My hen can’t walk!

[The Golden Egg5]

Well done on her sling and excellent that she seems to be happy in it. If you cut a small gash in the fabric in front of her head, you can push a small empty yoghurt carton into each and put food and water in them so that she can help herself whenever she wants. The lip on the yoghurt pot stops it falling right through and should hold it at a slight angle tipped towards her which will make it easier for her to access them, or you can construct a bar across the front of the sling and clip your food and water pots to that. It is great to see all the different ideas that people come up with for these things. Thanks for posting your photo.

Great idea!!

 

[The Golden Egg5]

Can you post a photo of the poop? I would be reluctant to treat her for cocci if it is not necessary because if it is Marek's, the last thing you want to do is deplete her body of much needed vitamins. Often birds with Marek's don't get enough to eat and the yellow poop is caused by bile from their liver. Providing a probiotic or fermented feed or a little live natural yoghurt may be more beneficial, but make sure you have Corid on hand just in case it is Coccidiosis and if she starts showing more obvious symptoms then I would give her a direct dose rather than putting it in her water. Marek's suppresses the immune system which can then leave them vulnerable to coccidiosis, so it is good that you are alert to it.

These are her last 2 poops. She has been eating tons, but her poops have been getting watery. I’m not sure why.

 

[The Golden Egg5]

Should she sleep in it? And how long during the day should she stay in it?

 

[rebrascora]

It's difficult to make much out on the dark background but I get that they are watery. It doesn't look like bile, so that is good. And it is a relief to hear that she is eating with gusto.... that is really important.... what is she eating? That will have a bearing on her poop and it may be that her system will take a while to settle down and improve now that she is getting 1:1 TLC.

 

[The Golden Egg5]

It's difficult to make much out on the dark background but I get that they are watery. It doesn't look like bile, so that is good. And it is a relief to hear that she is eating with gusto.... that is really important.... what is she eating? That will have a bearing on her poop and it may be that her system will take a while to settle down and improve now that she is getting 1:1 TLC.

She is eating chick feed that is wet, a bit of tuna, and the occasional scrambled egg.

 

[rebrascora]

Yes, I would let her sleep in it if she is comfortable and take her out and encourage her to move towards favourite treats a couple of times a day. Giving her a focus like special treats to work towards can sometimes help them to re coordinate their limbs. It can take weeks of crawling or hopping and it seems a bit cruel but allowing her to figure out how to get from A to B without being under stress will be an important part of her rehab..... it will take time if she is lucky enough to be able to fight it. Putting her out on a lawn in the sunshine whenever you can and supervising for half an hour or so will also help.

 

[rebrascora]

It may just be the moist food that is causing her to be loose. If she is not showing other symptoms of Cocci.... looking hunched, losing interest in food etc... I would hang fire on the Corid.

 

[The Golden Egg5]

Good. I also noticed that she does not drink very much. I’m assuming that’s because the food has water in it.

 

[rebrascora]

I also noticed that she does not drink very much. I’m assuming that’s because the food has water in it.

Absolutely.... and it is worth remembering that if/when you medicate their water to treat for coccidiosis or an infection or whatever, then you need to give them only dry food to ensure that they drink enough of it to get a proper dose of the medicine. Hens can easily survive for days on moist food and no water and if the water tastes bad due to being medicated, they will avoid it if they can.

 

[The Golden Egg5]

I may just be getting my hopes up, but I think I am seeing some improvement. She seems happier and more chatty today and when she is not in her sling, she seems to move around easier.
I softened her food with a mix of the liquid that is on top of yogurt to hopefully give her some probiotics, and a bit of nutridrench and water. I also put about half a teaspoon of yogurt on top. She gobbled it down readily. I’m glad you told me that they are ok not drinking much water when I’m wet food because I was getting very worried. I started dripping water on her beak multiple times a day, so she would not be dehydrated. Now I know that was not necessary.