So we had a Leghorn that got ill about two months ago. She was very lethargic and seemed to be partially paralyzed in her legs. As new chicken owners, we took her to the vet that day and hoped we could save her. They thought it may be Marrecks or a bacterial infection and offered some anti-biotics for the latter. We opted for some antibiotics to help her along with any type of bacteria just in case. We also got some vitamins for her water and isolated her from the flock. Her droppings didn't seem to have bright green in it (though it was green one time) and after a few days, she seemed to be getting better slowly. After 2-3 weeks, she seemed back to herself, but not laying eggs. We isolated her for a month in which she seemed to have gotten back to her old self. After that, we started to take her out to the flock during the day. Due to loss of some feathers from isolation in the basement (by a slider) because of the temperature down there, we didn't leave her outside over night. So, she would spend most of the day (depending on how cold it was) outside with the rest of the chickens (17).
Today, we fed her in the morning as usual and when I went down to take her out, she appeared frozen in place. It was a bit unusual since she normally moves around and makes noises of some sort. When I picked her up, I could tell something was wrong. She flapped around half heartedly and moved her legs somewhat. I tried to place her on the ground, but she literally rolled over onto her side. I quickly picked her up again and comforted her, but I could tell things were going poorly. She seemed to be spasming and my wife said she was opening her beak as if gasping. My wife went to call the vet again, but she passed away moments later.
The vet asked if she had an impacted crop which she did not. She also ate treats (scratch and meal worms) normally as well as eating her food in the isolation coop and the normal run. They have water in their run and she had fresh water available at all times.
Any thoughts on what could have caused something like this after a recovery? It was a bit surprising to have something like that happen after what we thought was a complete recovery. Any advice on precautions I should be taking with the others? By the way, we've yet to see any indication of the other chickens having any issues.
Today, we fed her in the morning as usual and when I went down to take her out, she appeared frozen in place. It was a bit unusual since she normally moves around and makes noises of some sort. When I picked her up, I could tell something was wrong. She flapped around half heartedly and moved her legs somewhat. I tried to place her on the ground, but she literally rolled over onto her side. I quickly picked her up again and comforted her, but I could tell things were going poorly. She seemed to be spasming and my wife said she was opening her beak as if gasping. My wife went to call the vet again, but she passed away moments later.
The vet asked if she had an impacted crop which she did not. She also ate treats (scratch and meal worms) normally as well as eating her food in the isolation coop and the normal run. They have water in their run and she had fresh water available at all times.
Any thoughts on what could have caused something like this after a recovery? It was a bit surprising to have something like that happen after what we thought was a complete recovery. Any advice on precautions I should be taking with the others? By the way, we've yet to see any indication of the other chickens having any issues.
It’s more difficult after seeing some improvement and hoping they’re getting better.
