Sultan hen walking backwards, lethargic??? (Video included)

[rebrascora]

I may be wrong about this, but if she has been vaccinated for Marek's it may give a falsely positive reading, so you might want to check that out before spending money on the test.

I would go steady on giving her those medicines, probiotics and vitamins/electrolytes all in one go in your "cocktail". The antibiotics and Corid will have an impact on the probiotics and vitamin B you are giving her and may have an impact on each other too, as well as potentially being hard on her system. I certainly would not introduce the steroid into that mix. Better to use one medicine, finish the course and then treat with probiotic or vitamin before throwing something else into her system. Medicines are best used judiciously.
What does her poop look like now? I appreciate that it was green initially which is most likely due to not getting to food. Is it normal looking now?
If she is unable to stand, you may find a chicken sling or hammock is helpful to keep her in an upright position with easy access to food and water. It may also help her feel more secure if she is going blind You are doing right by encouraging her to walk once or twice a day. I know it may look a bit cruel when they are struggling but it's important that they have a bit of physical exercise if they are not too weak and keep those joints moving.
If you do a search on chicken sling or hammock you should find plenty of images of things you can make yourself with everyday items. It can also help prevent the bird from soiling itself.

Best wishes

Barbara

 

[hyzenthlay]

I may be wrong about this, but if she has been vaccinated for Marek's it may give a falsely positive reading, so you might want to check that out before spending money on the test.

I would go steady on giving her those medicines, probiotics and vitamins/electrolytes all in one go in your "cocktail". The antibiotics and Corid will have an impact on the probiotics and vitamin B you are giving her and may have an impact on each other too, as well as potentially being hard on her system. I certainly would not introduce the steroid into that mix. Better to use one medicine, finish the course and then treat with probiotic or vitamin before throwing something else into her system. Medicines are best used judiciously.
What does her poop look like now? I appreciate that it was green initially which is most likely due to not getting to food. Is it normal looking now?
If she is unable to stand, you may find a chicken sling or hammock is helpful to keep her in an upright position with easy access to food and water. It may also help her feel more secure if she is going blind You are doing right by encouraging her to walk once or twice a day. I know it may look a bit cruel when they are struggling but it's important that they have a bit of physical exercise if they are not too weak and keep those joints moving.
If you do a search on chicken sling or hammock you should find plenty of images of things you can make yourself with everyday items. It can also help prevent the bird from soiling itself.

Best wishes

Barbara

Thanks, Barbara! I'll have to ask the vet about the Marek's test after having the vaccine... :/

Hmm. I definitely hear your point about the combination of meds not necessarily doing the same job as one would do individually. I started it when I saw the bright green poop, because it seemed like she might be on the brink of death and it really was just a hail mary throwing everything at her at once, on the theory that I might not get a second chance if my first best guess on a single treatment was wrong. I understand it's definitely not a great general strategy, though. At this point, I hesitate to stop either the Corid or the antibiotic before they run their full recommended course, since my understanding is that can breed resistance. From my reading, I think it's generally recommended (in humans anyway) to take probiotics while on antibiotics, to replenish the gut's good flora. I can cut the electrolytes, which @Wyorp Rock also suggested, if that will help. I also will go with your suggestion and NOT add the steroids at this point--at least not until the corid and antibiotic courses are done (7 days seems like a fairly common recommendation for both). Conveniently, the 7 days will be up on Monday, when I will get to see the vet for her. I really would like to start the vitamins sooner, though, so I have some sense by Monday whether they're working. I'll read up on it to see if there's any info about combining those with antibiotics, etc.

As for her poop, it is a fairly normal color now, brown with some white mixed in. I still think it has a slight greenish tint, and when she pooped first thing this morning it looked a little loose and mucous-y (sorry for the gross description--I actually took a picture, which I'll attach as a small image to protect anyone eating while browsing...). It's far better than the bright green liquid she was passing a few days ago, though, I think.


I did a some tests on her, and she at least seems to be able to see ok up close. I put half of one small dried mealworm floating in her water just now, and she was able to track it and nab it out of the water in one peck. I'm not sure how I could test if she's lost longer range vision, though--it's certainly possible, since she doesn't seem to show any interest in food even 6" away. Here is how close I have to put her food in order for her to show interest in it:

She squishes herself up against the bars of the crate like that every time--she seems to prefer to have something solid at her back. I don't know if she needs a hammock or sling, since she seems to have pretty good strength when she's fighting all my ministrations. She CAN stand, if prodded. However, if a hammock would stop her from sitting in her own poop, it would be worth looking into. I am very worried about fly strike caused by sitting in her own waste. I had a rabbit get that once many years ago, and it was awful. Snowdrop doesn't seem to have any open wounds, but she does poop and sit in it, and that causes flies to buzz around her back end. I go out and move her to a different corner of the crate and clean out the soiled straw a couple times a day, and we've been hosing off her vent area each night before bed, and examining in the morning for signs of trouble.

It really seems like a disorientation/neuro issue to me, although I'm no expert in chicken health. I am really hoping this will resolve soon, either on its own, or with the vitamins, or something else the vet thinks up next week, because this is no kind of life for a chicken, and it will probably be kinder to euthanize than to wait for something like flystrike or cocci or wasting to take her down because she's weakened and sedentary. Here are a couple more videos of her backing up, in case it adds any insight. These are from last night.

I'm going to do some research about the drug interactions before starting the vitamins, then go ahead with those if it seems ok.

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

How long have you had this bird? I still think after watching your videos that it's a tactile thing with her feet. I'm wondering if she's been on grass before? Did you check over all her feet feathers for signs of broken ones?

 

[hyzenthlay]

How long have you had this bird? I still think after watching your videos that it's a tactile thing with her feet. I'm wondering if she's been on grass before? Did you check over all her feet feathers for signs of broken ones?

I got her as a day old chick last summer, and she has generally been allowed to free range in the yard during the day, and sleeps in the coop at night, except when the hawks were really bad this winter/early spring and they were in the coop and run most of the time. I do think she has some broken feathers on her feet.

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

I got her as a day old chick last summer, and she has generally been allowed to free range in the yard during the day, and sleeps in the coop at night, except when the hawks were really bad this winter/early spring and they were in the coop and run most of the time. I do think she has some broken feathers on her feet.

I think if you resolve her feet and leg issues you will see an improvement, though being crested she may always be an odd duck.

 

[hyzenthlay]

I think if you resolve her feet and leg issues you will see an improvement, though being crested she may always be an odd duck.

I would love if that were true! Her foot feathers do look pretty ragged. I assumed that happened with her sitting and shuffling around so much lately, but I'm not certain about that.