Second sick hen

[ZedikerStation]

Yep! At your suggestion, she has been on B and E since March 11. I really didn't notice the neck thing until last night when she started shaking her head. It seems very repeatable when touching the bottom side of her neck, just below her head. That seems very sensitive, but other areas on the bottom draw a reaction as well.
. The beak/breathing thing seems concerning as well. The way she was shaking her head made me think of Gape worm, but I doubt it. Just giving you a visual.....

 

[ZedikerStation]

Update...
"Sling-Girl" is still hanging in there. She spends most of the day in the sling. She gets out a few times each day to see if she shows signs of improvement with standing or balance. She seems to want to use those legs, but it seems she just doesn't know how. There is strength in her legs when she starts kicking, so it appears it is a neurological issue. If I steady her, she can stand. She has zero balance on her own. She keeps her eyes closed most of the time, unless someone is with her.
She started Doxycycline, 20mg twice daily March 5th
She's been on vitamin E and B complex since March 11th.
She eats and drinks well. Everything coming out looks normal.
I'm not sure if she will regain those legs and balance. I'm starting to wonder if she is the 3rd victim of Avian Encephalomyelitis and the 2 others weren't as strong.... just guessing.... Ugggh.

 

[ZedikerStation]

I'm now wondering if there is a connection between our recent health issues with the 3 hens and the rest of the flock... We are only getting 1 egg per day from the remaining 7 hens. (for the last 6 or 8 weeks) We don't know if it is from only 1 or 2 hens or if all are just that sporadic. We notice many of them in and out of the nest boxes throughout the day...

 

[ZedikerStation]

Update... well, really not much of one. "Sling-Girl" is still with us. Eating and drinking so-so. I switched her to 22% Grower and she seems to be adding a little bit of weight.... very little. She still can't stand on her own, but seems to be able to balance a little bit if standing in my hands with toes curled on my fingers, but only if bent at her hocks, not standing. Improvement, none the less. She is off the Doxy, and we stopped the Vitamin B and E two days ago. Just to see what happens. She hates the sling and fights when going back in, but short of holding her in front of food and water, this is the only way she can reach it. She will sleep in a basket all night, slight improvement. She gets out of the sling for "physical therapy" twice a day.

I'm not convinced she will ever learn to use her legs again, but we are giving her every chance...

 

[ChickenWhisperer101]

Update... well, really not much of one. "Sling-Girl" is still with us. Eating and drinking so-so. I switched her to 22% Grower and she seems to be adding a little bit of weight.... very little. She still can't stand on her own, but seems to be able to balance a little bit if standing in my hands with toes curled on my fingers, but only if bent at her hocks, not standing. Improvement, none the less. She is off the Doxy, and we stopped the Vitamin B and E two days ago. Just to see what happens. She hates the sling and fights when going back in, but short of holding her in front of food and water, this is the only way she can reach it. She will sleep in a basket all night, slight improvement. She gets out of the sling for "physical therapy" twice a day.

I'm not convinced she will ever learn to use her legs again, but we are giving her every chance...

Glad she’s slowly improving, I guess slow and steady wins the race. Lol
Hope she continues to improve.

 

[ZedikerStation]

"Sling-Girl" seems to have developed this yellow crust on her right eye only. She keeps both eyes closed for the most part. Not sure what that indicates.

Thoughts on these?

 

[Myrshine]

Does it have a nasty smell? It also looks like she may have lice..Im seeing some nits.

 

[ZedikerStation]

Does it have a nasty smell? It also looks like she may have lice..Im seeing some nits.

No smell at all. If she picked up lice, she did it in our spare bedroom where she's been enjoying the bed and breakfast for the last 30 days... I looked her over and except for the extreme dry skin, I see no bugs! Nits??? She has lots of new pin feathers...

 

[Myrshine]

Oh maybe they are pin feathers, it's hard to tell lol. Normally yellowing of the skin can be a sign of some sort of liver issue. How's her poop?

 

[ZedikerStation]

Oh maybe they are pin feathers, it's hard to tell lol. Normally yellowing of the skin can be a sign of some sort of liver issue. How's her poop?

It looks normal, with the exception of being a bit dry. I don't think she is drinking enough, so I give her about an extra 3 or 4 ml of water each night before "lights out" with a syringe. She's getting pretty good at the syringe.... LOL.