Paralyzed Hen Please Help

[Shay88]

1) What type of bird , age and weight (does the chicken seem or feel lighter or thinner than the others.) Silkie/Polish Mix, 2 Months old
2) What is the behavior, exactly. Seems to have paralyzed legs and wing. Still alert and chirping. Just cant move around hardly at all.
3) How long has the bird been exhibiting symptoms? 24hrs
4) Are other birds exhibiting the same symptoms? not at this time
5) Is there any bleeding, injury, broken bones or other sign of trauma. had a broken blood feather on one foot. took car of that a week ago
6) What happened, if anything that you know of, that may have caused the situation. I have no idea
7) What has the bird been eating and drinking, if at all. Some to very little
8) How does the poop look? Normal? Bloody? Runny? etc. Runny with some tint of pink and white
9) What has been the treatment you have administered so far? Vitamin tablet in water
10 ) What is your intent as far as treatment? For example, do you want to treat completely yourself, or do you need help in stabilizing the bird til you can get to a vet? Want to treat myself if possible
11) If you have a picture of the wound or condition, please post it. It may help. Current stool sample
12) Describe the housing/bedding in use Currently on news paper changing often

Please any advice at all is welcome. I feel so helpless at this point.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Do you have a vet that can test a poop sample for Cocci and bacterial infection?
Do you have some photos or video of how she is laying down or of her movements?
Was she vaccinated for Marek's?
Any chance she got into anything toxic - rat poison, fertilizer, weed killer, moldy or rotten food, dead animal with maggots?

The poop does not look good. Quite mucousy with a hint of blood? It's hard to tell. It's possible that she may have Coccidiosis. You may want to start treatment with Corid which can be found at your local feed store in the cattle section.

Leg and wing paralysis could also be something like Marek's. Even if she was vaccinated, the vaccine will only prevent the formation of tumors, it does not prevent infection from the virus.

Do your best to keep her hydrated and offer wet feed, chopped egg or tuna.

Keep us posted.

http://www.backyardchickens.com/a/the-great-big-giant-mareks-disease-faq

 

[Wyorp Rock]

If you just now started taking her outside and exposing her to soil/ground (within the last week or so) I would start her on Corid. Corid is mild and won't hurt even if your problem is not Cocci overload.

The only way to know for sure would be having a poop sample tested.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

@Eggcessive @rebrascora ?

 

[rebrascora]

Hi

I'm sorry to say it but that looks like it may well be Marek's Disease. The things that point to it being that are :-
1. Age and breed of chick.... 8 weeks is about right for Marek's to exhibit and Silkies are particularly prone to it.
2. The paralysis appears to be neurological with one leg forward.... very similar to classic Marek's splits posture.
3. The bird has recently had a change of environment which may have exposed it to the virus or caused stress which often triggers an outbreak of the virus.

Unfortunately if I am right, the prognosis is not good but I would suggest you can make the bird more comfortable by making it a chicken sling/hammock to support it in an upright position. Sour crop could be as a result of the paralysis or possibly a tumour (Marek's causes tumours as well as paralysis) or not being able to maintain itself in an upright position, enabling the digestive tract to function properly. You could try to massage the crop gently but if there is a blockage then fluids may reflux and there is a risk of the chick aspirating it, so be careful of that.
I'm leaning towards the pinkness in the droppings being shed intestinal lining rather than blood but there is also a mucous appearance to it which might suggest coccidiosis anyway.....again that could be due to Marek's which suppresses the immune system and leaves birds open to other problems that their system would normally manage to fight off.

Sour crop in itself will not produce paralysis. The bird might appear weak and perhaps be tipping forward from the weight of the crop but not that uncoordinated floundering with a leg stuck out in front.

Do you have any other chicks the same age or is this an only chick?

I'm sorry to paint such a black picture of this. I have been through it with quite a few chicks and hens and some have recovered, but once they will no longer eat and drink, they normally deteriorate quite quickly and I have made that the point at which I euthanize. I appreciate that you won't be able to give up on your chick like that and the best that I can suggest is to make her comfortable and try to get that crop working and get a few drops of Nutri Drench into her if possible as that will help support her immune system and hopefully give her a boost.

Good luck with her

Barbara

PS. If you do a search on chicken slings or chicken hammocks you should find plenty of images of things you can make from everyday items....I'm not tech savvy enough to implant images from other posts but hopefully someone else could assist with that.

 

[rebrascora]

Worrying won't achieve anything, so if you can avoid it, do so..... this is from a world class worrier. Did you buy the chicks vaccinated (for Marek's?) or vaccinate them yourself and if so, when? Some people with Marek's in their flock buy in vaccinated chicks and give them a second top up jab when they are a few weeks old. I'm not personally in favour of the vaccine for Marek's as I have read a study which suggested that it may be responsible for the more severe strains of the disease which are now emerging, but that is down to the individual to decide on what is best for their flock in their situation.

If her crop is impacted or sour, it will make it difficult for her to eat anything more than a small amount. Usually once it goes sour, they don't feel like eating at all, but if it is impacted they are often hungry but can't eat much. Gentle massage several times a day and sloppy food only, can sometimes get things moving. They will usually appear to enjoy the massage or at least find it beneficial. If she doesn't tolerate it well after the first couple of attempts, then I would not continue.

Please keep us updated with her progress. I will be keeping my fingers crossed for her.

Best wishes

Barbara

 

[Shay88]

I'm the same way, always worrying. Being stuck at work all day doesn't help at all. One more hour.
The chicks I bought already vaccinated. I guess I've never thought about vaccinating my own chicks but would be willing to do so if need be. Peeper was the first we have hatched at home so this is a whole new experience for me and it hasn't been the best. My husband made the frame for a sling at work today, so I'm hoping that will help make her more comfortable.

 

[rebrascora]

I'm so very sorry she didn't make it. From experience, once they lose interest in eating and drinking, the end is near and there is very little you can do for them.

If you really want to find out what was wrong with her, you have a couple of options.... refrigerate the body and send it off for a necropsy or do one yourself. I do this with my birds that die and I find it very interesting and beneficial. If you decide to do it yourself, take photos of everything and post them here, so that we can help you figure it out. I understand this is not for everyone but once you get over the emotional aspect, it really is quite fascinating and surprising what you can determine even with no medical training.

Best wishes for your remaining flock

Barbara

 

[Wyorp Rock]

I'm so sorry

 

[Shay88]