Unable to Stand? UPDATE. Tried to reintroduce her and now she is back inside

[RedTailRanch6]

Howdy, all.

No real change in my girl. She is still in the living room and seems to be on the mend. She may or may not have had the opportunity to watch TV on the couch a few times...

I took her outside on Saturday and Sunday so she could get some fresh air. On Sunday I put her in with the girls and for the most part it was uneventful. Our Naked Neck went after her twice, but eventually let her alone. It was an especially hot day so they were all just resting in the shade and burrowing down into the dirt. She was sitting with my White Plymouth Rock without issue for a good 10-15 minutes but then the Ameraucana came over to join. She actually pecked the Ameraucana! The nerve...Well, after that the Ameraucana went after her twice, at which point (once things died down) I ended up calling it a day and bringing her back in.

egghead@1265, when it rains, it pours! We are dealing with two sick goats along with Navi right now...never fun. Hope the dog is ok! I would also second the fecal test...knowledge is power with these things it seems. The more you can get, the better likelihood you have of a good outcome.

 

[casportpony]

Following.

-Kathy

 

[egghead@1265]

Great to hear your hen is improving! Who wouldn't improve, with sitting on the couch and watching some television!

Our hen is still hanging on, and really hasn't improved. However, she isn't any worse either. I just don't know if her legs will come back for her. I just wish I knew what it is she was/or is dealing with. She certainly has a will to live, as the other hen only lasted two days. Our dog, well very concerned he may have lost the sight in his eye, as it is very damaged. The Vet called back to answer questions, and made it somewhat clear that the eye was very damaged, and prognosis is very unknown. But also many dogs can function with one eye. Tough, however, as he is a hunting dog..who knows. I feel so bad for him, and for the guys who took him hunting, everyone just feels awful!

Gosh, caring for two sick goats? What kind of goats? What are the issues with them? Our son had one goat that died, but now the others seem to be doing well! Though the one kid has an injured leg, but is still nursing on her mother.

We also had 4 lambs, they were awesome! I totally miss them! They were just so sweet!

Good luck with the goats, and the hen. Update us if anything changes.

 

[egghead@1265]

Well after a week of our hen being unable to use her legs, she died over night!

I was honestly surprised to see her not breathing this morning, as she was still so perky last night!

I do feel she would never have regained the use if her legs, so it is probably for the best.

We have yet to figure out what got her that way, and even our Delaware(she was a Buckeye) who died within two days-nothing conclusive!

I wish we knew...we are still watching the remainder of our flock and hoping for the best!

 

[Eggcessive]

Sorry for your loss. I would suspect Mareks disease. Here is a link for your state vet in the US to have a necropsy and testing for Mareks: http://www.usaha.org/Portals/6/StateAnimalHealthOfficials.pdf

 

[egghead@1265]

Well after a week of our hen being unable to use her legs, she died over night!

I was honestly surprised to see her not breathing this morning, as she was still so perky last night!

I do feel she would never have regained the use if her legs, so it is probably for the best.

We have yet to figure out what got her that way, and even our Delaware(she was a Buckeye) who died within two days-nothing conclusive!

I wish we knew...we are still watching the remainder of our flock and hoping for the best!

Thank you to all for posting and replying, as it is all helpful and reassuring to learn more, ...which we will continue to do.

Thanks again!

 

[RedTailRanch6]

+1 to the necropsy. I would HIGHLY recommend taking her to get checked. I know that for me, one of the colleges does it for free. Its really a good idea to know what it was rather than live under the shadow of what it could be.

 

[RedTailRanch6]

***Update*** After a week of meds Navi was as good as new and obviously anxious to get outside. We spent a few more days with her inside most of the day and then "supervised" outdoor trips. She definitely became our favorite...you can't spend that much time with a girl and not fall in love. Haha.

Anyway, On Saturday, after 12 days on the mend, we decided to reintroduce her back out to the other girls. I divided the run in half and had her on one side of the coop with her own food and water. When I would go out to check, everything seemed great. At one point, she was even taking a dust bath right next to the partition with two of the other girls doing the same right on the other side. As the sun started to set, I removed the partition and hung out with them to watch how things were going. No issues whatsoever. I checked in that night as well and they were all tucked away on their branch in the hen house.

I checked first thing on Sunday morning and again, no issues. However, when I came back around 10:30 AM I noticed that Navi was cowering in a corner with her wing tangled up on a branch. No obvious signs of injury that I could find, but she was once again unable to fully walk or really stand.

I brought her back inside to her (freshly cleaned, watered, and stocked with food) cage. I checked on her every hour throughout the day and made sure she was drinking and eating. Just to note, she did even lay an egg. Unfortunately, it was when she was sitting over a hard dish with about a two inch drop and the egg cracked (yes, the shell was a LITTLE thin). I even checked on her last night around midnight, forced her to drink some water, and then did the same this morning before heading to work around 6AM. Despite the fact that I know she is getting food and water, she still isn't up and walking despite the fact that I still cant find any injuries.

So, here are the questions:
• Any thoughts on getting her back in shape? Is she likely just stressed and needs some time to relax? As a refresher, she had a slight yeast infection but was mostly just dehydrated and short on nutrients. I saw her eating and drinking on Saturday, so I can't imagine she is significantly dehydrated/nutrient deficient again. She also got 12 days of meds, so I imagine the yeast infection is cleared up.
• Any hope of reintroducing her? Or do I now have a house chicken or a reason to buy a chicken tractor?

 

[Beeblossom]

I have a hen about 5 yo who seems healthy, eating and drinking, sunning herself but is woozy and not stable. I don't think it would be Mareks at this stage. Giving her some herbs, rubbing her legs with herb oils. She was doing a bit better but today is falling over which she hadn't really done before. This has been going on for about a week. Any thoughts? It's hard to have a sick chicken.

 

[mg15]

Well after a week of our hen being unable to use her legs, she died over night!

I was honestly surprised to see her not breathing this morning, as she was still so perky last night!

I do feel she would never have regained the use if her legs, so it is probably for the best.

We have yet to figure out what got her that way, and even our Delaware(she was a Buckeye) who died within two days-nothing conclusive!

I wish we knew...we are still watching the remainder of our flock and hoping for the best!

Awwwwwe,,,,,sorry, was really hoping here.