Mareks? Help? *Video added*

[Daisy668]

I will keep you posted! and I'm from England but I will have a look at it! Praying our vet is good with chickens!
Daisy

 

[Suzierd]

A least she can get around a bit. I hope she can make it up and down the new ramp. I think this is the right thread for England I would just go to the end and ask of anyone knows a vet in or near your city or area. If not at least your vet will see chickens most here just say no. Best of luck to you.

 

[Daisy668]

I gave her some baby food this morning before I went out and when I got back she had ate it all. This evening I have given her some yoghurt as it is the only thing I can think of which is full of calcium and that I will have in the house. Does anyone know any other foods which has calcium in? I'm taking her to the vets tomorrow but they normally just give them anti-biotics and leave it at that so I'm not convinced they will do anything for her. I went to the shop this morning and they had no calcium tablets at all. Not even for humans!
Daisy

 

[Suzierd]

Yogurt is good, roasted or dried sesame seeds,kale. I would use that cuttle bone too.

 

[Daisy668]

I rang my local vet this morning as soon as I could. I said that I thought it was more than a simple anti-biotics job and so she told me it wasn't worth bringing her in. She gave me to other numbers and I rang the first one only to find out the avian vet is on a conference in Aberdeen about 9 hours away. I then rang the other number she gave me and their avian vet is on holiday. So then she gave me a different number and a rang them. I managed to get to talk to the avian vet there and he said it come be as simple as arthritis or could be something like liver failure. He told me he won't be able to help me any further unless he got to see her. I have an appointment in the morning at 9:40am. The good thing is I didn't want to have to travel far as she may not like travelling but its only 40 minutes away! at the moment she is having a dust bath with the others so she's fairly happy!
Daisy

 

[Suzierd]

It's worth waiting another day to go to a good vet. She's dust bathing! That's great she must not be felling to bad.

 

[RaeRae2]

Daisy - I got your PM and came here to find your thread!

This is EXACTLY what my hen looked like! Her toes curled up, and she appeared to have no control over her legs, although they were not paralyzed. She "could" move them and clench her toes and whatnot, but she could not stand up and support her own weight. She would try and she could sit down on the hock joint in the leg, but could not stand all the way up. If she got too tired, she'd tip forward onto her chest, or even onto her side.

My hen is doing excellent now! She is about 99% back to normal. She has a tiny bit of residual weakness, but it is very very minor and hardly noticeable.

When my avian vet saw her, he thought calcium deficiency right away. So that might definitely be worth a try.

I was also giving her a general vitamin/mineral powder mixed in her water (I can't recall the name right now. I bought it at the farm store.) That way she was getting B vitamins too, in case that was part of the problem.

My hen did not act "sick" and what I've read is that with Mareks or Botulism, they will appear more run down and stressed since there is an actual disease process occuring. My hen ate and drank and tried to preen her feathers. If I put her out on the grass, she would sometimes tip right over on her side with her legs stuck straight out. I would have to keep setting her upright. I did not think a chicken could ever recover from something like that, but she did!

The curled up toes was one thing the vet noted as being associated with calcium deficiency. It affects their ability to flex and contract the muscles so the toes get curled up and it is hard for them to uncurl them.

Cheese in high in calcium, and especially if you get a bright yellow cheddar cheese, and cut it into tiny bits, she might try to eat that also. Green leafy vegetables is good. I also fed my hen meat, which doesn't have calcium but I figured it would give her energy and extra protein. She loved shredded tuna, and even cooked chicken. Didn't really eat the hamburger I gave her.

He told me if she would not eat foods coated in the Osteo-Form powder, that I would need to mix it with a little yogurt and water and syringe it down her. I was supposed to get 1/4 tsp. into her every day. But I had good luck with her eating foods coated in the powder.

My total cost was $140 dollars at the vet, and that included some blood work and antibiotics.

PLEASE keep us updated on what happens, and how you end up treating your poor bird!

 

[RaeRae2]

My hen appeared 100% fine one day, then wham, I found her in a corner laying on her chest with her feet curled up, unable to move, the next morning. The only thing I noticed the day before was that I "thought" she looked a little weird while she was dust bathing but I couldn't really tell. I watched her for a bit because she seemed to dig down really deep in the hole and was just sort of laying there. But it was hot and dirt was cool and damp, so I didn't know if she was just enjoying the cold earth, or what?? Later I saw her walking around the yard, picking grass just like normal so I forgot about it. Then the next morning is when I found her in bad shape, unable to walk or sit up.

So for my hen, it came on suddenly overnight.

And the vet said it is more common with older hens laying large eggs because they are putting too much calcium into the egg shell and not taking in enough to counteract it.

Calcium supplements? Like yoghurt and egg. Well I have given her some scrambled eggs and baby food has lots of calcium in it. I'm hoping it something like calcium deficiency and nothing like mareks but she stopped walking all of a sudden. Wouldn't a calcium problem come on when they are younger? gradually?
Daisy

 

[Daisy668]

I mentioned calcium deficiency on the phone to the vet but this morning when I went to see him he didn't mention it so I'm going to feed her yoghurt and cheese just incase. he looked over her fully, felt her legs, weighed her and checked vent and crop. He seemed to think it was some sort of inflammation pressing on her nerves stopping her legs working so I have a weeks worth of anti inflammatory. he always said he thought she may be to old to do anything for she has stopped curling her toes up a lot! so she has a lot better balance! he said the next step would be x-rays and blood test but they will be very expensive and he said maybe it would be kinder to let her go as she is getting on a bit. but I'm not giving up on her yet! He also mentioned steroids for her but he said they can be dangerous for small birds so that would be a final resort. I'm trusting the vet but it just sounds so much like the calcium deficiency
thank you! has your chicken started laying again? good to know she is basically back to normal!
Daisy

 

[RaeRae2]

Hey - now that you mention the inflammation - my vet did say that was a possibility also! But in my bird's case, he thought it was more likely to be calcium deficiency because she lays a huge egg about 6 days a week. If your hen hasn't been laying, then maybe the inflammation pressing on a spinal nerve makes more sense???

He said that sometimes they can hurt themselves somehow, or even if they try to pass a large egg, it can pinch a nerve. You have to use the anti-inflammatories to take the inflammation down. He didn't mention steroids, but I have done that with my dog before for a herniated disk.

He wanted to go the calcium route first, and see what happens. That worked for my hen, but I hope the anti inflammatories works for your girl! You can feed her extra calcium and general vitamins just in case. I can't see that it would hurt?

Thanks for the update, very interesting! I wouldn't give up on her yet. I was just about ready to tell the vet to put my hen to sleep but I decided to just try to save her, and now she's doing awesome.