Hen's legs not working

[Toddw]

Help! I am brand new to backyard chickens (for real and the website) so I don't know if this is something to worry about or not. My little girl acquired a black rooster and a tan hen chick from her kindergarten class egg-hatch. Since we have recently moved to a 30 acre plot in the country we decided to try raising them. I am building my own coop for them and for additions which I expect. Anyway, recently we have noticed that the hen's right leg seems to collapse under her weight sometimes and the toes seem to fold together inward. This morning we noticed the left leg now doing the same thing. She seems fine except for this problem and I do not know what could be the cause or cure. Any ideas??

Oh, they are staying on a screened-in porch all the time and have been eating almost solely "chick food" we got from the farmer's co-op. I don't dare let them run free until the coop is ready because we have a ton of predators out here.
--Toddw

 

[PeeperKeeper]

This sounds a little serious. I don't know the answer, someone does. So just keep your post "bumped" up so others will see it as there are alot of posts going up and others are getting pushed on down and off tho page 2 to never be seen again.
Good Luck!

And here is a "BUMP"

 

[Guinea Goonie]

How old are you chickies ?
Leg problems can be cuased by a bad hatch or a disease.

I suspect a bad hatch if the bird has not been exposed to other
chickens.

There are diesease that "follow the fertile egg" to the chicks hatching.

MG in on of these, but does not really involve the legs, mostly feathers and a weak chick.

Any how, another bump for ya.

 

[PeeperKeeper]

Do a search here on BYC for Merek's dieasease. And hope it's not.

 

[Lucky Ducky]

It does not have to be a disease. I have a pullet that is 12 weeks that is recovering from that same problem. In our case it is a vitamin defiecency (sp.?). I have her pen by herself and I'm giving her Poly-Vi-Sol baby vitamins. I had originally thought that she had somehow injured the muscles or something but when it didn't seem to be getting better, I looked on here and read that sometimes they are lacking something and it weakens their legs. I've given her the vitamins for 3 days now and she is back on her feet. She is still a little wobbly but she is on her feet walking. I'm going to continue to give her the vitamins until she is a few days past walking perfectly. I would try this, especially seeing as your chick hasn't been around older chickens that could be carriers of diseases. Good Luck!!!

 

[Mominator]

I am currently providing treatment to one of my almost 3-week-old chicks as Lucky Ducky. It started 4 days ago. Same symptoms. With isolation and the poly-vi-sol drops, and chopped egg yolk along with probiotic powder added to chick mash, she started to perk up in just a few days. She was only walking with just a little limp. Then i got lazy, thinking that she was good to go. Not so. I skipped the vitamins yesterday, and by last night at 10:00 pm, she was worse than ever. So she is back in isolation and i am going to be much more persistent now.

I don't know how long i will have to treat her for, so if anyone has any information regarding this, please feel free to chime in. Good luck to all of us.....and thank goodness for this website.

 

[Toddw]

Thanks! Lucky Ducky I think you hit the nail on the head. That sounds about like what she is doing and acting like. Where do I get these vitamins, or is there special feed that can correct this? The Rooster seems just fine and as cocky as a young rooster should be. They are both about 6 weeks old.

EDIT:: Never mind where to find the vitamins. I ran a search on them and realized they are just infant vitamins probably at the grocery. Thanks all.

 

[Guinea Goonie]

Quote:
Be SURE NOT to get the ones with IRON. They do have both, with and with out iron.

 

[Toddw]

Thanks. I saw both at Kroger and decided on a whim to get the plain without iron. Guess I was lucky. We added a drop to the water. Is that a good method to give it? She was walking around this morning better it seemed, although when she sat down I saw her toes turning in still.

 

[sturdyprairiegal]

Very odd. I'm experiencing the same thing with a Crested Polish, which I picked up with 18 other chicks from a certain "farm store" ... One of them died within a few days, cause unknown, but I did find a bloody dropping. Then all seemed well, but between rain and heat, we hatched a billion mites (or whatever) a few days ago. As I was moving all the chicks into a dry area, found this little gal in the "big chickens" half of the coop (no clue how she managed to get past the fence divider I have up, but they do that...)

She was beak-down in the corner, I thought dead at first, but quite bright eyed so I brought her in to care for. I have been assuming she sustained some type of injury from the older chickens, but since her symptoms match those described in this post, now I don't know.

I put her on a towel in a box, pried her beak open and gave her drops of water/vit/electrolyte mix for a while. I kept expecting her to die any moment, but she kept looking at me in such an alert manner I began wondering whether this is an issue with nerve damage of some kind. Another note is that the second or third time I gave her drops, I noticed a clear mucous in her mouth. She had no difficulty swallowing, though.

Two days of these drops, and today she is chirping away. Trying to stand, but her legs splay out in front of her so she goes butt down, then over onto her side. I really am amazed though, that she's regaining energy and a bit of strength today. She actually just ate a few bits of chick mash just now...

I've searched high and low for symptoms-based diagnosis that would help me figure the out, and the closest thing I can find is Marek's.

Merck says (not this says unilateral leg, which is not the same as what we're seeing in this thread...): "Clinical Findings and Lesions:
Typically, affected birds show only depression before death, although emaciation may be noted. A transient paralysis syndrome (unilateral leg paresis) has been associated with Marek’s disease, causing a characteristic posture of one leg held forward and the other held backward as lesions progress. Chickens become ataxic for periods of several days and then recover. This syndrome is rare in immunized birds. (Note-ataxia means "loss of the ability to coordinate muscular movement.")

This seems to match symptoms except she's going down butt first, both legs forward, then slowly goes head down, beak first... seems like she just doesn't have the strength to hold her head up.

I assume these birds were not immunized, so it could be this. Sure hoping I don't have to treat 16 other chicks similarly in the next couple weeks...

Anyone who has dealth with this condition or Marek's (if that's what it is), I would expecially like to know whether there's something prophylactic to help keep the others from picking it up. They all got an oxine dip this morning for mites, before being placed in a brand new run with wood floor...

Now if we can just stop the rain for a day or two!! Thanks, everyone. Sure is great to be part of this community