new person in Alabama needs help please

[wildbearies]

I was told this is the list to post on even if I am new.
Hi to all, my first post here. I am not wildbearies but using her password to get on. She is my closest friend and I have tried 7 passwords they sent me and none work for me so I must be doing something wrong.

I need help please. Last Friday evening we found my young serama hen I just got a month before on the ground with her legs paddling somewhat. If I would prop her up she would fall over. I got her and a rooster, both young aprox. 5 to 6 months I think because the roosters spurs are not showing yet?

Anyway, I emailed a chicken person” in the know”, she said maybe worms, diet or vitamin deficient, or Meraks disease if that is how its spelled. So I found a special diet on your forum and have been feeding it along with 18 percent medicated chic starter, on Sat. I got wormer and wormed her. I feed her the cat food, egg yolk, syrup and vitamin mix 3 times per day. She loves it and eats like a piggy. On Sunday her on foot grabbed my finger. I got all excited she was doing better. She can still do this but no other good signs. Tonight she has very stinky loose but not what I’d call diarrhea. She has no swelling on feet or any place, feathers are real good shinny shape, skin is very good looking, nothing wrong with her eyes and not the posture of the M word or photos I have seen on the web.

Can anyone help or offer and words of advice here? I will keep my eye on this forum. Thank you for any help on her. The rooster I got with her is doing great.

 

[rbaker0345]

When you found her, was she on her back or on her side? It sounds like a possible neurological problem in which case, steroids could have probably helped in the first 8 hours, but that ship has probably sailed by now. There is an herbal/ homeopathic treatment for mareks. Mareks is a neurological disease and so a neurological injury or some other kind of neurological damage should have a chance of responding to this medication. I just can't remember the name of it.

 

[wildbearies]

Not on her back ever, somewhat on her side but mostly in a just laying down type look now. Or I'm just sitting here untill she goes to move then she has to put a wing out to keep her balance. Now her one foot will grab my finger good but the other no, however she can move it. Nothing looks like pain at all. she can move her feet just not stand on them.

 

[chicmom]

I suspect a stroke. They can recover from that. I am not sure about he diet you're feeding her though, only because I haven't heard of it. I do have a friend who suspected her hen had a stroke, and she nursed it back to health, so there is hope. It could also be a spinal or neck injury......Sometimes you just can't tell.

So do you think she has a weakness on just one side? That would make me lean towards a stroke......

Keep up the good work,

Sharon

 

[wildbearies]

I did not mean to say weak on one side. the first two days she couldn't grip my fingers with either one of her feet but now one foot can grip. So I'm unsure what that means. I hear rickets could be the problem, but don't know if they recover from that? can a young bird have a stroke? She was fine in the AM then that night I found her, it was fast.

 

[wolftracks]

Quote:
Rickets is a vitamin deficency, so it can be treated. I have an injured pullet right now that I'm dealing with too.

Have you tried Polyvisol? Only used the kind without iron. Maybe add some ACV to her water. If she's still eatting that's good, just get more calories into her. Maybe try some oatmeal and mix some things in like corn syrup or molasses. Keep her warm and someplace small by herself.

Wish I could think of more. I had some other ideas when I first got in here, but can't remember what they are now.

 

[wildbearies]

Thanks for the reply. Polyvisol ? I do not know what that is, can you tell me where to buy it and what it is please? Why oatmeal ? can you tell I'm a beginner..... I'm not really but had birds 30 years ago and I had luck, they all lived and were healthy??

 

[wolftracks]

Quote:
The oatmeal is good for them and kind of chunks them up a bit, plus if it's cold out it warms them up. Polyvisol is a baby vitamin. I couldn't find it here at any Walmart without iron, but I did find it at Baby's R Us.