please help: chicken won't walk or stand

[EmmaKnight]

Hi, I am hoping someone can help me. I went to check on my chickens yesterday afternoon and found one of my Rhode Islands just laying in the coop next to the water. When I went to pick her up she did not put up a fuss, so I knew something was wrong. when I set her on the ground her legs kind of gave out and she fell over. I picked her up a couple times and tried to get her to stand, she would for a second and then tumble over. So I brought her in the house and set up a little cage for her. I read it might be a vitamin deficiency so I gave her a mixture of yogurt, honey, egg yolk, oatmeal and calcium that I found on another website. Her left leg seemed a little swollen so I made a sling for her so she wasn't laying on it all night. This morning she won't even try to stand when I put her on the ground. She is eating and drinking, but will not move. Her comb seems a little discolored and I don't know if her legs are bruised or not, but they have red spots on them that none of my other chickens seem to have. Her poop this morning was mostly yellow with some green and frothy, but no blood.
I tried to make an appointment with the vet but they cannot see her till friday. I am at a loss at what to do at this point and any suggestions would be greatly appriciated. Oh and all my other chickens seem perfectly fine. Thank you

Other info: She is about 14 weeks old. They are free range chickens, they sleep in the coop at night which is very secure. They eat Purina start/grow and a bit of veggies once and a while. oh and it looks as though the feathers on the top of her head and neck have been plucked at. Our Rooster has just begun crowing... could he have injured her? should I keep her in the sling? Right now she is outside in a separate pen getting some air.

My chicken, Evie, is doing the same thing. She is eating and drinking perfectly fine but can't see to walk. She tried it a couple times today and stayed up for a while (she stood up and walked but I had to grab her before she ran into a bush) Any ideas on what i should do?

 

[Wyorp Rock]

My chicken, Evie, is doing the same thing. She is eating and drinking perfectly fine but can't see to walk. She tried it a couple times today and stayed up for a while (she stood up and walked but I had to grab her before she ran into a bush) Any ideas on what i should do?

Hi @EmmaKnight You found an old thread, but let see if we can help.

I'm sorry your chicken is not doing well.
Can you tell us about her symptoms and post some photos - especially of the eyes?

You mention she can't see to walk - does she have an eye injury, cataracts - what's wrong with the eyes?
What other symptoms does she have - mucous from the nostrils, facial swelling, discharge from the eyes?
How old is she?
What type of food/treats do you feed?
Are her legs o.k. - do they work - are they weak, etc.?

It's very hard to know what's going on with her, but if she cannot see, place her in a kennel on clean dry bedding and see to it that she is getting water and feed. Hand feed and water her or tube fluids and feed into her. Provide her with poultry vitamins that have B2, A and E.

Blindness can be caused by a number of things, the first thing that comes to mind is Marek's.

http://www.backyardchickens.com/a/the-great-big-giant-mareks-disease-faq
http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/ps031

 

[EmmaKnight]

She can see fine because we put food near her and she went right to it. Her eyes don't have any swelling and look perfectly fine. I think it's lack of vitamins because she did end up walking a little but then fell over. I'm feeding her vitamins that come from plants (oregano and parsley). This whole thing starts after being attacked by other chickens.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

She can see fine because we put food near her and she went right to it. Her eyes don't have any swelling and look perfectly fine. I think it's lack of vitamins because she did end up walking a little but then fell over. I'm feeding her vitamins that come from plants (oregano and parsley). This whole thing starts after being attacked by other chickens.

Oh, poor thing. I see she was attacked. She looks fairly young. Keep her separated so she can rest and heal. You can find poultry vitamins at the feed store, look for poultry nutri-drench or rooster booster poultry cell. See that she is drinking well and offer wet chick starter along with some chopped egg, tuna or meat for added protein.

She may have suffered a head injury, so just keep a watch on her. Sometimes an attack can stress them enough where an underlying illness can come forward as well, watch for signs of paralysis, going off feed, green poop, lethargy, loss of balance and wasting.

Keep us posted.

 

[EmmaKnight]

Oh, poor thing. I see she was attacked. She looks fairly young. Keep her separated so she can rest and heal. You can find poultry vitamins at the feed store, look for poultry nutri-drench or rooster booster poultry cell. See that she is drinking well and offer wet chick starter along with some chopped egg, tuna or meat for added protein.

She may have suffered a head injury, so just keep a watch on her. Sometimes an attack can stress them enough where an underlying illness can come forward as well, watch for signs of paralysis, going off feed, green poop, lethargy, loss of balance and wasting.

Keep us posted.

What I've been doing lately is taking her outside and holding her stomach so she can "walk". She can move her feet and legs like a normal chicken. She's eating and drinking perfectly fine (we gave her some tomatoe and strawberry bits because those have some really good vitamins in it). We also added oregano and parsley in her water for vitamin E and B and some other vitamins. She is in a nice warm area and propped up and not on her side (sitting like a normal chicken because when I found her she was laying in her side like she was taking a dust bath). We gave her a nice bath to get rid of the mites that we're living on her and she seemed a little happier after it and kept clucking. She has some scabs and cuts on her head but I covered it with Neosporin (I read online that it was good for healing wounds on animals). I'm doing the best I can and soon (possibly tomorrow) I am going to see the vet and he will give me some tips. Thanks for your help so far! I'll keep you posted!

 

[Lizmciver89]

I’m not sure if anyone knows what might be wrong with my rooster. I found him laying on his side on the ground in coop this afternoon. He was alive so my husband picked him up and tried to get him to walk. Poor thing tried to take a couple of steps and fell flat on his face. My husband picked him up and immediately noticed his chest was blown up like a ballon. We immediately brought him inside our house in a cage. I have to force him to drink but when I do he will drink. It’s as if his because of his inflamed chest he can’t get his down to drink. If you have any advice or maybe know what could be wrong with him please let me know. I’m so worried about him. He’s a very gentle and friendly silkie rooster that my 5 year old son loves dearly. Thank you