Need help and advice

[HunterRanch19]

I posted A few weeks ago about my Buff Orpington who had mites and then started having difficulty with balance and walking. She is now no longer walking at all, but is still eating well, drinking some water and electrolytes, moves her legs and flaps her wings, and has clear eyes. She is able to scoot herself around some. She also hasn’t lost any weight. Part of me knows that I will most likely have to put her down, but she is doing so well outside of the walking thing that I am struggling to come to terms with it. Am I just holding out hope for nothing, or could some sort of medication make a potential difference?

 

[HunterRanch19]

I have her sitting inside with me right now, watching the World Series. She was just trying to stand and look around. She does that fairly often - attempting to stand. She is able to move her legs independently. I just am so confused with what could be going on. No other signs of Mareks.

 

[alinas2010]

I have her sitting inside with me right now, watching the World Series. She was just trying to stand and look around. She does that fairly often - attempting to stand. She is able to move her legs independently. I just am so confused with what could be going on. No other signs of Mareks.

I’m so sorry to hear about your hen. How is she today? Could you post pictures of her?

Have you tried vitamin treatments? Sometimes it takes a very long time doing vitamin treatments to recover and becoming anemic on top of that could take a toll.

Idk about in poultry but just for perspective, in humans, red cell regeneration isn’t a very quick process; it can take somewhere between 4-8 weeks or longer in complicated cases. Again in poultry, it’s probably vastly different, but I’m just trying to say that if you’re wanting fast results that might not be the case.

Is the mite problem under control and you’re certain there are no more on her?

Let me tag some helpful people who might have advice. I think they probably helped you before but maybe they could offer you follow up advice. @Wyorp Rock @Eggcessive

Also here is a link to your first thread:

https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/mites-or-mareks.1643073/

 

[Eggcessive]

Did you give her any of the vitamin E and B complex that was recommended? Did you get rid of her mites and give her some beef liver or other source of iron? How well is she walking? Is she eating pretty well?

 

[MotherofOrpies]

Don’t lose hope! 2 summers ago , my lead hen( then 9 years old) had a fight with another hen and had a throat full of abscess and couldn’t eat or drink by herself for 2 months (!) it was a hot summer, I caught her 3-5 times a day and fed her scratch and gave her camomile tea to drink from a syringe, I have to admit I was thinking about quitting at the end, but… she was running around, only she couldn’t eat or drink, so we slogged on, I can’t remember, but I think she started to drink by herself first, and 2 weeks after that, she finally started eating by herself again, I don’t know who was happier, she is now 11,5 years old and still going strong! Don’t give up too soon, as long as they seem happy..

 

[HunterRanch19]

I’m so sorry to hear about your hen. How is she today? Could you post pictures of her?

Have you tried vitamin treatments? Sometimes it takes a very long time doing vitamin treatments to recover and becoming anemic on top of that could take a toll.

Idk about in poultry but just for perspective, in humans, red cell regeneration isn’t a very quick process; it can take somewhere between 4-8 weeks or longer in complicated cases. Again in poultry, it’s probably vastly different, but I’m just trying to say that if you’re wanting fast results that might not be the case.

Is the mite problem under control and you’re certain there are no more on her?

Let me tag some helpful people who might have advice. I think they probably helped you before but maybe they could offer you follow up advice. @Wyorp Rock @Eggcessive

Also here is a link to your first thread:

https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/mites-or-mareks.1643073/

Thanks for the message. Mites are under control. When I took her to the vet a month ago, she gave her (and her feathery sisters) a de-wormer and mite treatment. I have also dusted her a few times. Haven’t seen anything since the original outbreak.

She is doing well today. Eating, very communicative and alert, and definitely tries to stand. I’ve been giving her B-complex and Vitamin E, but I think I was figuring it was going to be a speedier recovery. The perspective for recuperation is helpful (even if it is human recovery and not poultry that you shared). I’m going to take her to the vet this afternoon. Everything else with her is no problem. Poops are decent (even though they get stuck a bit to her since she can’t stand to let it fall to the side). She really has no other symptoms for anything besides the standing thing. She can move them, though, so there’s that positive.

Sisters also don’t have any symptoms of anything, so I am not worried about them at all for anything transmittable.

 

[Eggcessive]

So how long has she been on the vitamins so far. I would give them at least 2 weeks. Was she vaccinated for Mareks disease? Have you added any birds from someone else in recent weeks or months? I really hope it is not that. Just in case it is Mareks, I wanted to give you a couple of articles to read:
https://vetmedbiosci.colostate.edu/vdl/colorado-avian-health-program/mareks-disease/

https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/the-great-big-giant-mareks-disease-faq.66077/

 

[HunterRanch19]

She’s been on the vitamins for just about 2 weeks. And yes - vaccinated for Mareks. All birds are the same age and from the same breeder. I’m actually pretty excited myself about the vaccination. I wasn’t sure at first, but my husband checked back at the purchase, and saw that they were. Still staying hopeful about her recovery and outcomes. We have a bird vet visit on Saturday

 

[Eggcessive]

Keep us up to date on how she is doing and how the vet visit goes by updating your thread. I hope she gets better.

 

[alinas2010]

She’s been on the vitamins for just about 2 weeks. And yes - vaccinated for Mareks. All birds are the same age and from the same breeder. I’m actually pretty excited myself about the vaccination. I wasn’t sure at first, but my husband checked back at the purchase, and saw that they were. Still staying hopeful about her recovery and outcomes. We have a bird vet visit on Saturday

I agree with Eggcessive, keep us updated. I hope she gets better.