Lame hen..is she doomed?

[artsyrobin]

ok, not all lameness is mereks- what i did with my lame silkie- i got him that way was to give him warm baths, relaxed the muscles, and then feel up and down the leg, massaging it- now with jewel- she had injuries from a dog attack, i got her paralyzed, and it took months for her to recover-
http://s119.photobucket.com/albums/o155/rgortonart/Jewel- Miracle Hen/

as far as hydrating her, i usually put drops of water on the beak, they will suck it in, each bird is different on how they deal with situations like this- a warm bath will get her used to holding her wrap her in a towel after her bath and just let her get used to handling- have you checked mites and such? not that it would relate to this, but one less stress on her. how is her poop- good health indicator-

 

[rcentner]

her poop is normal color (not that green, gonna die poop) but in small amounts. I have been giving her all sorts of treats but she could be eating better. I think she would eat better if she wasn't in a cage. She seems depressed about that. She eats out of my hand real good, but I don't have a lot of time to do that for her. And when I let her out on the grass she pecks away at the grass and things. I would leave her outside but the area predators would take care of her real quick. Mr falcon comes by every morning to be sure there are no unprotected chickens and Mrs Fox (who has already tasted my chickens) comes by atleast once a day. hmmm...if Mrs Fox would eat Mr. falcon I would be in good shape

 

[OvertheHenHouse]

Quote:
LOL, this morning I was hand feeding her bread soaked with her vitamin water. I will check out the car vs rooster post.

kansas gal - that's how she started too...limping and now can't use the leg. you said you went through this 2 years ago and knew what it was....so what is it? the dreaded mareks?

I am getting hope from some people and doom from others....my DH would be upset at me if I gave up this soon, so I will keep nursing her until I see either improvement or decline. She is getting more used to the handling and being in the cage. She now knows I am not planning to eat her

I hope she pulls through, such a pretty hen. Besides, have to put my horse down this week and dont need anymore sadness

I'm so sorry - that's awful...I haven't had to do that yet but friends who had to put their horse down braided the tail and kept it and kept some mane hair to weave into bracelets. I love that idea...and am so sorry for your loss.

 

[Kansas Gal]

First, so sorry for you having to put your horse down. Like losing a family member every time one of our creatures dies, isn't it?

As for two years ago, the roo started out the same way, limping, then just laying there in a corner of the coop not moving. He was four months old. I was a 'new mom' then, and felt he was just having a problem with an injured leg, so I brought him in the house (it was winter time) and put him in a dog crate near the fireplace. Would bring him out of the crate in the evenings and set him in my lap, and massage the leg, thinking maybe I could 'help'. It was not to be. After two weeks, he just laid there in the kennel, using his wings to reposition himself, his leg useless out in front of him. Just flopped when I picked him up. Finally, I got on the internet, and read up on Marak's on BYC website, and I knew what I was facing. Finally, we accepted the inevitable, and decided it was best for him to be put down. It is no life for a chicken. Now, we are facing this again. Henny is eating (gave her some hard boiled egg mashed up with oatmeal today, and she gobbled it up, and even laid an egg for me, but that leg is just sprawled out in front of her, useless and paralyzed. Both Henny and the roo ate right up to the end. Wish I had a magic cure, and I would sure be using it! There are a lot of people on this forum with much more experience than I have, so if they have any ideas, I would love to hear them too! But, the video of your hen is nearly identical to my hen right now, only mine isn't even trying to get up anymore. Just moves around using her wings, and still is able to use her left leg too.

 

[seminolewind]

I am so sorry about your horse. I have a horse too, and I know it's alot on your plate right now.

You asked if the paralyzed leg would respond to stimuli or not if it were Marek's. Marek's virus can plant itself anywhere in their body and cause varying degrees of paralysis. Most common areas are the nerves in the legs, wings, neck, digestive system, eyes, and breathing.

Marek's can't be diagnosed. It can be assumed if there are symptoms, and you need a good flock history. History, for example, I hatched all my chickens at home. I did buy one chicken . Several months later I lost the roo with all the classic symptoms, he was misdiagnosed as encephalitis. But since then, I lost a chicken every few months to wasting away. They acted normal, looked hungry, but starved to death. Then I lost 10 chicks to paralysis, wasting, gasping, but not looking ill really, lost one a week. The symptoms were varied. But the paralysis clenched it, since there was more than one.

I hope this is the only hen that got it, if that is it. Adult chickens over a year old may not get it, just carry it. Some adults acquire resistance to it. But a few do not.

My thoughts are with you, with your horse and hen.
I am not diagnosing your hen, I am passing on what I know. It's my opinion. I hope it's something else.

 

[artsyrobin]

is it possible it could be botulism? Some of the symptoms are similar.... what color is her poo?

 

[rcentner]

her poo is dark brown colored, no white in it at all. glad to see she is eating enough to poo though. Eith er I am delirious or she looked more comfortable this morning. (could be the former).
thank you seminolewind, apparently this leg disease likes to hit new moms cause I have a 6 month old baby (which is why I can't spend as much time as I would like to with her).
Kinda stinks that all my hens are moulting and my pullets are taking thier time cause I am only getting a few eggs a day and between me and my hen we are eating all of them each day. No egg selling for me lately.
Indy (my hen) did sqwuak a little extra this morning when I picked her up to give her the metacam, hoping that is a good sign.

 

[seminolewind]

A new mom? Congrats!

You must be tired, and you're still posting about your poor hen. Yea , all mine are molting and with 18 hens, NO eggs yesterday, and 1-3 daily for the last few months.

But it gives me a chance to worm and dust.

Go take a nap when the baby does. You gotta take care of yourself too. Sleep's important.

 

[OvertheHenHouse]

Quote:
X2 - guessing you're exhausted, and so amazing that you're posting about your hen - and doing so well by her. Hoping her squwak is a good sign, too -

 

[ILOVELEGHORNS]

@rcentner It could also very well be a Slipped Tendon........... With this condition, the gastrocnemius tendon slips from the caudal aspect of the hock. Slipped tendon often occurs bilaterally, and both legs are generally repaired at the same time. The prognosis is good.