Leg injury completely numb from elbow down

[crissy1079]

Yes that’s how you send a private message.

Thanks

 

[crissy1079]

Thanks so much for the useful info. So is there anything else I can do if it is Mareks besides the added vitamins? And if I separate the young rooster should he be completely alone and won’t it be a problem integrating him back in the flock later. His father is the main rooster and so far they get along great. He is a silkie(father) and bantam Cochin (mom) mix. Both roosters are very nice

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Does anything feel out of place compared to the other leg? Especially the tendon around the joint? (back of the leg)

 

[crissy1079]

I’ve been researching this Mareks disease and I read about change in eye. Well a few months ago I noticed my bantam New Hampshire’s one eye looked a little funny. She was acting fine and it didn’t seem to empare her vision so I just ignored it. Now I’m thinking maybe my flock has this but not a severe case. I can take a pic of the eye if anyone thinks they would be able to tell from the eye.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

I’ve been researching this Mareks disease and I read about change in eye. Well a few months ago I noticed my bantam New Hampshire’s one eye looked a little funny. She was acting fine and it didn’t seem to empare her vision so I just ignored it. Now I’m thinking maybe my flock has this but not a severe case. I can take a pic of the eye if anyone thinks they would be able to tell from the eye.

Photos are always welcome

 

[Wyorp Rock]

So if this is Mareks what’s the chance my limping hen will recover and if she does will she ever regain the feeling in that leg? Can she survive with a lame bottom part of her leg. The thigh area is fine she has strength and movement in the thigh area.

@rebrascora knows more about Marek's than I do since she deals with that in her flock, but if it's Marek's, then there could be a possibility that she may regain feeling in the leg - only time will tell.

For most that deal with Marek's, they accommodate their birds the best they can by offering supportive care, watching to see that they are eating/drinking, keep stress as low as possible and keep them going.
It sounds like she can move around and get to food/water o.k. so that's good.

 

[rebrascora]

If it is Marek's, she will always have the disease and many of your other birds too probably and you must consider them all carriers, but she could improve mobility in that leg to a limited or even full extent.... the latter is less likely the longer it goes on. She can certainly survive with her leg as it is with supportive care. I have had one bird learn to lift the leg up out of the way and just hop everywhere .... it took her a few weeks of tripping over her own toes or dragging her foot which caused sores on her knuckles before she figured it out and I tried to help by making a little boot for her but that just seemed to make her more clumsy and trip more. She managed to free range with the flock ang get up and down from the highest roosts.
Your girl will also be prone to future outbreaks. Think of it like cold sores in humans. People who have been infected with the Herpes virus, have it for life but have long spells between outbreaks. Marek's is also a Herpes Virus and acts similarly, it's just that the outbreaks are much more debilitating.

I have had a couple of Marek's birds that were pretty badly incapacitated for months..... one was nest bound for nearly 2 months and eventually got back to free ranging with the flock and laying eggs. That was her second outbreak. Her first outbreak 6 weeks before caused her to be incapacitated for just a few days (she was floundering on her side in classic Marek's splits posture for one day and then miraculously recovered as quickly as she showed symptoms and you could not tell at all.

Some birds are not so lucky and deteriorate and die or are euthanized once they lose interest in food. I offer supportive care as long as they show the spirit to fight it and keep eating.

 

[crissy1079]

I’m don’t think she is declining, well I hope not. She still eats and drinks normal and came hopping out eating treats with the rest but she is just not holding the leg up as much so the foot is dragging. My son had an idea of letting them take turns so 1 day the rooster is crated next day her. Then they both get out and are not always locked up in the coop. Any thoughts on that? Tomorrow I put her in the crate and let him out since I’m gone all day and can’t check on her as much. Maybe the rest will help

 

[Wyorp Rock]

I’m don’t think she is declining, well I hope not. She still eats and drinks normal and came hopping out eating treats with the rest but she is just not holding the leg up as much so the foot is dragging. My son had an idea of letting them take turns so 1 day the rooster is crated next day her. Then they both get out and are not always locked up in the coop. Any thoughts on that? Tomorrow I put her in the crate and let him out since I’m gone all day and can’t check on her as much. Maybe the rest will help

Try that and see how it works out.

 

[rebrascora]

That sounds like a good compromise. My Marek's girl that learned to lift her leg up out of the way and hop everywhere started off with a numb lower leg and she would stand on her own toes and trip over, then the toes curled underneath and she started to drag her "knuckles" on the ground and they stared to get sores. I tried to strap a little boot to the foot to keep the toes flat but it made her trip even more so I left her to it and she figured out that she could pull it up out of the way and just hop. It probably took about 2 weeks for her to figure it out. You could get some Vet Wrap or other cohesive bandage and cut it into half inch strips and lightly wrap her foot so that she doesn't get sores, but I do wonder if the sores were part of helping her figuring out that she needed to lift it. Having said that, it the lower leg and foot were numb she would be unlikely to feel the sores. Some birds with Marek's seem to have feeling but are unable to coordinate a limb/muscle etc and others appear to have no sensation. There is such a huge variation with it, it is very individual in how it affects each bird and you really just have to play it by ear and go with your gut instinct.
The ones that I have had that have become incapacitated have been kept in an old sideboard that I use as infirmary and broody hen bay, which is within the coop. During the day when the weather is fine I put them out on grass in a large cage and encourage the other birds to forage around them by scattering a bit of scratch. This helps ensure the birds remain part of the flock for at least part of the day and get some sunshine and grass which I have found to be key factors in helping them fight it. The bird that was nest bound for months needed regular cleaning up and food and water were clipped to the side of the nest. Outside she would crawl using her wings and gradually she learned to walk again. I would open the cage at dusk and allow her to try to make her own way back to the coop. It was not pretty watching her crawl and initially I would pick her up and carry her but over time I let her make her own way and slowly but surely she figured out how to get her legs working again or the nerve inflammation subsided and feeling returned although she retained a slight limp. Her and the one that learned to hop were best buddies and I do think the two of them being incapacitated at the same time helped them both to recover. Isolating a sick Marek's bird usually causes it to get depressed and lose interest in food and then they go down hill.