Sudden lamness

[Guerragirl72]

Good afternoon all,
I have a chicken who over the past few days has seemed to favor her left leg. At first it was a barely noticable limp and a tendency to squat with the lower leg flat on the ground when resting. But day before yesterday I watched her try to stand when I came to feed them and she flopped right over. She seems to be having trouble flexing the leg at the hip and the knee. She also allows her wings to hang limp, but that may have to do with the heat here 103f here in san antonio. If I'm being honest it looks like Mareks disease... she is in quarantine just in case. However the breeder I got her from says she was vaccinated for it. Pics attached for reference. Please any advice would be welcome. Please also note the pictures of her on the floor are for reference only, she is not sleeping on concrete she has a nice cushiony spot in the old brooder.

 

[Eggcessive]

I would have to agree that it looks like possible Mareks disease. Dehydration and overheating might be a problem. I would try to get her drinking some electrolytes and treat her with some vitamins that include vitamin E. Has she been out side where she could have eaten something poisonous? If you should lose her, I would suggest getting a necropsy to look for Mareks or another illness. Here is some reading about Mareks:
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/

 

[Guerragirl72]

Is it possible for her to have Mareks despite being vaccinated against it? I had ruled that out because the breeder said she vaccinated against it.
They are in an enclosed run and coop. The only way something poison could be introduced is maybe wild birds perching over them and dropping through the hardware cloth? Like maybe pooping over their food of water? But none of the other birds are showing any signs.

 

[Eggcessive]

Mareks vaccines are best if given to day old chicks. It takes 2 full weeks minimum for a chicken to achieve immunity. They have to be kept completely free of any exposure to Mareks in dander from any carriers. Any vaccine can fail to take, or it could be possible that she was missed or the vaccine dose wasn’t enough. I am not saying that she positively has Mareks, but I would try to have her tested with a PCR test. It can be done on a live bird through this lab (Vetdna) who sends you the material to collect blood serum. Or you can get your state poultry lab to do a necropsy if she dies. What state are you in?

 

[Guerragirl72]

Mareks vaccines are best if given to day old chicks. It takes 2 full weeks minimum for a chicken to achieve immunity. They have to be kept completely free of any exposure to Mareks in dander from any carriers. Any vaccine can fail to take, or it could be possible that she was missed or the vaccine dose wasn’t enough. I am not saying that she positively has Mareks, but I would try to have her tested with a PCR test. It can be done on a live bird through this lab (Vetdna) who sends you the material to collect blood serum. Or you can get your state poultry lab to do a necropsy if she dies. What state are you in?

I'm in San Antonio TX. I'm gonna keep her in quarantine... not that it's much help if it is Mareks since she's been shedding virus the last few weeks at least. Treat with vitamin supplements and electrolytes and see if that helps.

 

[Eggcessive]

Let us know how she gets along. I hope that it isn’t Mareks.

 

[Guerragirl72]

Let us know how she gets along. I hope that it isn’t Mareks.

Update on my lame little lady. She is still hanging on in quarantine. She seems to regaining some vigor and has started attempting to stand up again on the leg that was in the forward position while she was recuperating. However now that she can seem to move both legs the leg that was in the rear position seems to have become stiff at the knee and she can't bend it to get it up under her. Should I try splinting her into a partially bent position to help the joints regain mobility? Should I have put her in a sling? I kinda feel like I failed her because now she seems hampered by me allowing her to rest it too long.