Hen unable to stand or walk

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eandsm said:
My 3-1/2 year old Buff Orpington has slowly gotten to the point she is mostly unable to stand or walk. She is not eggbound, hasn't been dropping any rubber eggs (we had another hen who was an internal layer who started by laying "rubber" eggs), has never started laying again after her last month several months ago. Her poop looks good, she is eating, but not as well as she usually does. It might just be because she can't stand well. We have her in a cage in the garage and go out to encourage her to eat and drink by hand feeding her and coaxing her to the water. When she does stand, she usually has to prop herself up against the side of the pen, with her other wing down to balance herself. When goes to the water cup, she leans against it and has a hard time bending forward to dip her beak (we have her food and waterer up about 5" knowing she can't bend forward well). When she lays down, she usually lays on her side. It's like her body is collapsed on the floor. She has a very difficult time getting up most of the time. When I go out to sit with her, she sometimes will come near the edge of the cage, which means she wants me to pick her up. I have been carrying her outside to get some fresh air and so she can hear the outside sounds for comfort. We thought maybe Marek's at first, but she was vaccinated, she's 3-1/2 (I think it typically occurs in chickens under one year?), and the only thing that seems to be her issue is her being unable to use her legs much. She is so sweet, so we really hate to lose her. I've been adding vitamins to her water also. Any help is appreciated! (pic is her a few days ago while leaning against her "breakfast bar." She has to lean against something in order to balance herself.)
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Wyorp Rock said:
Hi @Chickenaddiction2021 :frow Welcome To BYC

Can you tell us more about your hen, her symptoms and what course of action/treatment you have administered/tried so far?
Photos are always welcome too!
Click to expand...

Wyorp Rock said:
Hi @Chickenaddiction2021 :frow Welcome To BYC

Can you tell us more about your hen, her symptoms and what course of action/treatment you have administered/tried so far?
Photos are always welcome too!
Click to expand...

Wyorp Rock said:
Hi @Chickenaddiction2021 :frow Welcome To BYC

Can you tell us more about your hen, her symptoms and what course of action/treatment you have administered/tried so far?
Photos are always welcome too!
Click to expand...
Thank for reading my post so quickly. I'm currently attempting to upload a video of Rosie taken yesterday. In the meantime this is Rosie's story. 12 days ago, April 4th 2021 we noticed Rosie wasn't moving around. She was sitting on her hocks in the grass during her supervised free range time with her two silkie coop mates (1 hen and 1 roo). We've only had our chickens about 3 weeks at that point so I was panicked and headed to the emergency after hours clinic in Guelph. We were there for 8 hours. They took xrays and ruled out egg bound and ruled out impacted crop. They sent me home with 4 days worth of Metacam for pain. She's not gotten any worse. She's eating well, I feed her laymash in warm water to create a mash and I sprinkle Nutritional Yeast on it with a crushed vitamin B12. I've been giving her electrolytes in her water. She's under a heat lamp in our laundry room in a large dog crate. She moves around when she poops to stay clean. She sits up on her hocks when she eats and attempts to stand, then gently using her wings for support lies back down. She's bright eyed, and seems very content. I've been doing physio with her daily to keep her legs, feet and toes moving. She was dewormed using Ivermectin pour-on April 3rd. (Could the Ivermectin have anything to do with it). I was going to give all of my chickens a 2nd dose of it today but wondering if I should omit Rosie?
 
Chickenaddiction2021 said:
My





Thank for reading my post so quickly. I'm currently attempting to upload a video of Rosie taken yesterday. In the meantime this is Rosie's story. 12 days ago, April 4th 2021 we noticed Rosie wasn't moving around. She was sitting on her hocks in the grass during her supervised free range time with her two silkie coop mates (1 hen and 1 roo). We've only had our chickens about 3 weeks at that point so I was panicked and headed to the emergency after hours clinic in Guelph. We were there for 8 hours. They took xrays and ruled out egg bound and ruled out impacted crop. They sent me home with 4 days worth of Metacam for pain. She's not gotten any worse. She's eating well, I feed her laymash in warm water to create a mash and I sprinkle Nutritional Yeast on it with a crushed vitamin B12. I've been giving her electrolytes in her water. She's under a heat lamp in our laundry room in a large dog crate. She moves around when she poops to stay clean. She sits up on her hocks when she eats and attempts to stand, then gently using her wings for support lies back down. She's bright eyed, and seems very content. I've been doing physio with her daily to keep her legs, feet and toes moving. She was dewormed using Ivermectin pour-on April 3rd. (Could the Ivermectin have anything to do with it). I was going to give all of my chickens a 2nd dose of it today but wondering if I should omit Rosie?
Click to expand...
For video you will need to upload to youtube or similar platform and provide a link. The BYC upload doesn't work.

How old is Rosie?

It's good that you were able to see the vet and rule out reproductive issues. Sitting on the hocks sounds like it could be disease like Marek's. If that's the case, then vitamin therapy may help. See that she's getting vitamin B2 (riboflavin) and vitamin E too. A little egg daily will help with the uptake of E.

I have not heard of anyone having issues with the use of Ivermectin. It's very good for treating lice and mites. It still may be effective against roundworms in poultry. Ask your vet their opinion of giving her the second dose. Your vet should also be able to take a sample of poop and do a fecal float to see if worms and coccidia may be contributing to her decline as well.
 

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