My hen suddenly can’t seem to use her legs

[Eggcessive]

Sorry about your grandfather. Glad that she is getting to her food and water. Hopefully she will improve soon. The best way to diagnose Mareks is with a necropsy by the state vet or poultry lab if she does not make it.

 

[micstrachan]

I’m so sorry about your grandfather!

 

[CindyinSD]

Wow! You’ve got too much to deal with. Lucky your husband is there for you, to help you and your poor little hen. To keep her a bit cooler you might try icing her water.

 

[CindyinSD]

Look for ticks... just a thought.

 

[BreanneRN]

Look for ticks... just a thought.

Yes, you can google "Tick Paralysis" to learn about that... They (ticks) are often very tiny, the size of a pin head and can be very hard to see. Get a light and a magnifier and go over her completely. Here is a link about the poultry tick, https://www.jstor.org/stable/1589281?seq=1#page_scan_tab_contents

 

[Birdsong 82]

I got home about 2 am and crashed. My grandfather has been having many health problems for a long time. He’s raised 12 kids and 37 grandkids he’s pretty happy with his 90 years and is ready to be with my grandmother again.
But back to chickens. When I woke up she had turned herself around which I could tell was a bit of a struggle she had knocked her food over and there was an egg under her. Still scarfing down food drinking lots of water and lively as ever. So she’s not egg bound

 

[Birdsong 82]

Wow! You’ve got too much to deal with. Lucky your husband is there for you, to help you and your poor little hen. To keep her a bit cooler you might try icing her water.

Yes there’s a lot going on right now. yes there’s a lot going on right now. On top of these issues we are still heartbroken from our cat who got lost during the storms over two weeks ago and never came back home. He would always hang out with the chickens when they would free range lay around with him and sit by the run every morning and evening. I actually have a picture of this cat laying with the same chicken when she was still so little. And anytime we had a sick one in the house or injured he would sit by them the entire time.
And then our well pump and holding tank broke and still waiting to get it fixed Which also messed up the water heater and summer temperatures rising with no AC. I’m hoping after all this I can breathe easy for at least a month maybe

 

[Birdsong 82]

Ticks?! Wow. That something we have plenty of where I live. If it weren’t for the chickens I probably would find one on me every day This is why I love the BYC. That’s not something I would’ve even thought to look into. I’m going to freshen her food and water and start looking at this

Look for ticks... just a thought.

 

[Birdsong 82]

And now she is gripping my finger and trying to support herself with Her right leg now. Still not able to get up but just weird (and good I hope) Yesterday there was nothing from either leg

 

[Eggcessive]

If she laid an egg, then it might have been a temporary nerve problem. Hope she suddenly gets up. Ticks can cause a lot of bad diseases including spirochetosis which can be treated with Tylan or tetracyclines.
https://pir.sa.gov.au/__data/assets..._Diseases_-_Tick_Fever_and_Tick_Paralysis.doc