Paralyzed hen with labored breathing

[kallan]

I have been taking my hen out to sit in the grass and eat clover, etc. and yesterday she stood for a few seconds. She mainly seems to favor one leg though. Today, she looked even better. She does keep both legs under her which is a major improvement. When this began, both her legs were kept out front of her. I do believe she suffered a stroke, but I can't be for sure. She eats and drinks well and coos, etc. so maybe she is not in a great deal of pain. She loves her comb, ears and head massaged. I don't know what I will do with her next if she recovers. I am afraid to mix her in with the others if she is a carrier, etc. What do you think?

 

[kallan]

Over the last three days, my hen is standing and stepping around with care. As she was healing, she would peck at her legs and even make them bleed at times. She seemed to be so frustrated that they were not strong enough to support her. She spends a lot of time outdoors during the day now, and when I can't keep an eye on her, I place her in a dog crate with the bottom removed, so she has clover and dirt to keep busy. I still don't know what to do with her. Should I mingle her back in with the flock or let her be a porch chicken? If in fact, she has recovered from Marek's, what are my risks with my other chickens? I am worried about this.

 

[Nambroth]

Over the last three days, my hen is standing and stepping around with care. As she was healing, she would peck at her legs and even make them bleed at times. She seemed to be so frustrated that they were not strong enough to support her. She spends a lot of time outdoors during the day now, and when I can't keep an eye on her, I place her in a dog crate with the bottom removed, so she has clover and dirt to keep busy. I still don't know what to do with her. Should I mingle her back in with the flock or let her be a porch chicken? If in fact, she has recovered from Marek's, what are my risks with my other chickens? I am worried about this.

If she indeed had (has) Marek's, then all of the other chickens she was with, and any chickens in areas she has been in, have been exposed. She poses no new threat to them. Marek's may never show up in any of your other birds, or it might. There is no way to know. There are so many variables at play that I can't even guess.

If it is NOT Marek's, then you must decide if it is worth the risk. There are a few diseases that are communicable that can cause leg problems, and it's hard to know if your other birds have been exposed or not. The truth is, if she was with them when she first started showing symptoms, chances are that any of the others have been exposed if it is indeed a disease.

There are other things that could have caused her ailment, too, which can not be spread to other chickens. We can only guess at what it might be, short of having some medical testing run on her. Even then it is not always going to pinpoint the problem!

If you do reintroduce her, consider penning her in the same area that your flock uses, but in such a way that she has shelter/food/water but can not be physically harmed by your other birds. Let them all get used to one another slowly this way, and only release her back into the flock once you can really keep a close eye on things for a day or two. If she is still having trouble getting around, the others may bully her or even cause her harm. Chickens can be pretty mean in some situations! Use your best judgement.

 

[KayTee]

I agree with exactly what Nambroth says - good advice worth listening to

 

[Fancychooklady]

It's encouraging that your hen is showing some improvement . Sometimes they will peck at their legs if they have scaley leg mites annoying them. I would consider treating her for internal and external parasites. As she is unable to dirt bath she will be susceptible to mites and lice. As nambroth said , be vigilant if you decide to let her have 'coop time'. Chickens can be brutal when they see a weakness in the flock.
Warm Epsom salt ( magnesium sulphate ) soaks with a nice leg massage would be therapeutic and also help to send any mites packing. Then coat the legs with Vaseline or oil.

 

[kallan]

If she indeed had (has) Marek's, then all of the other chickens she was with, and any chickens in areas she has been in, have been exposed. She poses no new threat to them. Marek's may never show up in any of your other birds, or it might. There is no way to know. There are so many variables at play that I can't even guess.

If it is NOT Marek's, then you must decide if it is worth the risk. There are a few diseases that are communicable that can cause leg problems, and it's hard to know if your other birds have been exposed or not. The truth is, if she was with them when she first started showing symptoms, chances are that any of the others have been exposed if it is indeed a disease.

There are other things that could have caused her ailment, too, which can not be spread to other chickens. We can only guess at what it might be, short of having some medical testing run on her. Even then it is not always going to pinpoint the problem!

If you do reintroduce her, consider penning her in the same area that your flock uses, but in such a way that she has shelter/food/water but can not be physically harmed by your other birds. Let them all get used to one another slowly this way, and only release her back into the flock once you can really keep a close eye on things for a day or two. If she is still having trouble getting around, the others may bully her or even cause her harm. Chickens can be pretty mean in some situations! Use your best judgement.

It's encouraging that your hen is showing some improvement . Sometimes they will peck at their legs if they have scaley leg mites annoying them. I would consider treating her for internal and external parasites. As she is unable to dirt bath she will be susceptible to mites and lice. As nambroth said , be vigilant if you decide to let her have 'coop time'. Chickens can be brutal when they see a weakness in the flock.
Warm Epsom salt ( magnesium sulphate ) soaks with a nice leg massage would be therapeutic and also help to send any mites packing. Then coat the legs with Vaseline or oil.

I will definitely take it slow if I reintroduce her...doubt I will subject her to that. Right now, I am integrating 7 new chicks that are around 10 weeks to a group of 9 that are 13 weeks old. At night they fight over the roosts and I have multiple ones, but they seem to prefer one in particular. I make sure they have plenty of water and food and check on them throughout the day. Before I released the younger chicks, I put a divider in the coop for about 3 weeks to try and help with the transition, but it is still crazy. I left the divider up for about a week after release and the little ones would flee to it and also roost in there at night until they built up the courage to mingle.

I think she was pecking her legs when she felt the feeling returning to them or trying to see if they had feeling. I have some shea moisture for babies that I use on her legs after I bathed them. I would exercise them a bit and then hold her in my palm and let them dangle to the floor. Our time together has spoiled her rotten. I am afraid to put her with my newest hatchlings and the older chickens, too in case it is more than a heat stroke brought on by the lack of food and water.

Also, thanks to everyone's support and recommendations, etc. for my hen. I was ready to throw in the towel several times, but she was such a trooper that I couldn't bring myself to ending her life.