paralysis in 2 of my hens legs, strange signs here, help!!!

[rhodered10]

updated story:

about a year and a half ago i got my 10 hens from TSC spring chick days, they are our first ever flock and i just have 10 hens with a coop that we built ourselve but i am not sure about thier vaccinations if they have any at all. since then we have not added any new chickens to our flock and have never had another chicken even go on our property, i also havent taken them anywhere and its been at least 3 to 4 months since i have seen another chicken that wasnt my own. 7 out of 10 of my chickens wear pinless peepers but have never reallt had any diceases or major injuries.

last night i noticed one of my hens (pumpkin) wasnt really moving, it looked like she was just kinda dust bathing to me untill i realized that she wasnt moving because one of her legs is functioning correctly. she doesnt seem sick, she still has her appetite and is drinking plenty of water but she just cant really walk anywhere. when she does take a few steps they are very unblanced and she uses her wings to balace herself, she can stand for a little while but she spends most of her time laying down just kinda looking around and pecking at the ground. she seems completly normal except for her leg, so i thought that she just hurt it because i noticed that the feeder was knocked over so i thought she flew into it and hurt herself, then the feeder was knocked over a second time.

this morning i checked on all of my girls including pumpkin and she was they same except i noticed that another one of my hens (honey) was starting to limp like pumpkin just not to that extreme. all throughout today honeys limp has been getting a little worse, she still moves around on it and doesnt lay down like how pumpkin does but still the limp is getting worse, other than that just like pumpkin she seems to be completly fine. even though both of those hens who are currently suffering from paralysis of the leg wear pinless peepers and i noticed yesterday that the feeder was knocked over twice but the same accident in the same day on the same leg just on 2 differant chickens? so here i am with 2 hens with leg paralysis, no idea what it is, no idea what to do, and scared to death that i might loose my beloved chickens.

*UPDATE*

today pumpkin the worst to begin with is gettin worse, she almost cant stand at all and her whole body feels well....mushy. i was listening to her to see if i can hear anything wierd with her breathing and i could hear her body working, it was wierd it would make this glub glub glub noise like when you dump a 2 liter bottle completly upside down and also some crunchy noises. she is also eating and drinking less, her crop is empty and feels mushy like its full of water but only a little water. her droppings are greenish and really runny i saw a weird dark pinkish like liver covered thing that was small and mooshy when i smahed it it had little white egg looking type things. should i worm her and do some vitamin therapy? for vitamins i was thinking polyvisol, vitamin E and nutri-drench, i dont know what kind of wormer though.

please help i am so afraid she is not going to mke it!!!!!

please any advice would be very greatly appreciated and also thank you in advance for your help.

 

[ChickensAreSweet]

If it were me I'd put her in my dog carrier with food and water on some shavings and wait and see.

 

[rhodered10]

thanks for your reply, i will seperate her but something wierd is happening. i noticed just this morning that one of my other hens has a limp in the same leg that my pumpkin was hurt. now i know that the feeder was knocked over twice yesterday and she wears a peeper too but 2 of the same accidents? honeys limp isnt as bad as pumpkins but still it is very concerning, is something more happening here or is it just a coincidence?

 

[leadwolf1]

Post some pics, maybe? It's starting to sound a little bit like the nightmare I am going through right now. I'm awaiting the final necropsy results on a pullet that went down suddenly and died. Preliminary reports point to Mareks. I also have a silkie pullet that started out just like yours. If the results come back positive for Mareks, I will know positively what I am dealing with...in my heart, I already know

Good luck with your hens and I hope that it isn't pointing to something more serious than a leg injury.

 

[rhodered10]

thanks for your reply, they seem to be ok just their legs but you never know, i just hope and pray that its not anything serious like a dicease like what you said. they are eating and drinking normaly just the leg but i will make sure to keep an eye on them. i would post pics but there isnt much to show in a picture they would just look normal except when they walk or in pumpkins case try to walk. i just hope thats everything will be okay, the problem is i just dont know what to do with this kind of issue, does anyone have any advice?

leadwolf1, i am so sorry to hear about your chickens that must be awfull to have to deal with, i hope they get better.

 

[Ksane]

Quote:
Look up thiamine deficiency. If they're on medicated feed it can potentially be a problem. The way medicated feed works is by blocking the bodies use of thiamine. Come to find out it causes lameness, wobbling gait, head twiching,etc.

 

[rhodered10]

it could be a defeciancy, they are on a grower feed for protein reasons with a poultry supplement that supplys them with vitamins though. the last time i went out to check on pumpkin she was standing for a little bit while she was eating some squash and zuccini, she stood for the longest i have seen yet, she seems to have no problem standing on it and putting weight on it she just doesnt want to move it and cant use it to balance herself. im puzzled.

 

[Ksane]

Even if they're receiving extra vitamins.......if it were a thiamine deficiency from medicated feed (medicated is different that just 'grower' feed) the thiamine is being blocked by the medication in the feed and their bodies wouldn't be absorbing the thiamine. That's how the medicated feed works to control coccidia.

 

[rhodered10]

i dont think their feed is medicated, i shouldnt be anyway. they arent chicks they are about a year and a half years old and they havent really had any medication since they were chicks. i will look up vitamin related illnesses, maybe i have been giving them too much vitamins.

 

[rhodered10]

checked on them again and honeys leg is getting worse, i think the more she uses it the worse it gets. pumpkin is okay maybe a tiny bit better but for the most part the same, she seems to be able to get around but only for a little while and then she has to rest her leg again, she wants to go outside in our run which i guess is a good sign but i dont want her to go out there with her bum leg. i wish i knew what was happening, i pray to god that its not mareks. that would be awful. so anyone have any advice on how to treat both of my ladies now?

boy i hope its just one of those things that with some RnR will just go away!!!