Marek's or Vit Deficiency - Please help!

[Belle18]

Buff Orp/Bielfelder mix, age 23 weeks, on April 1st, my hen wanted to stay in the nesting box instead of on roosting bar at night, this went on for 3 days, on the 3rd night I placed her on the roosting bar. I had not noticed her acting weird other than this. Came home from work the next day on Tuesday, April 4th, and she was just laying on the coop floor/run area and had managed to get down the ramp from where they sleep/roost at night. She couldn’t walk on either leg. Like they wouldn’t work. She only hobbles around on her hocks/feet out front. She has not been vaccinated, I had a broody hen that hatched her. All of my older hens were purchased from a Hatchery (13 others) and were vaccinated for Marek’s. I separated her that day and she’s been in her own popup tent with a nesting pad/food/water since then. She eats some (especially cucumbers, meal worms, black oil sunflower seeds, some egg, chicken crumbles) and drinks and poops like normal. No other birds are showing any signs of illness. No bleeding, I don’t think she has a broken leg, but I don’t have much experience with injured chickens. She is very fluffy and looks big, but she feels scrawny/boney when I pick her up. Prior to this, my chickens were being fed Ranch Pro all flock and Nutrena all flock in the coop – I alternate these, with grit and oyster shell available. In the popup, I have clean water for her and also a smaller waterer with electrolytes save a chick. I have given her Poultry cell via mouth daily since Thursday, I squeeze vit e and cod liver oil pills over some food with some honey, but she doesn’t gobble that up. I tried Nutri drench In water one day. I sprinkle grit and oyster shell for her. I don’t really want to spend money on a Vet bill. I’d like to nurse her back to good health, but how long should I try this? My hub thinks she needs to be culled, but she seems fine other than she can’t stand/walk. She just limps around on her hocks and it looks painful. I feel silly trying to "fix" her but I hate to give up on her.

Also, if my hub allows me to continue nursing her, how important is it to construct some sort of sling?

 

[coach723]

Can you get a super B complex tablet or capsule? Human ones, walmart has them. I would give her one of those daily, just put it in her beak and push it back, she'll swallow. That's the easiest way to get them in, the B's can cause all kinds of weird neurological symptoms and sometimes you have to give high doses to reverse it. Extra is excreted, so no worries on too much. The B's are often the reason for hock sitting. If she doesn't improve with those then there may be more going on. If you lose her, the only way to rule Marek's in or out is a necropsy. The vaccine does not prevent birds from getting or transmitting the virus, it only prevents them from developing the tumors associated with it. So it's possible that she could have it and the vaccinated birds are not showing symptoms. I'm not saying she DOES, it's just that it's possible. And not every bird in a Marek's infected flock will necessarily show symptoms or get sick.
As far as a sling, that's up to you. It might make it more comfortable for her, she could eat and drink and poop easier. I will sometimes support them with rolled up bath towels around them to keep them more upright.

 

[Belle18]

Can you get a super B complex tablet or capsule? Human ones, walmart has them. I would give her one of those daily, just put it in her beak and push it back, she'll swallow. That's the easiest way to get them in, the B's can cause all kinds of weird neurological symptoms and sometimes you have to give high doses to reverse it. Extra is excreted, so no worries on too much. The B's are often the reason for hock sitting. If she doesn't improve with those then there may be more going on. If you lose her, the only way to rule Marek's in or out is a necropsy. The vaccine does not prevent birds from getting or transmitting the virus, it only prevents them from developing the tumors associated with it. So it's possible that she could have it and the vaccinated birds are not showing symptoms. I'm not saying she DOES, it's just that it's possible. And not every bird in a Marek's infected flock will necessarily show symptoms or get sick.
As far as a sling, that's up to you. It might make it more comfortable for her, she could eat and drink and poop easier. I will sometimes support them with rolled up bath towels around them to keep them more upright.

thank you! i'll try the B complex. I wonder how long it would take, days or weeks, until this might help?

 

[coach723]

Sometimes it's very quick, other times it might take a couple of weeks, hard to predict. I've had them resolve after one or two doses sometimes.