't permit her to express her innate chickenness. I.e. I wouldn't consider her current condition acceptable for her in the long run. And on the other hand, she doesn't appear to be declining... She isn't paralyzed, and doesn't appear to be in any pain. But she can't stand by herself, let alone walk.

Any thoughtful suggestions would be welcomed.

 

[oellian]

I had a speckled sussex a couple of years ago that lost her balance falling to the side or backwards just as yours in the video. She was 7 years old and vaccinated for Mareks, so I don’t think it was that. She spent 5 weeks in a basket where she could scoot herself to get out of a soiled area. I had to hand feed her moistened very watery chicken feed, scrambled egg or tuna, and sometimes a little canned cat food.

Eventually she jumped out of the basket, and had enough of that. She was attacked by the others, so I would place her outside just past the chicken fence where she free ranged all day until evening with her own food and water. She spent the night in her basket on the floor of the coop, and I would let her out in the morning. She was accepted by the flock after 6 months, and lived another year, before dying of a reproductive disorder, possibly cancer and internal laying from the necropsy I did. Hopefully your hen will improve, but chickens who have Mareks disease can look this way. I agree that I would get testing and a necropsy from the state vet if you lose her.

Yes, the diagnostic piece is missing here. She's been vaccinated for Mareks, but, like any vaccination, it's not 100% effective. Her symptoms to most closely match Marek's, but as I mentioned, she's not paralyzed, but can't stand or walk, and on the other extreme, isn't dead yet, either. No cloudy eyes... So I'm having a tough time drawing the line for euthanizing her. She seems to be getting neither better nor worse in any definitive way.

 

[azygous]

Has she been getting vitamins E and B-2, 6 and 12? More than half the time when a chicken displays these symptoms, vitamins fix it. I would suspect vitamin deficiency since she isn't getting worse.

The balance issue is very suspicious of toxic poisoning. Sometimes, just a little will cause these symptoms and it never gets any worse.

If she gets worse, I would then strongly suspect lymphoid leucosis.

 

[oellian]

I’m giving her vitamin E and Durvet vitamin supplement that has the following:

• Salt, Sodium Bicarbonate, Potassium Chloride, Dextrose, Silicon Dioxide, Vitamin A Acetate, Ascorbic Acid, Menadione Sodium Bisulfite Complex (Source Of Vitamin K Activity), Niacinamide, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Vitamin E Supplement, D-Calcium Pantothenate, Riboflavin Supplement, Magnesium Sulfate, Pyridoxine Hyrdrochloride, Thiamine Hydrochloride, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Folic Acid.

 

[azygous]

That may be why she isn't showing any improvement. The amounts of E and B vitamins in a multivitamin poultry supplement is not enough for therapeutic purposes such as curing a deficiency. They're fine for a healthy chicken, not a sick one.

You need to go to the vitamin aisle where they display all the human vitamins and pick up vitamin E 400iu minimum. More is even better, although it's a large pill. The chicken can still swallow it. And also get vitamin B -100 complex. It is loaded with all the Bs she needs to overcome a deficiency.

 

[Eggcessive]

Many people use chicken sling chairs or homemade wheelchairs for disabled chickens. Slings are easy to make. Here is a link where you can see the basic design post 11 and 4 pages of examples:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/versions-of-chick-chairs-please.1166308/

There is at least one or two labs in the US where you can get materials sent to you to collect a blood sample from a toenail trimmed a bit too much. You mail in the sample and they do a PCR test for Mareks. You will have to call them for the whole price, but it should be under $50. Here is the link:
https://www.vetdna.com/application/forms/aviansubmittalform.pdf