Please Help! Chicken almost dead then comes back to life with TLC.. I don't understand what is happe

[RideRed93]

Can someone please help me with this situation I've been put in? I just can't fathom it..

About a month ago I found one of my chickens outside in the pasture "dead". I picked her up and her neck was limp as if she was dead but she was surely alive. I took her in the warm house knowing she's going to die. In the time that I had with her I encouraged her to drink by putting her beak in the water. She couldn't hold her head up at all and couldn't stand- she would just lay there but she tried so hard to lift her head. She also acted like she was in pain. She would puff up her feathers suddenly every now and then; she almost acted like she was trying to be a peacock.. A few days passed and she started sitting on her own and trying to hold her head up. Next thing you know she is drinking on her own and even eating on her own with her head up! She would try to walk but couldn't go very far. Today, she is holding up her own head, eating, drinking, walking and clucking like a good healthy chicken.

I guess what I am asking is there something that caused it? It hadn't gotten very cold outside at the time I can't think of what could've been the problem. No fighting, no animals got in their pen, she hadn't been stepped on, she had plenty of feed and water..

She Almost died
Couldn't hold her head up
She was limp
Wouldn't eat drink or walk
Now she's doing just fine like nothing happened.


I'm so curious to know, but I also went out this morning to find another chicken with the same symptoms.. Hopefully I can get her to pull through.
Any thoughts are great.. and thank you in advance!

 

[gander007]

If it was just one hen I might say something like egg bound
but then I would need to know about age of Hen and the
other thing is how many Roosters if any at all are in the same
pin whit your Lady's

as one Rooster to at least three
Hen's in one pin as about right and no more Rooster's and
no less Hen's as too many hens can stress the Hen's little
body's in a short time .... Now I only wright this as it was a
problem I have had in the past when the new flock comes
of age before I ether sell them or invite them in for dinner ....

gander007

 

[RideRed93]

Yes, it was just one hen, but now it is 2.
The hens that are affected are not even a year old. I got them this spring.. and if they would've had a problem wouldn't you think they would've died earlier than now?
Also I had a rooster, but he just died from the cold I think.. I'm not quite sure on him, but he didn't have the same problems as my other hens. Also, I got him appx 3 months after my hens. So now I don't have any roosters.
The Hens that are having problems are a polish and EE.

Thank you for your response!

 

[pwand]

I would start of by treating them all for mites with something like sevens dusts and deworm them all with safeguard. It sounds like something is spreading through the flock.

 

[gander007]

I would start of by treating them all for mites with something like sevens dusts and deworm them all with safeguard. It sounds like something is spreading through the flock.

X2 yes you have something other then egg bound which
is very common but it doesn't sound like your problem ..

 

[chickengeorgeto]

Have you considered Botulism?

 

[RideRed93]

Can you explain egg bound?? - I don't know if that's what it is, but I got 4 new chicks this spring and they said that they should start laying by September. Its December and only one just started laying, the other 3 have not and 2/4 are the ones with this problem.
Also, can I buy Sevens Dust at a local farm store? like IFA or CAL ranch??
All of the waters and feeders are clean, and I hardly give them outside/human food so I don't think botulism is it..

 

[gander007]

Egg bound is where the out going egg has become trapped in side the hen or blockages has stopped
the egg and some hens or any egg laying animal starts to produce egg's and is not become use to
the process and just lay's down do to the new pain involved in producing an egg ........
And yes chickens do get botulism just happens as a broken egg not removed fast enough in damp
areas can produce this just not always .......

gander007

 

[Thechickentrainer1999]

I know this is old but for anyone reading it I would suggest deworm immediately if not already done a few days prior. If you see worm symptoms such as dirty vent.

 

[rebrascora]

As previously stated, this is an old post and it is unfortunate that the OP did not give any more updates on what happened to the second bird and if the first pullet remained healthy.
I'm not a gambling person but I would put money on this being an outbreak of Marek's Disease. The affected birds were of a prime age to exhibit it and the sudden ataxia and then miraculous recovery are something that I have witnessed with my Marek's birds and the cockerel having died suddenly from unknown causes would also tie in.