Mareks? Newcastle? Wryneck?

[Letty1]

My hen has been acting very strange, something is definitely wrong with her. She's a red-sex-link and a little over 4 years old. Yesterday, I noticed her laying down in the coop away from the others. I picked her up and tried setting her on a low fence, and she could barely stay on it and was wobbly. I put her into the inside of the coop, she seemed to act more normal. There was a thunderstorm during this, so I thought maybe she just got scared. But when I tried bringing her out of the coop she just lay there and seemed pretty lethargic. I took her inside my garage and set her up in a dog kennel and gave her two cups of water, one with ACV, the other with Sav-A-Chick electrolytes. So far, I haven't seen her drink by herself, I've had to dip her beak, and even then, I'm not sure if she's actually drinking it. She seemed to get better for a bit, but today she's acting worse. She can't walk without falling and looks like she's gasping for breath. This morning, I thought it could've been wryneck, because she kept tilting her neck to one side. I gave her asparagus in case of a thiamine deficiency, but she wouldn't eat it. Now, it looks more like Newcastle or possibly Mareks. I'm thinking that it's not Marek's because of her age and because her legs are still positioned normal underneath her. She hasn't laid any eggs since I moved her. I know Mareks isn't really treatable/recoverable, but I read that a certain strain of Newcastle has a higher chance of recovery. Here's a video, any advice/help would be appreciated.

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

Have you felt her breast bone to see how thin she is? 4 is pretty old for a sex link hen.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

My hen has been acting very strange, something is definitely wrong with her. She's a red-sex-link and a little over 4 years old. Yesterday, I noticed her laying down in the coop away from the others. I picked her up and tried setting her on a low fence, and she could barely stay on it and was wobbly. I put her into the inside of the coop, she seemed to act more normal. There was a thunderstorm during this, so I thought maybe she just got scared. But when I tried bringing her out of the coop she just lay there and seemed pretty lethargic. I took her inside my garage and set her up in a dog kennel and gave her two cups of water, one with ACV, the other with Sav-A-Chick electrolytes. So far, I haven't seen her drink by herself, I've had to dip her beak, and even then, I'm not sure if she's actually drinking it. She seemed to get better for a bit, but today she's acting worse. She can't walk without falling and looks like she's gasping for breath. This morning, I thought it could've been wryneck, because she kept tilting her neck to one side. I gave her asparagus in case of a thiamine deficiency, but she wouldn't eat it. Now, it looks more like Newcastle or possibly Mareks. I'm thinking that it's not Marek's because of her age and because her legs are still positioned normal underneath her. She hasn't laid any eggs since I moved her. I know Mareks isn't really treatable/recoverable, but I read that a certain strain of Newcastle has a higher chance of recovery. Here's a video, any advice/help would be appreciated.

What does her crop feel like?

Check it first thing in the morning before she's had anything to eat/drink.

When was her last egg?

Anything inside the beak - lesions or canker?

At 4years of age, she may be having some reproductive difficulties, hard to know.
Her head and neck movements could be adjusting the crop or be some type of neurological symptom (Wry Neck).

I'd work on getting her hydrated, then start her on vitamin therapy giving 400IU Vitamin E along with 1/4 tablet B-Complex daily. Give her bits of egg to help with the uptake of E. Offer her normal feed to eat.

Have you introduced new birds recently? Newcastle disease is a respiratory disease. Are you seeing any respiratory symptoms like coughing, sneezing, mucous, facial swelling, etc.?

Marek's could be a possibility, it can affect older birds. Unfortunately there is no real treatment except to offer supportive care and vitamin therapy.

 

[Letty1]

Thank you for the advice/information, but sadly, I found her dead this morning. Last night, I gave her lots of different things to drink (plain water, ACV, electrolytes, & VetRX, just a few sips of each) and tilted her head to help her swallow. I dipped her beak in banana bits, but she couldn’t really eat. She wouldn’t stop shaking her neck

 

[Letty1]

Have you felt her breast bone to see how thin she is? 4 is pretty old for a sex link hen.

I did feel her breast bone. She’s always been one of my skinnier chickens, so nothing seemed off.

 

[Letty1]

What does her crop feel like?

Check it first thing in the morning before she's had anything to eat/drink.

When was her last egg?

Anything inside the beak - lesions or canker?

At 4years of age, she may be having some reproductive difficulties, hard to know.
Her head and neck movements could be adjusting the crop or be some type of neurological symptom (Wry Neck).

I'd work on getting her hydrated, then start her on vitamin therapy giving 400IU Vitamin E along with 1/4 tablet B-Complex daily. Give her bits of egg to help with the uptake of E. Offer her normal feed to eat.

Have you introduced new birds recently? Newcastle disease is a respiratory disease. Are you seeing any respiratory symptoms like coughing, sneezing, mucous, facial swelling, etc.?

Marek's could be a possibility, it can affect older birds. Unfortunately there is no real treatment except to offer supportive care and vitamin therapy.

Her crop felt pretty normal, not swollen or anything like that.

I’m not sure when she laid an egg last. She has laid weird eggs before though, they would come out without a shell, and later the shell would follow. I felt around her abdomen and checked her vent for a problem like this, but everything seemed normal.

I didn’t check inside her beak, so maybe the problem was hiding there

We haven’t had new birds for about two years, but there are a lot of wild birds that go near the coop. She didn’t have any respiratory symptoms, just the neck shaking and heavy breathing.

Maybe she was just older, or had a neurological issue, it is hard to tell.

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

So sorry you lost her.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Thank you for the advice/information, but sadly, I found her dead this morning. Last night, I gave her lots of different things to drink (plain water, ACV, electrolytes, & VetRX, just a few sips of each) and tilted her head to help her swallow. I dipped her beak in banana bits, but she couldn’t really eat. She wouldn’t stop shaking her neck

I'm sorry