Paralyzed chicken?

[Talyn featherhead]

My chicken has been sick for two days. At first it was some sort of extreme lethargy, and she was found loafed. It progressed to something akin to paralysis, as she can only twitch and squirm without coordination, and she is completely flopped. Her eyes are not clouded or dilated. She opens and closes her mouth at two second intervals almost as if choking, but it seems that she isn't choking. She has accepted some blended chicken feed without much problem by spoon-feeding but she can't even lift her head. It seems she has some amount of motor control but it's extremely weak. She lives with around 10 other chickens in a space the area of a garage outside, and this has happened at least one other time with another chicken, who was ended soon after.

 

[MarlaMac]

I am so sorry for your gal. I have no idea and will tag someone who might be able to help.

In the meantime - what is her diet, including all treats?

Have you tried to give vitamins?

Have you checked her over for mites?

What do her poops look like?

@Eggcessive , any ideas?

 

[Eggcessive]

How old is your hen? Can she stand on her own if you lift her? Can she move her wings and neck? A chicken can become paralyzed from an injury to the back, from a toxin or poison in their environment (weed killer, fertilizer, poisonous plants or trees,) or if an egg or tumor is pressing on the nerves in the legs. You might want to treat her with some human B complex which includes riboflavin, and some vitamin E 400 IU daily, given with a small amount of egg yolk for selenium. Try making her a chicken sling to get her upright and place food and water in front of her for periods throughout the day.

 

[Eggcessive]

Here are a couple of pages of homemade chicken slings and a video:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/versions-of-chick-chairs-please.1166308/

 

[Talyn featherhead]

I am so sorry for your gal. I have no idea and will tag someone who might be able to help.

In the meantime - what is her diet, including all treats?

Have you tried to give vitamins?

Have you checked her over for mites?

What do her poops look like?

@Eggcessive , any ideas?

I may have failed to mention that my friend wrote the post for her own hen, and not mme (the owner of thw account). From what she's told me though I will try to answer: the chickens' diets are very wide. While they do have regular chicken feed, I would be confident in saying at least half of their food comes from scraps, including rice, chopped cabbage, sometimes sushi, and other common foods. During her sicktime she's been given blended chicken feed as well as blended eggshell and yeast. She most certainly has mites.I'll have to ask about the poops though

 

[Talyn featherhead]

How old is your hen? Can she stand on her own if you lift her? Can she move her wings and neck? A chicken can become paralyzed from an injury to the back, from a toxin or poison in their environment (weed killer, fertilizer, poisonous plants or trees,) or if an egg or tumor is pressing on the nerves in the legs. You might want to treat her with some human B complex which includes riboflavin, and some vitamin E 400 IU daily, given with a small amount of egg yolk for selenium. Try making her a chicken sling to get her upright and place food and water in front of her for periods throughout the day.

I'll ask my friend about her age, but she is under three. No, she cant stand when lifted, its a cheer if she can even keep her legs straight on purpose. she can move her neck and seems to have some erratic control over it, as for the wings, maybe only slightly. From what I was told, she started out only droopy/lethargic and only degressed into paralysis after she was brought inside to be checked on. A toxin could be possible. what plants can cause poisoning? Asking from a southern Cali location. They have told me they tried placing the food before her, but from what they say and what I saw while I was there for the day, if she's even seeing the food, she certainly isn't going for it. She had to be spoonfed every mouthful with some water but she wasn't resistant to the food itself. I suggested the chicken sling to her so we'll see how that goes! Thanks for the feedback, I'll be sure to relay them all this

 

[MarlaMac]

I may have failed to mention that my friend wrote the post for her own hen, and not mme (the owner of thw account). From what she's told me though I will try to answer: the chickens' diets are very wide. While they do have regular chicken feed, I would be confident in saying at least half of their food comes from scraps, including rice, chopped cabbage, sometimes sushi, and other common foods. During her sicktime she's been given blended chicken feed as well as blended eggshell and yeast. She most certainly has mites.I'll have to ask about the poops though

Mites will suck the life right out of a chicken. That should be first priority. Dust with a permetrin power. Concentrate on vent and under the wings, but make sure it gets down to the skin. If she has mites, then the entire flock should be treated along with the coop/run. Discard/burn all bedding and spray the coop with a permethrin based liquid - measured correctly. Get all nook and cracks and allow to dry before allowing chickens back in area.

Also, she needs to stop all food except her normal feed. She can wet it to make a mash if the chicken is not interested right now.

If she were my chicken, I would start her on vitamin therapy to help her get over this issue. 1/3 super b complex and a vit e capsule with a little bit of egg to help with the uptake of the vit e. I would do this until she is feeling/acting normal.

If the mites are causing this then without these steps for the mites, the chicken has little hope of recovery.

 

[MarlaMac]

I'll ask my friend about her age, but she is under three. No, she cant stand when lifted, its a cheer if she can even keep her legs straight on purpose. she can move her neck and seems to have some erratic control over it, as for the wings, maybe only slightly. From what I was told, she started out only droopy/lethargic and only degressed into paralysis after she was brought inside to be checked on. A toxin could be possible. what plants can cause poisoning? Asking from a southern Cali location. They have told me they tried placing the food before her, but from what they say and what I saw while I was there for the day, if she's even seeing the food, she certainly isn't going for it. She had to be spoonfed every mouthful with some water but she wasn't resistant to the food itself. I suggested the chicken sling to her so we'll see how that goes! Thanks for the feedback, I'll be sure to relay them all this

Nightshade plant stems and leaves are poisonous to chickens.

Nightshade plants are poisonous to chickens due to the presence of toxic alkaloids like solanine and chaconine, which are concentrated in the leaves, stems, unripe fruits, and green parts of plants in the Solanaceae family.

• Toxic parts: Chickens should never eat nightshade leaves, stems, green potatoes, green eggplant, or unripe tomatoes. These contain high levels of solanine, which can cause digestive upset, weakness, respiratory distress, seizures, paralysis, and even death.
• Safe parts: Ripe tomatoes (in small amounts) and cooked potatoes or eggplant (without green parts) are generally considered safe, though some experts advise avoiding them altogether to minimize risk.
• High-risk species: Deadly nightshade (Solanum nigrum), bittersweet, Jerusalem cherry, and green potato peels are especially dangerous. These plants are often found growing wild and can be accidentally ingested by free-ranging chickens.
• Symptoms of poisoning: Include lethargy, drooping wings, labored breathing, diarrhea, loss of appetite, weakness, and in severe cases, coma or death.
• Prevention: Keep nightshade plants away from chicken coops and foraging areas. Identify and remove toxic plants from your yard using reliable resources. Monitor your flock closely, especially when they are free-ranging.