- Aug 13, 2012
- 5
- 0
- 7
My 13 week old hen suddenly started limping. She was totally fine, the next day she wasn't. She hobbled and would fall over. Took her to the vet who said soft tissue injury and gave her Metacam (anti-inflammatory). He felt no breaks or dislocations. No improvement, she seems to have gotten worse in that she will no longer even attempt the ramp to the upper part of the ark anymore. She also is ignoring her food and water (though will eat some yogurt). She just sits there, though she otherwise looks healthy.
Talked to a different vet today who presented the idea of Mareks and suggested I come in for another exam and x-rays to the tune of $200-$300. That is not going to happen. I have been reading about Mareks. It does seem like her one leg is paralyzed. I can see it might be a possibility.
My question is how *likely* is it in my situation? We have had chickens for 4 years. The last time we brought any new birds in was one year ago (cochin chicks). The sick hen in question was bred and hatched amongst my own birds. They spend most of their time in an enclosed run and we occasionally let them out in our suburban backyard. If someone in my flock is a carrier, wouldn't we have seen it by now?
thanks,
Barb
Talked to a different vet today who presented the idea of Mareks and suggested I come in for another exam and x-rays to the tune of $200-$300. That is not going to happen. I have been reading about Mareks. It does seem like her one leg is paralyzed. I can see it might be a possibility.
My question is how *likely* is it in my situation? We have had chickens for 4 years. The last time we brought any new birds in was one year ago (cochin chicks). The sick hen in question was bred and hatched amongst my own birds. They spend most of their time in an enclosed run and we occasionally let them out in our suburban backyard. If someone in my flock is a carrier, wouldn't we have seen it by now?
thanks,
Barb
