Hen with paralysed legs - What is the cause?

[maddogdodge]

My oldest Australorp hen (at a guess she's maybe 3 or 4 years old), has suddenly become quite unwell...

Tuesday evening I found her up the back of the shed in the corner sitting down. I quickly realised that her legs have gone all weird and almost seem paralysed in a way. She can still get around, but its very hard for her, she keeps tripping over her own feet. Her legs just seem stiff and unable to move much...
I Isolated her to monitor how she's going. I can't see any obvious injury on her legs. Now Thursday afternoon and she has neither healed nor deteriorated... Seems fairly bright, just can not walk properly. It also appears that she has not touched her food since Tuesday evening :/

Any thoughts on what could be going on with her? I don't want her to suffer, If it's not something curable I'd rather just put her out of her misery.

 

[Lady of McCamley]

If there is no sign of trauma, my first thought leaps to Marek's when I hear of a bird who has suddenly become paralyzed but yet is bright and wants to eat.

While she is not at the "typical" age for Marek's to rear its head, it can happen at any time especially in older hens who have recent stress or whose immune system is aging...likely they've fought off the virus over the years and it finally has caught up.

Marek's comes in a variety of strains, some far more intense than others, and most birds have been exposed to it. The vaccine only alleviates the symptoms of the tumors forming that press on vital nerves.
ETA: and if it is a different strain than the vaccine, she would succumb to it with a lowered immune system.

The other possibilities could be some sort of poisoning or mold toxin...you could try purging her system with a molasses purge (google it).

If she doesn't recover strength and full mobility, I personally would cull her as you don't want something like Marek's going through the flock more than she's already potentially exposed them.

Here is a symptom checker I like that gives good, authoritative articles of each disease and treatment recommendations.

I've linked nervous system, but also check their muscular one in case it isn't in the nervous system.
https://poultrykeeper.com/nervous-system-problems/

Good luck...hopefully it isn't the worse, but I must admit it doesn't sound good.

LofMc

 

[maddogdodge]

Thanks so much for your response!!

I thought it might me Mareks

I'll see how she goes over the next day or so, but my gut feeling is I'll have her put down (or culled as most people here call it, haha). Hate to see her suffer.

What would it mean for the rest of my flock if it is Mareks? Until a few days ago, she's been with them for the last year.

What about introducing new birds into my flock and/or hatching chicks, is this all going to be a big issue for me now if Mareks is present?

If there is no sign of trauma, my first thought leaps to Marek's when I hear of a bird who has suddenly become paralyzed but yet is bright and wants to eat.

While she is not at the "typical" age for Marek's to rear its head, it can happen at any time especially in older hens who have recent stress or whose immune system is aging...likely they've fought off the virus over the years and it finally has caught up.

Marek's comes in a variety of strains, some far more intense than others, and most birds have been exposed to it. The vaccine only alleviates the symptoms of the tumors forming that press on vital nerves.
ETA: and if it is a different strain than the vaccine, she would succumb to it with a lowered immune system.

The other possibilities could be some sort of poisoning or mold toxin...you could try purging her system with a molasses purge (google it).

If she doesn't recover strength and full mobility, I personally would cull her as you don't want something like Marek's going through the flock more than she's already potentially exposed them.

Here is a symptom checker I like that gives good, authoritative articles of each disease and treatment recommendations.

I've linked nervous system, but also check their muscular one in case it isn't in the nervous system.
https://poultrykeeper.com/nervous-system-problems/

Good luck...hopefully it isn't the worse, but I must admit it doesn't sound good.

LofMc

 

[Lady of McCamley]

Mareks is ever present in the environment...and the industry is finding the virus is mutating faster than the vaccines, making the vaccination process less effective and even undesirable as it is driving the virus into more virulent forms.

Even if you decide vaccination is the way to go, vaccinating is a big problem for the small backyard owner as the industry only sells the vaccine in lots of 1,000 which has to be shipped overnight, on ice, then mixed and given the next day within 30minutes to an hour as the vaccine becomes ineffective after that...meaning it can become very expensive to vaccinate just a few chicks and cumbersome to plan a shipment just in time for them. Thus most backyard owners do not vaccinate for Mareks.

With the emerging new strains, even the industry is breeding for resistance rather than relying on vaccination (See Journal of Virology link below). Many birds are exposed to Mareks and simply show no symptoms, ever, as their natural immune system throws off the virus enough so that it never creates the tumors...or doesn't until something compromises the immune system.

Typically then, for us small backyarders, we cull any bird that has Marek symptoms and breed forward those birds who stay healthy as they have shown a natural resistance.

I personally find it advisable to vary your flock so that you don't have all one breed at one age (like the commercial batteries have), and I periodically add in some store bought chicks that have been vaccinated, that way I have spread my risk such that if I get hit with a nasty strain of Mareks, chances are my whole flock won't go down.

I've even purposely purchased young Cochin pullets from a turkey farm (who are now my broodies) as turkeys are notorious for having the turkey strain, which has been used in the past to create the vaccine for the chicken strain. It is almost certain my Cochins have been exposed to the turkey strain and likely have a natural immunity built up to a lot of the chicken strains because of it. Unfortunately, if research is correct, they won't pass the turkey virus easily on to the chicks (my original hope) as turkey virus transmission between chickens appears to be low.

Old time farmers used to either raise turkeys around their chickens (good for chickens but bad for turkeys as they can succumb to Blackhead...histomonus... which is often peacefully carried by chickens) or placed turkey feathers in with the chickens to take advantage of the turkey strain to provide immunity.

But that is assuming the turkeys have the turkey strain and that the local strain for chickens is close enough to the turkey strain such that it would provide resistance to the tumor growth.

As to hatching and breeding...small breeders just go on, breeding for resistance...NPIP doesn't even cover Mareks (to my great surprise) so even choosing a NPIP organization doesn't guarantee Mareks has been screened....good news is that Marek's does not transmit from mother to egg, and purchasing hatching eggs will not bring in Mareks (although other disease could be carried in).

It is highly recommended that you separate your young chicks from your older birds, until age 20 to 25 weeks, so that the younger birds have a chance to build up their immune system before being exposed to Mareks from the older birds. I personally follow this practice with broody hens (my hopefully turkey inoculated) and my chicks being separate from the older birds....I integrate close to point of lay.

The literature is still coming out as the new strains and forms of Mareks take hold (typically now it is a bird that just isn't thrifty and slowly wastes away vs. the traditional paralysis appearing over night).

The best thing to do is to make sure your birds are kept in optimum health and cleanliness...no crowding, plentiful and clean food/water, clean litter, wormed regularly.

I highly recommend ACV in the water (raw, unfiltered with the mother, no metal containers) and the addition of yogurt periodically because optimum gut health is the first defense in the immune system. ACV helps with normal gut acidity and provides pectin and fermentation proteins to feed the good bacteria from the yogurt. I also recommend worming periodically so that worm overload doesn't drain the bird. (I like to use Hygromycin B in Durvet Strike III or even better Rooster Booster Triple Action Multi Wormer as it has probiotics as well as vitamins/minerals for a boost along with the wormer). Those wormers do not require withdrawal of eggs as they are FDA approved for laying hens (Hygromycin B is the only approved wormer)....but I note you are in Australia, so you may have a wider range of wormers available to you for layers.

You can also go off label for others, which work well too.

That, overall, is my understanding and approach.

LofMc

Prevention and Vaccination for Marek's
http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/ps030
http://www.shagbarkbantams.com/page9.htm

Breeding for resistance rather than vaccination
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3194948/

Australia specific
http://www.poultryhub.org/health/disease/types-of-disease/mareks-disease-virus-or-mdv/

 

[maddogdodge]

Mareks is ever present in the environment...and the industry is finding the virus is mutating faster than the vaccines, making the vaccination process less effective and even undesirable as it is driving the virus into more virulent forms.

Even if you decide vaccination is the way to go, vaccinating is a big problem for the small backyard owner as the industry only sells the vaccine in lots of 1,000 which has to be shipped overnight, on ice, then mixed and given the next day within 30minutes to an hour as the vaccine becomes ineffective after that...meaning it can become very expensive to vaccinate just a few chicks and cumbersome to plan a shipment just in time for them. Thus most backyard owners do not vaccinate for Mareks.

With the emerging new strains, even the industry is breeding for resistance rather than relying on vaccination (See Journal of Virology link below). Many birds are exposed to Mareks and simply show no symptoms, ever, as their natural immune system throws off the virus enough so that it never creates the tumors...or doesn't until something compromises the immune system.

Typically then, for us small backyarders, we cull any bird that has Marek symptoms and breed forward those birds who stay healthy as they have shown a natural resistance.

I personally find it advisable to vary your flock so that you don't have all one breed at one age (like the commercial batteries have), and I periodically add in some store bought chicks that have been vaccinated, that way I have spread my risk such that if I get hit with a nasty strain of Mareks, chances are my whole flock won't go down.

I've even purposely purchased young Cochin pullets from a turkey farm (who are now my broodies) as turkeys are notorious for having the turkey strain, which has been used in the past to create the vaccine for the chicken strain. It is almost certain my Cochins have been exposed to the turkey strain and likely have a natural immunity built up to a lot of the chicken strains because of it. Unfortunately, if research is correct, they won't pass the turkey virus easily on to the chicks (my original hope) as turkey virus transmission between chickens appears to be low.

Old time farmers used to either raise turkeys around their chickens (good for chickens but bad for turkeys as they can succumb to Blackhead...histomonus... which is often peacefully carried by chickens) or placed turkey feathers in with the chickens to take advantage of the turkey strain to provide immunity.

But that is assuming the turkeys have the turkey strain and that the local strain for chickens is close enough to the turkey strain such that it would provide resistance to the tumor growth.

As to hatching and breeding...small breeders just go on, breeding for resistance...NPIP doesn't even cover Mareks (to my great surprise) so even choosing a NPIP organization doesn't guarantee Mareks has been screened....good news is that Marek's does not transmit from mother to egg, and purchasing hatching eggs will not bring in Mareks (although other disease could be carried in).

It is highly recommended that you separate your young chicks from your older birds, until age 20 to 25 weeks, so that the younger birds have a chance to build up their immune system before being exposed to Mareks from the older birds. I personally follow this practice with broody hens (my hopefully turkey inoculated) and my chicks being separate from the older birds....I integrate close to point of lay.

The literature is still coming out as the new strains and forms of Mareks take hold (typically now it is a bird that just isn't thrifty and slowly wastes away vs. the traditional paralysis appearing over night).

The best thing to do is to make sure your birds are kept in optimum health and cleanliness...no crowding, plentiful and clean food/water, clean litter, wormed regularly.

I highly recommend ACV in the water (raw, unfiltered with the mother, no metal containers) and the addition of yogurt periodically because optimum gut health is the first defense in the immune system. ACV helps with normal gut acidity and provides pectin and fermentation proteins to feed the good bacteria from the yogurt. I also recommend worming periodically so that worm overload doesn't drain the bird. (I like to use Hygromycin B in Durvet Strike III or even better Rooster Booster Triple Action Multi Wormer as it has probiotics as well as vitamins/minerals for a boost along with the wormer). Those wormers do not require withdrawal of eggs as they are FDA approved for laying hens (Hygromycin B is the only approved wormer)....but I note you are in Australia, so you may have a wider range of wormers available to you for layers.

You can also go off label for others, which work well too.

That, overall, is my understanding and approach.

LofMc

Prevention and Vaccination for Marek's
http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/ps030
http://www.shagbarkbantams.com/page9.htm

Breeding for resistance rather than vaccination
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3194948/

Australia specific
http://www.poultryhub.org/health/disease/types-of-disease/mareks-disease-virus-or-mdv/

Thank you so much for that incredibly detailed response! Much appreciated!

You've answered all of my questions and really helped me to understand this disease.

As for my sick hen, I'm going to see how she goes until monday (she's still eating and drinking, no change in the way she is walking though). I'm going to take her into the vet on Monday to get their thoughts, and if they reckon it's Mareks or something else that is unlikely to sort itself out, then I'll have her put down.

 

[centrarchid]

Thank you so much for that incredibly detailed response! Much appreciated!

You've answered all of my questions and really helped me to understand this disease.

As for my sick hen, I'm going to see how she goes until monday (she's still eating and drinking, no change in the way she is walking though). I'm going to take her into the vet on Monday to get their thoughts, and if they reckon it's Mareks or something else that is unlikely to sort itself out, then I'll have her put down.

I have tangled with what appears to be Mareks over the last several years. Some birds can get back into walking condition but I have yet to have one survive a year as they tend to die from complications related to something else. There is definitely a genetic component on the chicken side. I have several bird strains and some are hit every time and others not at all even though commingled.