sick ISA Brown Hen?

[ladysmith]

Hello, I would love some I'm put here. I have 1 ISAbrown hen who I noticed has a squinted eye about 5 days ago. I thought maybe she had been pecked and have just been watching her for the last few days. But this evening when I went out to lock them up she was lying down in the hen house, she got up right away but she seems off balance and is using one wing to help her walk. She went over to the feeder and preceded to be a bully, I asume sheet is putting on a show so she doesn't get picked on.
any suggestions would be appreciated.
Thank you.

 

[Eggcessive]

While Mareks disease would be something to suspect, I would also check the feed for mold, and make sure that she couldn't have eaten lead shot or paint chips, or swallowed poison or a poisonous plant. Try to rule out other possibilities first. What is her age? I would probably cage her in the coop so that she can get to her food and water, and not be bullied while I observed her behavior and droppings. Give her some vitamins in her food or water in case of vitamin deficiency. Here are some links to read on Mareks:
http://extension.unh.edu/resources/files/Resource000791_Rep813.pdf
https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/the-great-big-giant-mareks-disease-faq

 

[ladysmith]

Thank you, I will separate her tomorrow. She is 8 months old, not sure if that relates to Mareks or not.

 

[ladysmith]

So I just went out there to separate her. She was on her side/back she still seems to have her wits but can't really move. Her one eye is still squinted but it hasn't changed color.

 

[Eggcessive]

So sorry about your hen. Mareks tends to affect young chickens, although it can strike at any age. Although Mareks cannot be diagnosed without a blood test or a necropsy, it sounds like that may be the case. Mareks doesn't always affect eye color, since there are 4 different types of Mareks. If this hadn't been going on for 5 days, I might have suspected botulism, but that usually affects them within 12-24 hours of ingesting the toxin. If you are able to get a necropsy done by your state vet if she dies, I would ask for Mareks testing. Your state vet can be found through this link if you are in the US: http://www.usaha.org/Portals/6/StateAnimalHealthOfficials.pdf

 

[ladysmith]

Thank you, I am in Canada and have found a vet that will test her if she dies. She does seem to be a little better on her own. She is eating and drinking I also gave her some yogurt and she liked that. She also layer an egg. I really hope it's not Mareks as I am just starting my flock and would HATE to have to cull them. Maybe I should call the vet tomorrow and sEE what she thinks. I had a sick EE about a month ago but she didn't have the same symptoms. ..
I do appreciate your input.

 

[Eggcessive]

I would also make sure that she doesn't have signs of lice or mites, and in addition to the vitamins, I would worm her and the others if you haven't done that recently. I'm glad she is eating, and hopefully this mystery illness will clear up soon.

 

[ladysmith]

I'll check for lice tomorrow. I had asked our vet about worms in chickens and she said it doesn't happen around here...

 

[Eggcessive]

I'll check for lice tomorrow. I had asked our vet about worms in chickens and she said it doesn't happen around here...

If there is soil, and the chicken is on it when it is warm weather, I would think that worms would be around or possible. Your vet could check droppings for possible worms. I'm sure there are probably fewer worms in a cold climate, but many of our Canadian BYCers worm their flocks. Sometimes once a year, and others may do it in fall and spring. Levamisole may be the only wormer available in Canada, but I'm not sure. In the US, fenbendazole and albendazole are more commonly used and found in farm stores where cattle, sheep, and goat wormers are sold. When dealing with a sick chickens, checking for worms, lice, and mites, looking at crop emptying, and droppings are just routine things to check.

 

[ladysmith]

I went and checked her for lice and mites. I remember doing this with my dad as a child, but didnt have any. She does seem worse today, not really moving at all. I did get her to eat a little COB. I put poly tonin in her water yesterday and again today. I am going to call the women I bought them from and see if she got them vaccinated from the hatchery or fed them medicated feed. I really don't want to loose any more birds.
apparently there is an out break of avian flu about 5 hours away from us, I looked up the symptoms for that but they don't seem to match.