Lame hen..is she doomed?

[rcentner]

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awe...I love you! and hope that is the case. She loves her scrambled eggs!

And thanks guys for the support...I am getting used to the mom thing and i have been sleeping really well compared to the 1st portion of my little boys life. When you go from 3 hours a day to 6 hours a day you really feel fully rested at 6 hours, whereas last year I would have felt deprived at 6 hours.

idk...she looks a little better I think. The left leg seems to have a little more dependability for her, not always being left behind.

I was wondering...do you guys know how long scrambled eggs will stay good in the fridge for? It would be easier to make up a big bunch rather than 1 or 2 a day. I just did not know if they would go bad quickly. (I know you can't microwave them, learned that in college

)

OH and I also am glad to hear I am not the only one who has 18 hens that isn't getting eggs...1 yesterday....none the day before

. I do like to use this time for deworming too. I dewormed them last month when the decline started.

thanks all

 

[seminolewind]

I myself would keep scrambled eggs for a week in a sealed container.

 

[BlazeJester]

Any information on how to repair a slipped tendon, or how to figure out whether that's what it is?

I'm prowling in search of possibilities for my BA that came up lame yesterday... she hardly wants to put weight on the leg, but after inspection nothing is broken and nothing seems terribly amiss aside from some swelling and warmness in the large pad of her foot. She's eating, drinking, and even really getting around just fine, she just prefers not to use that leg. She didn't make any fuss when I was poking and prodding...

Also a possibility, though one I don't want to think about, is that my roommate managed to step on her. Since day one he's been a you-know-what, making comments like "I hate those things" (even though they impact approximately 0% of his life, and positively once they start laying eggs!!!). I noticed that there was poop in the driveway between where his car and mine are parked, and he was gone when I put the chickens up. I'm hoping he didn't accidentally run over her foot with the car (I'd have to believe she'd be smarter...) or step on her if she didn't make it out of the way in time. Le sigh...

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[rcentner]

she is maintaining, ate some layena on her own yesterday! I will continue to update you guys as hopefully she progresses. that left leg is still misbehaving for her, but she is eating a lot better.

 

[OvertheHenHouse]

Keeping fingers crossed that she continues to improve!!!

 

[rcentner]

well despite the fact that she is eating better it seems that her paralysis is progressing. She did not move at all yesterday so I took her out this morning to see how she moves and it looks bad. The right leg that was unaffected has curled toes and now seems weaker than the left leg that she began this whole ordeal with. The left leg still lags behind and she no longer flaps her wings when I pick her up. She lands on her face when she is not supported.

I suppose she is doomed...mareks?
She still drinks and eats well, but I now fear the worst for her.

What do y'all think? Doomed? Mareks? Do I give her more time or give up?

Poor girl, wish she laid one last egg so I could hatch out a chick from her.

 

[seminolewind]

I'm sorry, rcenter. My afflicted roo used to fall on his face too, and took longer and longer to upright himself. He couldn't control his neck enough to aim at the food. I decided to have the vet euthanize him when he needed tube feedings.

It's sad, I think, when they have a happy face, eat, drink, and their body is not working. They usually don't act like they're sick, sometimes I think it would be easier if they looked sick too.

As for the rest of your flock, you got to think of where it came from, did you get new chickens about 4-8 weeks before this one got sick? Are any others acting strange?

 

[Kansas Gal]

Sorry rcentner! I just went through the same thing as you are going through last week. I put Henny Penny in a 3' x 3' crate by herself for over a week, hoping she would improve. She was eating and drinking just fine, and really enjoyed the treats of hard boiled eggs, spinich and scratch, along with other goodies every day. She laid an egg nearly every day as well. However, the paralysis just got worse, and I know there was no way I would want to be in that position. We went through this with a four-month-old roo two years ago. (Henny was 8 months old). I knew that she would get no better, so we did what was best for her. Sorry you are going through this, too. It sucks, especially during the holiday season, but all a part of having critters. My thoughts are with you!

 

[OvertheHenHouse]

So sorry to read your latest post. I was really hoping she'd turn around. Can't give advice because I haven't been where you are. I'm just really sad to see the update -

 

[zylechicks]

i just posted a similar story to your last night and am thankful to have found what you wrote. We are dealing with the exact same thing and the details you provided are very helpful, although not reassuring. Our hen is about 4 months old and like yours, suddenly stopped walking. We are keeping her in a dog crate inside, and she is eating and drinking. Likes to be held, clucks, bright eyed. Just can't support herself on her legs. It is hard to say that she is getting worse, although she is not getting better.

Like you, I have read everything I can about what the cause of this might be. We have 60 chickens total, including the eleven that this girl came with. From what i have read this could be Mareks which would mean that she will only get worse as time passes. Have you concluded the same? The other concern is that Mareks appears to be highly contagious, if you have an infected bird. At the same time, it seems that most birds are carriers but only a few suffer an illness. I am wondering what you are doing with regard to your other chickens. Have you read anything about how to now protect the others from this? Are they more at risk because the virus in this bird is 'live', or is she just an unlucky one?

Also, I have seen some posts about giving vitamin B, more potassium and other homeopathic cures. However, my sense is that this illness is consuming her. Are you providing yours with any additional medications or treatment, or just trying to make her comfortable.

Again, thanks for your post. Really helped.