Leg injury completely numb from elbow down

[crissy1079]

Not that I can notice it feels normal to me. I think I have someone else feel. Because I can’t tell. I read online stretch it back as if they are stretching it themselves and massage and I’ve been doing that she doesn’t seem to mind. And I don’t feel anything pop or abnormal.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

O.K. Just a thought, it was a long shot, but I had wondered if she had slipped a tendon.
I know there is usually swelling with that type of injury, but with chickens, you never know.

The best you can do outside of getting an xray is just see how it goes.

 

[crissy1079]

Yes I have a large dog crate that will fit in the coop I can put her in as if now no one is bothering her. And she seems to like the company of the other chickens some lay right next to her. She stays in the run behind a tree resting while the others free range mostly. When I give them treats she comes hopping out grabbing food with the others.

 

[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.

 

[rebrascora]

We can certainly take a look at it but would not be able to give a definitive diagnosis from it, but just say whether it is the likely cause or not.
There is a school of thought that Marek's is so common that a high percentage of flocks will have it in some form or another, even vaccinated flocks. Many people just don't notice or attribute that limp or wry neck to the bird jumping down off a high roost or being mated by a rough cockerel or even just a vitamin deficiency. I am not saying that those things don't happen but just that they are much less common than Marek's disease. I believe that Marek's birds do sometimes respond to vitamin supplementation because it gives their immune system a boost but that often just encourages people to believe that their bird was suffering from a vitamin deficiency.

 

[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

 

[crissy1079]

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.

 

[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]

Thanks so much for the helpful info. I feel better. I’m fine with my whole flock having it and just offering supportive care if that’s what they have. Just hope she can recover. She was out free ranging today. Before she always stayed in the run. But her foot is the same. She eats and drinks normal and gets on the top roost at night. Here is a pic of my bantam New Hampshire with her eye. One eye looks normal big pupil and other eye the pupil looks almost cat like. But she shows no other signs.