Hens can't walk

[ktpaco]

Sounds like you have experience with chickens - so you were just going off of that - but I understand far too well how you blame yourself. I'm glad you got your results, and found out that nothing is contagious for the others. And I will take your tidbits of information regarding your chickens, so I can learn from them also.

 

[ameliadanielle]

I'm not too experienced. My dad has been keeping chickens since before I was born. I grew up around them. I've only had my own chickens since becoming an adult for just over a year. I am very glad she was negative for disease. Hopefully that means my flock is negative for disease as we had Mildred since last summer. The only new chickens we have gotten as adults was before Christmas. So, by this point if anything had been introduced they all should have had it by now. I'm just also very upset that it was something that could have been fixed and I screwed it up. I had to apologize to my husband. He isn't upset with me, but I am.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

I'm glad you got the results back.
It is a positive note to know that there was no contagious disease.
Don't beat yourself up, you did everything you knew to do.
Here's hoping that everyone else will stay healthy and happy.

 

[ameliadanielle]

I wish I had done a necropsy on the pullet as well. It was hard enough to find the time to leave town to drop off the silkie. He said they sent tissue samples to be tested. I don't know if that is normally how they test for diseases in poultry. I would have expected blood samples... but I guess it's hard to get blood from a cold, dead chicken.

 

[ktpaco]

I'm re-reading your info on the silkie. Those symptoms seem odd for egg binding, not at all what I have read about. The only reason why I'm having to do this is I came home to find my favorite hen lethargic (almost exactly the same as my too who died last week). I immediately took her from the flock, gave her 1cc of Tylan 50 by mouth, followed by a little water, and set her up in a dog kennel with a heat lamp in the room (cold basement). I checked on her a little later and she is doing some shallow panting with eyes closed. I' think she laid on egg today, but can't confirm that, I had 2 brown eggs and three brown layers. I did check her vent and felt her belly - negative for any obvious egg binding. My flock has been treated for worms this week, and started corid yesterday, but since she didn't get any today, gave her about 2ccs (premixed earlier with water). Since panting can be seen with pain, I mixed a little aspirin in with some electrolytes and water, a gave her maybe .5ccs. She had had enough of me poking and prodding her, so I'm giving her a break for the night. She is really tired.

If she is still holding her own in the am, I will give her a warm bath and lube up her vent - just in case it is an egg that I can't feel yet.

Whyyyyy.... I got though winter with only one bird having to be put down, and now in one weeks time - I have had two chicken emergencies????....

 

[ameliadanielle]

It is really odd to me too. I guess I assumed paralysis because they couldn't walk. They could still use the muscles in their legs and grip with their feet though. It is just strange how things progressed with my silkie. I was sure it was a neurological problem. She very well could have been in so much pain she was in shock. I don't know.