Silkie/Polish chicken

[GraceAtterton]

My silkie/polish chicken has been having a hard time standing. She has been eating and drinking just fine. She can manage to get around but for some reason her legs go into a split and she holds her neck funny. I am not sure what is going on. I have put vitamins in her water and this is the first full day with vitamins in her water. My husband felt on her legs and said one of them felt thinner than the other leg. At first i thought maybe she sprained something, then we thought maybe she got pecked in the head... now we are not sure at all what is going on. I need any and all advice. She is separated from all other animals. In a room by herself. She has been like this for about three weeks.
Thanks in advance

 

[glassdragonfly]

Poor girl! How old is she? What are you feeding?

 

[GraceAtterton]

She is 3 months old. Im feeding her the purina chicken feed. In the light blue bag. Same as my other chickens. I have been wondering if i should feed her the chick feed with the antibiotics or whatever. I checked on her this morning and she was up and moving around, she uses her wings for support.
She started out as just limping on her leg, then all of a sudden she was just spending her days laying in one spot and it took awhile for her to get to this but i kept an eye on her.

 

[Eggcessive]

It is possible that she has a leg bone deformity such as varus or valgus deformity, a slipped tendon, or other problem. Varus or valgus is a bowed out or knocked kneed deformity which can affect one or both legs. Do your vitamins have riboflavin listed on the label. If not, I would get some human vitamin B Complex tablets and crush 1/4 tablet daily to put in her food. That would help if she has a riboflavin deficiency, but it should be started at the befiining of symptoms. Here are some articles to read to help determine what the problem is:
https://www.researchgate.net/public..._of_the_Intertarsal_Joint_in_Broiler_Chickens

https://www.merckvetmanual.com/poul.../noninfectious-skeletal-disorders-in-broilers
The chicken below has a valgus deformity of the right leg:

 

[GraceAtterton]

I honestly have no idea what it is. She is making me cry because when she tries to walk, she face plants. She is really hungry and thirsty. Im not sure what vitamins i have.. i got them from the local feed store.

 

[Eggcessive]

Can you read the label on the vitamins? If you know the name of them I can look it up. I would try to get the human vitamin B complex at your walmart or grocery store. The ones below are on sale at Walgreens. You might want to make her a chicken chair or sling to sit in to get food and water. But between times I would work with her doing some physical therapy. If you could stand her up and get a picture of her legs, we might see what is wrong. Do any of the pictures in the articles look like what she has? It may come to a point that you may need to do what is best for her and think about putting her down if she is not able to get to food and water. Some chicks can get around even with a disability. Here is a link and a video of chickens slings and chairs:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/versions-of-chick-chairs-please.1166308/

 

[GraceAtterton]

Both her legs are paralyzed it seems, she keeps panting, she does a low growl every once in awhile and she isnt moving for anything and if i pick her up, both legs just dangle and her wings drop. She keeps trying to bend her neck backwards. I think maybe when the Roo was trying to learn to ride, he may have pecked her in the head.

 

[Eggcessive]

She could well have been injured in her back, but it also could be Mareks disease. I didn’t realize earlier that she might have been injured when I suggested that she might have a leg bine deformity. If she seems to be suffering, you may want to consider putting her down to test her for Mareks. Your state poultry vet could do a necropsy and test her for Mareks disease. I really hope that it is not, but should be considered. Do you know if she was vaccinated or not? I am so sorry that she seems paralyzed. Here are some articles about Mareks for you to read:
https://extension.psu.edu/mareks-disease-in-chickens

https://extension.umd.edu/sites/ext...Preventing Mareks Disease in Small Flocks.pdf

https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/the-great-big-giant-mareks-disease-faq.66077/

 

[GraceAtterton]

My husband and i looked at mareks to see if maybe it was the first night when we noticed she was sick and it wasn't that. If she isn't better by tomorrow when i get home from church ill ask my husband to put her down. I do not have the heart to do that. I've made her as comfortable as possible for the night.

 

[GraceAtterton]

And they were vaccinated. I did that when they were younger. I made sure to do that.