Pullet who stopped using one leg

[goodwiab]

Hello,

I have a young Austrolope pullet who seemingly out of nowhere, got a limp. It progressed to her barely able to stand, and she certainly won't put any weight on it or walk. She hops along fine and eats and drinks, but I saved her from a hawk the other day to to what I assume was her inability to get away. She will hop to keep up with the rest of the flock but then flops down exhausted and will only move with minimal effort after that.

Took her to the vet and did x-rays and they could not find any ligaments out of place or any fractures whatsoever. It did come back with findings of slight pneumonia but that was it. She's not been vaccinated against Merek's but considering the rest of the flock seems fine and she has not really declined anymore I'm trying to rule that out.

She really just sits with the one bad leg out. Again she still eating and drinking but I'm starting to wonder about quality of life? I've had her in a separate room of the house and a dog crate for a few days now trying to give her heat and have given her a poultry booster vitamins because I saw a deficiencies can cause some of these symptoms however she really doesn't like taking it and I can barely get her to eat them.

Her quality of life is very poor and I don't want her to ever feel like she can't keep up with the flock or gets caught by a predator in the backyard again. However she still eating and drinking (and poos are normal) so I'm having a hard time trying to decide if euthanasia is the best? Any advice is appreciated. Thanks.

 

[2ndTink]

Is she able to move the leg at all? Can she push it out if you tuck it up under her? Any head shaking or tics / odd head movements?

You mentioned she's a pullet, how old? Did you see anything abnormal leading up to the leg issue? How many days ago did you notice the symptoms? Have you brought any new birds into the flock or used poultry equipment recently?

I'm sorry your girl is going through this.

 

[goodwiab]

Is she able to move the leg at all? Can she push it out if you tuck it up under her? Any head shaking or tics / odd head movements?

You mentioned she's a pullet, how old? Did you see anything abnormal leading up to the leg issue? How many days ago did you notice the symptoms? Have you brought any new birds into the flock or used poultry equipment recently?

I'm sorry your girl is going through this.

She is not- which is just so weird because if you grab it and move it around she doesn't really react but it's just always just sticking out or if she hops she kind of holds it up.

She is about 9 to 12 weeks old. I will say when I got her she was definitely the runt if that makes any sense in chicken world? She was much smaller than the other Australorp pullets. She and two Easter eggers were new to the flock as of the first week of December. I have two three-year-old Leghorn chickens that needed friends so I got them. The Easter eggers are the same age as this pullet.

 

[2ndTink]

It's a hard choice to make to decide they need to be put down, but if / when you do get to that point I 100% recommend having a necropsy done. If it is Mareks, you need to know so you can take precautions with future birds. To prepare, I suggest looking for your state lab, or locating a college / vet / etc that will perform a necropsy.

With my experience with Mareks, I lean more towards that diagnosis in cases of leg paralysis than anything else, although there are other things that can present similar symptoms.

My best recommendation is to keep her warm, comfortable, keep food and water close, and if you feel her quality of life isn't there then trust your gut and put her down.

 

[Eggcessive]

I agree that if you decide to put her down, your state vet lab usually can do a necropsy to look for Mareks. Here is a list of state vets to contact:
https://www.metzerfarms.com/poultry-labs.html

 

[goodwiab]

Whenever mine get Marek’s it shows up as one leg paralyzed out in front/held up and immobile or the splits one leg forward and one leg backward and both legs paralyzed.

Have you ever seen Marek's where they are still eating and drinking though?

 

[orelsi]

Could it be vitamin deficiency? I always recommend a couple days of vitamins + selenium (a small amount on the tip of a knife is a good measurement) in cases that have limbs/movement impairment. It won't hurt in any way (don't overdose!) and it might help.

 

[2ndTink]

Have you ever seen Marek's where they are still eating and drinking though?

Yes, they can still eat and drink. I see Orelsi suggests treating with vitamins, this is a good idea just in case it is from vitamins. Before I knew what was going on I tried to treat two pullets with vitamins with no success. One went downhill in 3 days, one stopped using one leg but worked out hopping around and continued eating and drinking, had bright eyes and seemed pretty normal other than not having the use of one leg. It was about 2 weeks before she declined and we decided to put her down and have a necropsy done. I've since read that with Mareks they aren't absorbing nutrients the best so they will eat like they are starving (which they are).

I really hope it is just a vitamin deficiency for you.

 

[goodwiab]

Thank you all. We had been keeping her warm inside with close food and water, and had been giving her pain meds and extra vitamins like some of y'all mentioned. Unfortunately she just wasn't getting better- even refusing to hop or stand on it. We made the decision to euthanasize at the vet this morning- one of the hardest decisions we had to make. I had already saved her from a hawk in the yard and didn't want to put a target on her back if I put her back out. Awful decision but hopefully the kindest. Thank you all so much for your help and thoughts.

 

[2ndTink]

Thank you all. We had been keeping her warm inside with close food and water, and had been giving her pain meds and extra vitamins like some of y'all mentioned. Unfortunately she just wasn't getting better- even refusing to hop or stand on it. We made the decision to euthanasize at the vet this morning- one of the hardest decisions we had to make. I had already saved her from a hawk in the yard and didn't want to put a target on her back if I put her back out. Awful decision but hopefully the kindest. Thank you all so much for your help and thoughts.

I am so sorry for your loss, it is never easy saying goodbye even when it is necessary. You made the right decision, placing her quality of life above everything. If you do get a necropsy let us know the results ❤