Skinny Brahma w/ Shaky Legs

[kcharette]

My 24 week old Brahma, Figg (not yet laying) has always been much skinnier than her sisters and always seemed mentally slower than the other chickens. The free ranging flock will scurry in one direction and Figg takes 30 seconds to figure out where everyone went. I've never really thought much about it until two days ago when she couldn't stand up. I picked her up and she went limp in my arms. I checked for injuries and examined her vent, nothing seemed out of the ordinary. She had no energy to protest during the examine. She's been eating and drinking, I've since added vitamins, electrolytes, and a dewormer to her water and separated her from the rest of the flock. Her droppings are normal, and her energy level has improved but her legs are still very weak. They shake when she's standing for long periods of time and she seems off balance. She's most comfortable sitting. Does anyone have any clue as to what might be going on or any advise for treatment? She's a sweet girl and I don't want to loose her. Thanks!

 

[MrsBachbach]

My 24 week old Brahma, Figg (not yet laying) has always been much skinnier than her sisters and always seemed mentally slower than the other chickens. The free ranging flock will scurry in one direction and Figg takes 30 seconds to figure out where everyone went. I've never really thought much about it until two days ago when she couldn't stand up. I picked her up and she went limp in my arms. I checked for injuries and examined her vent, nothing seemed out of the ordinary. She had no energy to protest during the examine. She's been eating and drinking, I've since added vitamins, electrolytes, and a dewormer to her water and separated her from the rest of the flock. Her droppings are normal, and her energy level has improved but her legs are still very weak. They shake when she's standing for long periods of time and she seems off balance. She's most comfortable sitting. Does anyone have any clue as to what might be going on or any advise for treatment? She's a sweet girl and I don't want to loose her. Thanks!

It could be a severe vit/mineral deficiency. I would megadose her with some vitamins concentrating on the B vitamins, esp riboflavin, and vitamin E. I have used the vitamins out of my cabinet if a bird is bad enough to get them started, just put them in back of throat and they swallow. There is a product called Rooster Booster Poultry Cell that has a wide range of vit/minerals in it. I usually give hens 1cc for a couple of days. I put the syringe right down the crop tube. It is high in iron and some say that's not good for hens, so I only use it a couple of days. But I think your birds problem is a lack of a certain vitamin than is causing it's problem. If they free range and aren't eating their layer feed or if the layer feed is over a few months old, they could be really lacking in certain vitamins and that eventually will show up as curled feet, motor skill issues, etc. So a vitamin/mineral regime is in order and it can take weeks to resolve, so best to get something to mix in the water daily until resolved.
I would also put her in a crate/cage for three or four days to make sure she is eating and get her strength up. Some boiled mashed egg would be a good boost for her. If this is a vit E issue (it could be B so make sure your vitamin in multi B) I would start adding a little Black oil sunflower to their diet(not right now for her though, a vit E capsule is good though). Also, hydration is more important than food sometimes, if she isn't drinking you will have to syringe some water into her crop. They can't digest food without water. I would suggest getting a crop tube (aquarium tubing works good) because if she is that weak, you may need it. There are videos on crop tubing on this site I believe.

There are of course other more serious diseases it could be, but vitamin therapy is the first thing I would try to cross off the list. Could take weeks though.

 

[kcharette]

Thank you for the quick reply. I have been mixing in Rooster Booster as directed for two days now. She is drinking but I have been forcing some water down with a syring as well. I'll check out crop tubing. I attached a picture of the rooster booster product I have.