Something is wrong with my hen

[emilymoretta]

My hen has been healthy and fine until 3 wks ago I saw bubbles in her eyes. I didnt really know anything about it and about 5 days ago she started having some issues. She has been with our rooster( he isn't full grown yet but he is big). then 3 days ago she was walking and just kind of fell over to her right side and flopped around then got back up and was fine seemed a little weak but fine then the next day I went out there and couldnt get up and was hiding from other hen and rooster. When I pulled her out the rooster came up to her (he always would protect her from other hens or anything else) and started pulling at her feathers so I put her in a dog kennel and brought her inside she has been eating and drinking and using the bathroom she is aware of her surrounding just cant move. Does anyone have any idea what's going on with her?? She is still very young maybe 6 months and small. Is she gonna die?? Can I treat her with anything?? And also my rooster just started mounting hens...could he have hurt her legs?? Please help..

 

[emilymoretta]

My hen has been healthy and fine until 3 wks ago I saw bubbles in her eyes. I didnt really know anything about it and about 5 days ago she started having some issues. She has been with our rooster( he isn't full grown yet but he is big). then 3 days ago she was walking and just kind of fell over to her right side and flopped around then got back up and was fine seemed a little weak but fine then the next day I went out there and couldnt get up and was hiding from other hen and rooster. When I pulled her out the rooster came up to her (he always would protect her from other hens or anything else) and started pulling at her feathers so I put her in a dog kennel and brought her inside she has been eating and drinking and using the bathroom she is aware of her surrounding just cant move. Does anyone have any idea what's going on with her?? She is still very young maybe 6 months and small. Is she gonna die?? Can I treat her with anything?? And also my rooster just started mounting hens...could he have hurt her legs?? Please help..

This is her ...also about 2 months ago my dog got a hold of her but she healed up after about a week or 2

 

[Isaac 0]

Sorry, you haven't received a reply- how is your hen doing?

There are several conditions in poultry that can cause some of the lameness you're noticing with your hen. If your rooster has started mating, and the hen has already had past history of injuries, spinal cord trauma would be a definite possibility. Unfortunately, In consideration of her age, Mareks disease could also be a possibility; the neural form of the disease causes inflammation and enlargement of the nerves which frequently results in paralysis. Heavy metal poisoning, aflatoxin ingestion, among others could be culprits. It will be hard to know what the exact problem is without diagnostic tests.

Here is a thread similar to yours where it was found the hen had Mareks:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/hen-can’t-walk-stand.1292341/page-2

If she is not able to sit upright, it may be good to make her a sling such as the one shown below. Nutritional therapy is often beneficial in cases such as your hen; B vitamins specifically are important for leg health. You may offer her a few drops of a poultry vitamin, or give her a few drops of a Cattle B complex every few days. Others might have more suggestions.

 

[Eggcessive]

Sorry about your hen. I would try to get her drinking water with electrolytes and vitamins. Other chickens will sometimes try to harm ones who exhibit strange behaviors such as falling or lameness. They sense that something is off with them. At her age, I would be concerned about it being symptoms of Mareks disease, but there could be other reasons for her behavior. Injuries could be possible. I would separate her and try to get her eating and drinking. Here is some reading about Mareks disease:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/the-great-big-giant-mareks-disease-faq.66077/