Hens can't walk

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I took Carmen to the vet last week, and we did all kinds of test - which was way expensive, but it gave us some answers which was that she is severely anemic. I attribute it to the massive parasite infestation that my flock probably had. She is recovering slowly on some intense dog iron supplement and some medicine for inflammation which helps with any pain she may be having. She goes back to the vet on weds - just glad it wasn't egg peronitinitis or egg bound!
 
They also aren't doing splits. Both legs are going out in front. The pullet gets around well and especially today she does use that bad leg. The silkie yesterday could grip my fingers with her toes and kick, just wasn't walking very well. The poor silkie can only seem to move backwards.
 
The Georgia Poultry Lab is less than an hour away. They offer free necropsies for private in state chicken owners. I feel this might be the only way I get any answers. They also do very low cost blood tests for in state residents.

Both chickens are eating and drinking well. The little pullet seems to be making a comback. The silkie is still having trouble and scooting around backwards, though I have to hold her up so she can eat and drink. I guess another answer will be what happens to the newly hatched chicks and the TSC chicks that just got big enough to go out into the backyard. So I guess in a week and a half if any of them start dropping like flies I'll know it's definitely something contagious.

I just hope I can find something to help my husbands silkie. He's a big, tattooed veteran, but he loves that little puff ball.
 
Well, not the main poultry lab, but one of their branch offices. I bet I could call them and find out if there have been any problems like this around my area.
 
I haven't had a chance to call the poultry lab yet. I think I'm going to email them. Maybe they will call me back soon. The pullet is about the same. Eating and drinking and pooping normally. She hasn't gotten any worse. She can still move and use both of her legs... although not very well.

The silkie however... she can't keep herself upright. Just falls over laying on her side and her head is constantly jerking. Almost like when someone starts to doze off and then jerks back awake. It's constant. She hasn't eaten today and she spit out her food. She drank some water and I gave her a dropper full of colloidal silver as at this point there's nothing left to try but anything.

We were going to put her down tonight, but my husband can't bring himself to do it yet. We're going to see if in the morning she's had any change or if she's worse. We've propped her up with a towel to keep her from falling over.

It's so sad. She was our sweetest chicken. She was always a little special ed, like she would never brood properly. She'd just go into that broody gaze while standing over a nest of eggs, she would never sit on them. She was also very easy to brake while she was doing this. I always suspected she probably had some sort of brain damage. Could this have made anything neurological just the end for her?
 
Our silkie did not make it. :( She was gone this morning when we woke up. I'm sure it was spend up by her inability to eat. She couldn't even drink last night, she choked.

Our pullet is still going strong. She seems to be doing better. She's enjoying all the attention now that's for sure. She was pretty wild when all this started and now she's turning into a lap chicken. Hopefully sometime next week I can get an appointment to to drop our silkie off for a necropsy. I know my husband wants to bury her... but it's probably the best chance I will have of finding out what happened and what's going on with the rest of my flock and if it's just going to be a waiting game for the rest to follow.
 
I'm sorry for your loss
hugs.gif

I think having her tested is a good idea.
 

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