Something weird going on

[tattooedchickenlady]

yesterday I noticed that my little Golden campine EE mix was laying out in the run while everyone else was eating...so I tried to pick her up. She ran away from me , but not before taking about 10 steps, staggering and falling back to kinda sit on her haunches.......she isn't sitting the way chickens usually sit to rest on the ground. I managed to catch her and put her in isolation....she looks good aside from being a little dirty on the breast area. Her eyes are bright, she's alert, eating some, drinking....today when I checked on her she was sorta pushing herself along on her belly, like her legs won't work.
We have had some pretty cold nights ( for South Louisiana anyway) 19 and 20 degrees...I tried to get everybody under shelter, I don't have a traditional "coop" since it rarely gets really cold here. My roost/coop area is basically a lean-to in the area where everybody likes to roost. I have another roost area that has 3 walls, but most of the time they like the other....go figure. She may have stayed on our outside roosts, but I'm not sure.
She's such a pretty girl, I hate to see her ill, but at this point I'm not sure what it might be...
any ideas?

 

[miss_thenorth]

Could you post a pic af how she is sitting? I highly doubt it was the cold--my birds are expsed to cold all winter an are never worse for wear. does she feel thin? I owuld def keep her in isolation until you figure it out.

 

[seminolewind]

I live in Florida. In the beginning of December, my roo had symptoms like that. I was told it was Marek's by a reliable person. However, when he was euthanized, the vet did a necropsy and said that he didn't have any tumors internally and his guess is Eastern Equine Encephalitis, spread by mosquitos. But that's my roo and that's all I know. She could have eaten something bad (?)

 

[tattooedchickenlady]

Not that anyone else didn't eat..but.....we did have a rat issue recently, and we put out poison cakes where the chickens couldn't get them. I wonder if the rat pulled it close enough that she might have gotten a nibble? I'd die if we caused her to be sick.
I'm not adept at posting pictures, but she sits kinda back on her joint where the foot portion meets the drumstick. Other than loss of leg control she looks pretty good, I actually checked her for ticks today...I had a dog that had "tick Paralysis" and she lost control of her legs. Unfortunately with a molting chicken it's hard to see anything else..........
I suppose if she seems distressed, I'll have to dispatch her, but I'm giving her time.

 

[tulie13]

If she's molting, she might just need a little extra nutritional boost. Have you tried any vitamin/mineral supplement? How's her protein intake? Is she just eating regular feed or are you giving her some extra protein for the molt?

 

[suburbanminifarm]

Is it like this pullet? https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=283504
Replies to my topic all said "nutritional deficiency."
Ironically, one of my best silkies started having limp/leg weakness probs too, bringing her in the house and feeding her lots, and forcing vit/electrolyles in her has totally cured her in a week or less. (I'm still working on the pullet in the video.) I believe she was so timid & unagressive & dumb she literally just wasn't eating enough.
Don't know if it's the same problem though. Good Luck to you

 

[tattooedchickenlady]

I suppose it could be nutritional deficiency....I think I have poly vi sol in the cabinet, I'll try it in the morning.