Lethargic, pecking at her sides, I don't know what's wrong

[tcfoster]

I'm again turning to all of you wonderful people for help. My 7 month old pullet Maggie is very sick. She isn't standing or able to stand, not eating or drinking, and keeps pecking at her sides. Some background:
-Maggie was rescued from a neglect situation about 4 months ago and came to us covered in mites, lice, and with a respiratory illness (I think MG). She has since been treated and mostly recovered from all of those however she still has some wheezy breathing at times, as I know that MG will never fully be cured.
-The rest of the pullets we rescued have all just started laying eggs. I do not know whether Maggie has laid her first egg yet or not.
-The last few days I noticed her laying down a lot and pecking at her sides. We brought her in to the ICU coop yesterday and she quickly declined in health to the point she is no longer standing, eating or drinking. We have been able to get some water and electrolytes in her.
-She is always pecking at both of her sides under her wings and does have a large green bruise on one side. However because she pecks at both sides it makes me think she has something internal going on rather than an injury.
-Could she be egg bound? I can't feel an egg but I've also never had an egg bound hen so I don't exactly know what to look for.
-Eyes, ears, nostrils, and mouth are clear. She is alert but cannot stand or sit up on her own. Thank you everyone.

 

[PDXJULES]

Sure it's not just preening? Has she had a dust bath lately? Might be a new hatch out of the cooties. Have you been able to inspect poo, vent, under wings? Sorry your baby is sick. if she has not layed yet it is probably not egg binding. Maybe check her crop, and if normal or empty, try some Nutri-drench and scrambled egg.

 

[tcfoster]

Sure it's not just preening? Has she had a dust bath lately? Might be a new hatch out of the cooties. Have you been able to inspect poo, vent, under wings? Sorry your baby is sick. if she has not layed yet it is probably not egg binding. Maybe check her crop, and if normal or empty, try some Nutri-drench and scrambled egg.

It's definitely not preening unfortunately. It's a very forceful sort of pecking and she does it more when you touch her sides too. I'll try to get a video of it. Plenty of places for dust bathing in the coop and they all bathe regularly. No mites or lice. She had normal poop yesterday but now nothing because she wont eat anything. And I've tried all her favorite foods (I will try scrambled eggs I haven't tried that yet). Crop is empty.

 

[tcfoster]

Sure it's not just preening? Has she had a dust bath lately? Might be a new hatch out of the cooties. Have you been able to inspect poo, vent, under wings? Sorry your baby is sick. if she has not layed yet it is probably not egg binding. Maybe check her crop, and if normal or empty, try some Nutri-drench and scrambled egg.

Thank you for replying!

 

[Eggcessive]

Sorry that your rescue hen is suffering. It is really hard to know what is going on internally sometimes until a necropsy can be done after death. Chickens who have chronic respiratory diseases can develop airsacculitis. She may be pecking at something that is bothering her internally. If you lose her, your state vet can usually help to find what has been going on.

 

[tcfoster]

We gave her a warm epsom salt soak and I was able to see that she has some scabs on her right side near the base of her fluff, to the right of her vent. Pics are attached. I'm guessing that's from her excessive picking at herself.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Re-check for lice, hard to tell in the photos, but I *think* I might see a few.

Is she picking at the same place on both sides?

Does she have bruising anywhere else on the body? Any chance she could have be grabbed a predator?

 

[tcfoster]

Re-check for lice, hard to tell in the photos, but I *think* I might see a few.

Is she picking at the same place on both sides?

Does she have bruising anywhere else on the body? Any chance she could have be grabbed a predator?

I double checked and I cannot see any lice or nits anywhere. I do see what you are looking at in the photo but I think it's just feather dandruff. No bruising anywhere else and it's extremely unlikely she was attacked but I suppose it's a possibility that a cat or a hawk or a raccoon could have gotten in their enclosure. It's very secure though. Yes picking at the same spot on both sides.

 

[tcfoster]

Update on my Maggie - she is hanging in there but barely. She stopped picking at her sides but she seems to have lost control of her legs and feet totally. We have been giving her water with a syringe. She won't eat on her own but if you put a bit of food in her beak she will swallow it (I've been giving her a crumble/yogurt/nutridrench mix).

Is there any instance where a chicken who has been "paralyzed" - for lack of a better word - can recover and regain use of their legs? I don't know how long to keep this up. She is still alert though and her eyes are bright. If I need to help her to pass my vet said I could bring her in. : (

 

[Wyorp Rock]

I'm sorry that she's not improving

It's hard to know what's happened with her if she's been injured and the paralysis is temporary or if she's suffering from illness or a disease like Marek's.

Sometimes the best you can do is offer supportive care like giving 1/4 tablet B-Complex daily, keep them hydrated and eating and access their quality of life from day to day.