Update: "Paralyzed" hen CAN WALK - She laid an egg!

[CrazyerThanAverage]

Quote:
I have looked. Hoping to avoid it. We'll see how the reintroduction of food goes.

I can get the needed supplies if I have to do it...just really hope I don't. But trying it seems kinder than letting her starve to death, and certainly might have a better outcome than immediately culling her.

 

[Chicken Chat]

Been away on a construction project for a few days, so I am thrilled that she seems to be doing a little better. Perhaps some of the grit that she ate will start helping the crop impaction. Fingers are crossed.

Mine is still not standing or walking but her appetite is getting better, she doesn't feel as skinny as she was last week. She's moving across the floor a lot now using her wings which she didn't have the strength for last week, so I think some improvement.

I'm sending some good chicken vibes your way

 

[CrazyerThanAverage]

When I opened Nit's kennel this morning...she STOOD UP!!!!

When I poured some water in her chick starter mash and started to stir it up, she WALKED over and started to eat it!!!

And her crop is still not hard or full!

I don't know if it was the oil, the massages, the vitamins, the grit, the apple cider vinegar (ACV), the chick starter, time, or what...but something(s) seem to have worked! Yeah!! She is still a little shaky, and still sits a lot, but she CAN walk.

(Sorry about the

overload, I'm just a little excited!)

Yesterday she was a little stronger, had a not hard crop, and was eating moist chick starter mash. I gave her vitamins (Poly-Vi-Sol) and ACV water. This morning, after she polished off the chick starter mash, I crushed up some layer pellets (I don't have any crumble) and offered those. She was full, but I'm hoping she will be able to handle them.

I'll keep up the vitamins for a few more days and keep the ACV in everyone’s water for a whole week. If she handles the crushed pellets ok, I'll start crushing them less, and when she is back on uncrushed I'll reintroduce scratch and other treats. Probably keep her kenneled until she lets me know she is A-OK. (i.e. lays an egg)

Having done a little (more) reading/research I suspect the crop problem came from eating straw. I've had her about a month now and once I thought about it, I realized she didn't have any in her old home. My entire 20' x 40' coop floor is covered with it. The fibrous mass in her crop felt a lot like a chewed up wad of straw. (don't ask how I know what that feels like.

) The kennel started out without any straw in it, but my other ladies have been providing it each day as they scratch around the outside. Since she doesn't appear to have been eating their offerings, maybe she learned her lesson. I'll have to keep a very close eye on her since there really aren't any other good bedding options around here. (and I have to cover the concrete floor with something!)

What I don't understand is why she couldn't walk/move her legs. Nothing that I have read anywhere connects crop problems with leg issues. If anyone has any thoughts, I'd be very interested in hearing them. I suspect the soft shell egg was from the crop problem not allowing her to digest/absorb calcium.

Thanks again everyone!! BYCer's are the best!

Chicken Chat - I'm glad to hear yours is doing a little better. I'm familiar with the wing walking. Maybe she is on the slow track to recovery vs Nit's fast track. (But as long as she is on the same track...) I'll keep my

for you and send those good chicken vibes right back at-cha!

 

[Chicken Chat]

Go Nit!

I'm so happy to hear she is eating and walking. It doesn't sound like it will be long now until she is back with the pack. Can't say what the deal was why she couldn't walk with a crop impaction. I have a feeling you are correct, must not have been getting enough nutrition and calcium into her system from the impaction. Hopefully she leaves the straw alone from now on.


How's she doing today? Hopefully a little stronger.


It was so nice out today, an unusual 73 degrees for this early in the season, I put mine outside for a little while this afternoon, close to the the others so she could be in the grass and hear and see the flock. Maybe it will make her want to stand up. She went crazy pecking on the grass. It's suppose to be nice again tomorrow and I have the day off, so I think I will put her outside again to get some fresh air and sunshine. I've got to clean the coops out anyway. I can't figure out why mine can't stand or walk. The injury to her leg has healed 100% several days ago but she still won't try and get up.

 

[CrazyerThanAverage]

Nit is doing GREAT! She hasn't laid an egg yet, but if you didn't know any better you wouldn't be able to tell anything had happened. She was so active in her kennel yesterday, I couldn't keep her from flipping her waters over constantly. (I had given her two so if she flipped one she would still have the other while waiting for me to come out and refill the first...She just concidered it double the targets.) So instead of risking her getting dehydrated, I let her out of the kennel. She was already eating almost full sized pellets and having no problems with them. She didn't sleep on her usual (high) roost, but Sam (my rooster) apprecitated the company on his (low) roost. Today everyone was hunkered down a bit due to the wind, but she seemed to be doing everything the others were. Her crop felt good, and she had plenty of energy to run from me!

Chicken Chat, I hope you and your hen got lots of sun and fresh air today. They always do a body (and soul) good! Hopefully, the green grass and taste of spring will motivate her to get a move on and get walking. Wish I had some insight to offer. Hang in there.

 

[Miss Lydia]

So happy to hear Nit is back with her family..

 

[Chicken Chat]

That's great she is with the others and so soon! Probably the best medicine.

 

[CrazyerThanAverage]

Nit must have been feeling better yesterday, she let Sam get frisky with her while I was cleaning the coop. Hope that means she's planning on laying an egg soon! She had moved up one roost last night and was sleeping with Rosie. (Who seems to have a sour crop. She barfed a clear-ish liquid - all over Sam, poor guy - when I patted her and woke her up. Guess she's my next project.) Nit was definatley feeling fine this AM getting in the mix and fighting for her share of the treats!

Chicken Chat - Hope your's is continuing to progress. I'm still sending happy chicken vibes your way.

 

[Chicken Chat]

That does sound like an egg is on the way. The roosters always seem to know. Sorry to hear you might be having issues with another one, but at least you know what to do now.

Squirt still isn't standing. I put her outside this morning while I was getting ready for work since the weather is suppose to turn off cold again starting tonight and it might be awhile before she can go back out. She was happily munching some grass. It will be 4 weeks this coming Saturday that she stopped using her legs.

 

[Three Cedars Silkies]

It sounds like she was suffering from botulism. It causes limb paralysis and birds can recover from it. I've had one pullet that I'm certain had it. I gave her epsom salts water to give her a bit of diarrhea and flush it out of her system. However, this pullets issues were not accompanied by a hard crop.

After a day of epsom salts water, I started her on lincomycin in her water for 5 days. By day 10 she was up and around and back out with her friends.