Limping hen

[tobit]

It sounds like an injury. Hopefully it will heal with time.

I do hope so!

She still seems the same today, still limping but she is willing to stand on both feet (rather than predominantly using her left foot) if it allows her to stretch to food (putting right foot down in front of left foot). She's spending quite a lot of time resting under our tiny outside coop, which is elevated off the ground by roughly a foot - where there is a dry area they use for dust bathing. She's been eating and drinking too.

 

[tobit]

Still no change, she spends some time laying down under the small coop, and slowly makes her way around the run. I let them all out into the garden earlier and she just plodded around at her own pace, some times obviously limping - and sometimes it's hardly noticable.

When she stands on one leg, her other toes curl and uncurl repeatedly (as if she is trying to hold onto an imaginary branch) - I'm not sure what that might mean...

 

[tobit]

Okay, so yesterday she laid her first little blue egg, I'm wondering if egg laying is uncommon during marek's outbreaks? She seems to be fitter this morning, limping less too.

 

[rebrascora]

Congrats on the first egg. It's certainly a positive sign. I have had Marek's birds that had been very badly affected, improve and start laying but it was over a matter of several weeks if not months. It's a weird disease as no two birds seem to be affected by it the same, so can't rule it out just because she laid an egg but can certainly be hopeful.
Great to hear that your bird is looking better today. Hope she continues to improve and lay lots of eggs for you.

 

[tobit]

Congrats on the first egg. It's certainly a positive sign. I have had Marek's birds that had been very badly affected, improve and start laying but it was over a matter of several weeks if not months. It's a weird disease as no two birds seem to be affected by it the same, so can't rule it out just because she laid an egg but can certainly be hopeful.
Great to hear that your bird is looking better today. Hope she continues to improve and lay lots of eggs for you.

Thank you. She's still limping, but also walking completely normally at times. hopefully she will continue to recover

 

[tobit]

She's walking fine today, no limping to be seen. She laid a second egg yesterday

 

[rebrascora]

Eggcellent news!

Wonder if that first egg was putting pressure on the sciatic nerve, a bit like pregnant ladies get sciatica.

 

[Hholly]

Great news!

 

[tobit]

Eggcellent news!

Wonder if that first egg was putting pressure on the sciatic nerve, a bit like pregnant ladies get sciatica.

Great news!

Thank you! Maybe, who knows? Anyway, shes been looking good all of today and taking dust baths in the sun etc, sadly she's the only hen that's laying at the moment and therefore gets mated fairly frequently by Moritz, the rooster - but she doesn't seem to mind so hopefully she can carry on recovering from whatever she had!