Maybe it's not Mareks?? I need help.

[cashela]

Ok I am so not sure what is going on with my chicken. I thought it was Marek's. It was fine then on Saturday it was lame on the left leg. Then it started not standing and laying down all of the time. It has a hard time standing. I checked it's feet and there are no sores. It's left leg did look funky. But now I think it's right leg is looking funky. I don't have a camera so I can't take a pic but it's like it's thighs aren't right? Shouldn't it's thighs stay close to it's body so to speak? Or forgive me maybe it's the drumstick part of the leg. (I am not up to speed on chicken anatomy.) It just seems like both it's legs are now messed up. I feel like I need to go look at pictures of healthy chickens now. It's eating and drinking fine, it can scramble around the cage. I just don't know what to do.

 

[AHappychick]

what is the age of chicken? what do the eyes look like is the pupil dialated, grey or misshapen?

 

[Dazlin]

Since you say, both legs are messed up, check to see if they are raised and scaley. It could be leg mites. If that's the case, wash her legs, and coat heavily with a thick oil, that will smother the mites. Also you will have to disinfect and coat all the perches.

 

[horsejody]

Mareks can be progressive and effect both legs. They will frequently look like this, but not always when a leg or legs are effected:
http://www.vet.uga.edu/vpp/ivm/eng/EDP/scenario02c.htm

 

[cashela]

It's a young chicken. I don't know it's age because we got it at a chicken swap it came free with the two turkey's that my mom bought me. We got it in April and it was just starting to get feathers on it's wings. It is a grey chicken that now has brown feathers coming in. While my parents had chickens while a grew up this is a new adventure for me. It's still not completely feathered, seems to be taking forever to get feathers on it's back and it's belly seems completely bare down near it's legs and doesn't seem to have any evidence of feathers coming in where as there are a few feathers starting to come in on it's back. I wish my stupid camera wasn't broken.

It's eyes look normal. If you just looked at it, it looks like a perfectly healthy chicken just sitting on the ground. It just seems like it's legs are really "loose" for lack of a better term.

 

[horsejody]

Is it possibly a meat chicken that has grown too heavy for its legs? They tend to be thinned feathered sometimes.

http://www.feathersite.com/Poultry/CGA/Broil/BRKMeat.html

 

[cashela]

I don't think it's a meat chicken and it's not that big yet. It's a relatively small chicken not a bantam though. It's legs are pretty good size legs. I wish I had a video so I could show you guys. It's like his legs should be up against it's body more and they aren't. This is so frustrating. I'm sure the poor bird thinks so too.

 

[GaDawg]

You should try giving it Poly-vi-sol(no iron)...children's multi vitamin

2-3 drops a day....3 to 4 days

this saved my 4 week old chick and it walked like it was drunk.