My "miracle" chicken!

[justqltin]

On April 22 we bought home 6, week old, pullets. I had one get sick (sour crop)...but caught it early and nursed it thru with advice from this forum. Then Memorial day we woke up to find one of them with a broken neck in the box! We have no idea how but hubby could feel the separated vertebra in it's neck.....he did what farmers son's do...... Okay....these things happen....especially with tiny animals. Hurried the coop along thinking maybe the box wasn't big enough for them all any longer. Moving on- Saturday morning hubby calls me from the coop in the back yard. Our queen of the flock, Thing One, is laying limp on the floor. Unresponsive but eyes open and blinking, pick her up and head dangles like a pendulum. Exact same symptoms as the one with the broken neck, tho we couldn't feel any injury in this one. I'm heartbroken...she was the "pet chicken" of the bunch who would run to greet us and she was A-OK when we closed the coop the night before. I put her back in the garage box we brooded them in....cried for 2 days off and on. I discouraged my 6 year old from checking on her and told her not to think about it, because she was dying and there was nothing we could do. Chick remained in that state until Monday morning. Sunday night she was on her side feet stuck straight out eyes closed and didn't respond if you touched her. MONDAY at 2pm I went to check her after work and she was ON HER FEET --and HOLDING HER HEAD UP. In shock I stood there and then Anna came out and got all excited. So I dropper fed her Gatorade and infant vitamin drops and some plain yoghurt. Initally she did the "drunken chicken" walk; and used a wing to keep her balance but after a few hours she was just wobbly. Last night she was hesitantly pecking at her feed and before bed I found her asleep with her beak still in the feed dish! This morning she greeted me as I opened the garage door - she was up on the box side (3 feet up) preening away. Food dish empty. I left her in the coop with her sisters preening in the sun. I'm am not even sure how I'm feeling....shock and awe....? I gave this little chick up as dead and felt guilty that I couldn't bear to just end it's suffering. I have renamed her "miracle".

Anyone else have a similar story? Anyone with any clue what this could have been? Obviously it WAS NOT a broken neck, I know that isn't recoverable and certainly not in 3 days. Could she have somehow given herself a bad concussion and been "comatose" for 48 hours?

 

[realsis]

Wow I'm so glad she is better. You said you gave her vitamins? Maybe she had a sort of vitamin defiency or something of the sort and giving her vitamins brought her back? With so many sad stories its nice to hear a happy ending! I hope she continues to do well! Best wishes with miracle

 

[salt and pepper]

Sounds like she had wry neck, and you treat that with vitamins. Good job!!!

 

[justqltin]

I'm no vet but my son was home for 24 hours post graduation on his way to a job far away.....he just finished a neuroscience major at Vanderbilt! He has an opinion based on his study. It is classic neurotoxin symptoms from a spider bite! They studied neurotoxicity a lot and he says the symptoms and recovery window fit a neurotoxin to a T. In an animal this young/small full paralysis would not be unusual and how do you spot a bite mark on a fledged chicken. Apparently MOST spiders have a neurotoxic venom but in human size body it may only cause localized pain/numbness! And once her system flushed the poison she bounced back promptly since most spider venom is intended to kill insect size creatures.

 

[ten chicks]

On April 22 we bought home 6, week old, pullets. I had one get sick (sour crop)...but caught it early and nursed it thru with advice from this forum. Then Memorial day we woke up to find one of them with a broken neck in the box! We have no idea how but hubby could feel the separated vertebra in it's neck.....he did what farmers son's do...... Okay....these things happen....especially with tiny animals. Hurried the coop along thinking maybe the box wasn't big enough for them all any longer. Moving on- Saturday morning hubby calls me from the coop in the back yard. Our queen of the flock, Thing One, is laying limp on the floor. Unresponsive but eyes open and blinking, pick her up and head dangles like a pendulum. Exact same symptoms as the one with the broken neck, tho we couldn't feel any injury in this one. I'm heartbroken...she was the "pet chicken" of the bunch who would run to greet us and she was A-OK when we closed the coop the night before. I put her back in the garage box we brooded them in....cried for 2 days off and on. I discouraged my 6 year old from checking on her and told her not to think about it, because she was dying and there was nothing we could do. Chick remained in that state until Monday morning. Sunday night she was on her side feet stuck straight out eyes closed and didn't respond if you touched her. MONDAY at 2pm I went to check her after work and she was ON HER FEET --and HOLDING HER HEAD UP. In shock I stood there and then Anna came out and got all excited. So I dropper fed her Gatorade and infant vitamin drops and some plain yoghurt. Initally she did the "drunken chicken" walk; and used a wing to keep her balance but after a few hours she was just wobbly. Last night she was hesitantly pecking at her feed and before bed I found her asleep with her beak still in the feed dish! This morning she greeted me as I opened the garage door - she was up on the box side (3 feet up) preening away. Food dish empty. I left her in the coop with her sisters preening in the sun. I'm am not even sure how I'm feeling....shock and awe....? I gave this little chick up as dead and felt guilty that I couldn't bear to just end it's suffering. I have renamed her "miracle".

Anyone else have a similar story? Anyone with any clue what this could have been? Obviously it WAS NOT a broken neck, I know that isn't recoverable and certainly not in 3 days. Could she have somehow given herself a bad concussion and been "comatose" for 48 hours?

Whatever it was,her new name Miracle fits her. So happy she recovered,great story.

 

[ten chicks]

I'm no vet but my son was home for 24 hours post graduation on his way to a job far away.....he just finished a neuroscience major at Vanderbilt! He has an opinion based on his study. It is classic neurotoxin symptoms from a spider bite! They studied neurotoxicity a lot and he says the symptoms and recovery window fit a neurotoxin to a T. In an animal this young/small full paralysis would not be unusual and how do you spot a bite mark on a fledged chicken. Apparently MOST spiders have a neurotoxic venom but in human size body it may only cause localized pain/numbness! And once her system flushed the poison she bounced back promptly since most spider venom is intended to kill insect size creatures.

This is very interesting,something to definitely look into. I would not be surprised if this has happened. Thank you for mentioning this,great info.