Paralized.....from the neck down.

[allaboutdemchicks]

Jezz, lets start yesterday. All chickens were fine yesterday. They all entered the hen house on there own and jumped up to the roosting poles. I walked into their house, got a head count and saw nothing out of the ordinary. I even stayed in there for a while and argued with my five year old to stop kissing the silkies and, no, she could not sleep with the chickens.

This morning one of my 13 week-old BO was lying below the roosts like she was dead. No movement other than the eyes blinking at me. When I picked it up the neck was as limp as one that is dead.

The poor thing has been inside with me wrapped in a towel, in a quiet place and I have been giving electrolites in water with an dropper. I have to lift her head for her to swallow. Still no movement except a small withdrawal movement at the head if I touch her there. No blood, no cough, no snot, just....blinks at me.

There are 36 other happy alert chickens running everywhere. Sooo, my guess is she may have gotten into something toxic while freeranging yesterday....or fell off the roost and hit the wall. Gosh, what to do???? What is this? Claudia

 

[redhen]

ooh my!..i dont know!....poor thing!...heres a bump up, someone will see it and help you...good luck, Wendy

 

[BJ]

She must have fallen and has a spinal injury (?) I'm only guessing... If she doesn't come around in a day or so, you might have to put her down. Hopefully someone else will know what to do.

 

[BeckyLa]

I wonder if another girl could have landed on her when jumping down from the roost and broke her neck or back. I'd feel along her spine from her head down and try to tell if it has separated somewhere. I'm afraid you might have to put her down.

 

[allaboutdemchicks]

I'll try that. I don't know what I'm feeling for but I'm going to just feel for something "different" of the spine.

 

[Pumpkinpup]

I'm so sorry!

I am fighting a similar battle myself as my silver marans rooster was attacked by some of his coop mates and his legs are now partially parylized. I've been doing phsio with him and after a week can see a tiny amount of improvement but he still has a LONG way to go if he recovers.
I wish I had some advise for you but I just don't know. I'm just very sorry and I hope she recovers.

 

[birdlover]

Okay, I had a little bantam pullet who had her spine injured by an overzealous cockeral. I found her just like you described on the ground after all the other chickens had gone to bed. Brought her in the house and she just layed there with her eyes closed for a couple of hours but then she opened them and was able to eat. (The difference between yours and mine is mine could lift her head a little.) I loved that little girl so much so I took her to the vet. She sort of encouraged me to put her down if she couldn't stand by the next day, which she couldn't. I decided to let her live and I'd make sure she got fed, watered and bathed daily as she would mess herself of course. (I put paper towels or tissue under the vent and she was wrapped in a towel to keep her body from flopping over). Well, do you know that little by little that little girl grew stronger until she could wiggle herself out of the towel and fling herself on the floor where I'd find her on her side, unable to get up. (BTW, I DID get an xray done and it showed her back was broken, according to the vet so I guess not all broken backs are hopeless). One day, I had her outside getting sun and helping her peck the grass. She saw the other chickens and literally flew over to them. She had SUCH a strong will to live and, eventually, she began to stand (like a baby learning to walk will stand and balance) and after months and months, she began walking, was able to eventually go back with the flock and even laid an egg now and then. So, I'm telling you all this so you know that it isn't always hopeless. Of course, there is a number of factors to take into consideration - how bad the spinal injury is, the will of the chicken to live, your willingness to tend to her every need for months, etc. My little Miss Gold became so attached to me and would come up and jump on my lap once she was back with her friends. I wish you the very best of luck. I know how awful it is to have to deal with this! I really do!!! Question: can she raise her head at all now to eat?

 

[allaboutdemchicks]

No, not at all. She responds to me with no more than a whisper of a chirp and blinks at me. Sometime she can tilt her head but it never makes it off the towel I have to prop her with. Pretty bad...what do you all think?

 

[redhen]

i think you are very brave and very awesome to care so much about her!. i personally would have her put down...i think...i dont know either.

..its got to be such a hard decision!

 

[allaboutdemchicks]

Okay, when I straightened her out to feel for abnormal spinal injury she flapped her wings and cried out. About noon I picked her up in the same manner and she was just limp.

Redhen: You are giving me too much credit. Standing over this bird this morning I asked my Jackie Bushman deer, quail, dove, turkey, crow hunting husband to shoot it. He said he couldn't. And neither could my 19 year old that always handles the opossum and raccoons for me. My son said "But Momma, if anyone can nurse it back its you..... " Darn it...