Rock hen suddenly can't walk

[SDerrigo]

I have a small flock of mixed hens, they are egg layers, very friendly. I cleaned the coop and added a fresh bale of wood shavings to the floor of their coop while they were all outside for the day. Next day my one rock hen was still outside laying in the grass after 6pm when all the others had all gone in for the night. I picked her up and tried to get her to stand but she just rolls back on her hind end and sits there unable to get up. When I pull on her feet she can pull very hard back and appears to have all strength in her legs and feet so I am stumped why she suddenly can't walk. I am currently feeding her and watering her separate in the feed room, she is eating and pecking at the grass but I have not seen her drink yet. She seems very healthy other than her inability to get up and I am worried she will not make it. Any idea what is going on here?

 

[Eggcessive]

Welcome to BYC. It may be neurological, and Mareks disease would come to mind. Botulism is nother disease that can cause paralysis in legs which can progress up to the neck and head. Make sure she can reach her food and water until you can figure out the cause. It wouldn't hurt to start her on poultry vitamins in her water in cause of a vitamin deficiency. Have you had any others with leg weakness before?

 

[SDerrigo]

Thank you, I have never had this particular problem before. I have had chickens just die for no apparent reason but that was nearly a year ago and was only one chicken and it happened the day after I changed the bedding too. The other chickens are just fine, very healthy and no signs of illness. The feed is already vitamin rich pellets and they free range a very large area always coming home to roost for the night. If it is paralysis she wouldn't be able to pull her feet away from me would she? I was kind of wondering if maybe she has an egg stuck inside her? I know that sounds weird but she seems so otherwise healthy and she can feel her legs and feet with no apparent injuries to her at all I wondered if a blocked egg may have pinched nerves making her unable to stand on her own and walk? This is a new one on me so I am just grasping at straws here.

 

[SampyArctica]

How old is she?

 

[Eggcessive]

Mareks is a strange disease, and it seems that every case is different and puzzling. Of course your hen may not have it at all. You could take a rubber glove, insert a finger 1-2 inches into the vent, and possibly feel a stuck egg. I suppose she may have a temporary nerve condition from laying or something else. Nambroth and several others on BYC know a lot more about Mareks than I do since I haven't seen it, so they may be able to help. Here are several links to read about Mareks, including a picture link with all of the common positions of Mareks:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/the-great-big-giant-mareks-disease-faq
http://extension.unh.edu/resources/files/Resource000791_Rep813.pdf
http://partnersah.vet.cornell.edu/avian-atlas/search/disease/502

 

[SDerrigo]

I am sure she is at least 7 yrs old now, I got her from a friend that had them at least 5yrs and I have owned them for two years. I had a rooster live 12 yrs so I don't know how old is old for chickens. I think the breed makes a difference too, I was given a HUGE white leghorn someone raised from a chick from the Tractor supply store and he only lived a year, I have heard similar stories of those chicks having a year long expiration date it would seem. Mine are all cross bred who know's what mixes from several local farmers that gave them to me, hard to tell how long any particular breed lives for.

 

[SDerrigo]

Thank you very much for the resources, I will check into them! At the very least it gives me information on what to watch for in the future with the rest of the flock.

 

[Nambroth]

I am sure she is at least 7 yrs old now, I got her from a friend that had them at least 5yrs and I have owned them for two years. I had a rooster live 12 yrs so I don't know how old is old for chickens. I think the breed makes a difference too, I was given a HUGE white leghorn someone raised from a chick from the Tractor supply store and he only lived a year, I have heard similar stories of those chicks having a year long expiration date it would seem. Mine are all cross bred who know's what mixes from several local farmers that gave them to me, hard to tell how long any particular breed lives for.

7 is a lovely old age! I would be less likely to think Marek's at that age. It is not impossible for Marek's to cause lameness or paralysis (or partial paralysis) in older chickens, but myself and other keepers with Marek's have not observed it often (or at all?). Mostly, when old birds have Marek's, the symptoms tend to be general wasting, ocular problems, and secondary infections due to a weakened immune system.

What I am trying to say is that Marek's is possible, but I would probably try to look to other explanations first given her age.

Does she still lay? Egg binding is a serious issue, and you should investigate this right away. Feel gently for an egg, and you may need to be rude and use a gloved finger to feel inside her vent for an egg. Check her as soon as you can for this, as it is something you can assist her with, but she is on borrowed time.

Is there any chance at all that she may have ingested any heavy metals, such as lead? A lot of older properties will have all manner of things in the soil. Leaded paint chips, BBs, old metal parts... etc. Even just a small amount of lead can cause rapid loss of the legs.

Can you examine her droppings?

Is there any chance at all that she has had any old, or moldy, or stale feed. Aspergillosis can cause these symptoms in birds of any age. It is caused by toxins growing in old, wet, or stale feed, especially in corn.

Has she had access to any wet areas, stagnant puddles, compost piles, etc... anywhere where she could have ingested maggots, rotting vegetation, or even flesh? Botulism can cause rapid loss of the legs.

 

[SDerrigo]

She is almost 100% better now, thank you all so much for your help! She is still weak and wobbles backwards on occasion but she is getting up and walking around on her own now. I believe it is something she ate that caused the problem. When I cleaned out the coop I was cleaning out a long hard winter worth of shavings and probable food debris out into the yard before I could load in wheel barrow to take away. When that pile was outside the chickens did have access to it because they were curious what I was doing inside their home and hanging around. She probably ate some old pellets or even picked up some old piece of metal from the ground that I had stirred up while cleaning. I had no idea it was that easy for chickens to get some disease that affects their ability to walk! I will have to quarantine them in a separate yard next time I do a complete wash down of the coop. Thanks again everyone!