Serama pullet can’t walk.

[Rockporters]

About a week ago, one of our Serama pullets quit walking. She lays down with legs extended in front of her. She is able to scootch around in a circle, but that’s about it. We can’t externally feel an egg inside her, but who knows. Crop is fine. She doesn’t seem injured. She’s alert, vocal, and holds her head up just fine.

She is about 10 months old. Usually lays 3-5 days a week, which has obviously stopped. She and a friend have been in quarantine for 45 days because they are new to us. We were just about to integrate with our flock when all this started. Her friend is okay so far.

She has a voracious appetite, particularly for wet mash. I’m making the mash with grower crumble. She’s also eating oyster shell. I have given her scrambled eggs a couple of times. She drinks well, but drinks a little less with the mash. We’ve done warm epsom salt soaks and added a crushed Tums to her food. Lubed her little behind. She also gets a couple of drops of cod liver oil to her beak every other day or so.

I exercise her little legs daily, and inspect. We’re keeping her clean, which is a job in and of itself. We’re at a loss of what else to try. Any ideas?

 

[Wyorp Rock]

I'm sorry about your pullet.
What were your goals for her and her friend? Breeding?

It's good that you have kept her quarantined, hopefully if she has something transmittable you have been able to protect your existing birds.

The symptoms you describe could be a number of things. With her age and symptoms I would lean toward Marek's, but the only way to know for sure would be through necropsy.

You could try poultry vitamins that contain E and B vitamins to see if that makes a difference.
Personally, if the birds are "new", they were quarantined and I encountered some type of illness or condition I would cull them. Not what everyone wants to hear, but I would worry about passing something on either as a transmitable disease or even a genetic defect.

If you are wanting to keep her, you can make her a sling - that may make it easier to care for her and allow her to exercise her legs without having to bear weight - she still needs to be monitored while in the sling.