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

[CrazyerThanAverage]

Nit is doing better!

When I went to pat her, she shuffled/hopped away. (Which makes me

that she can now move some, but

that she doesn't want anything to do with me.) She can keep her legs under her now and sort of walk/shuffle on her hocks. The toes on the left foot are in a fairly normal position, but the right foot is balled up. Her crop is about half as large as it was last night & this AM and is not as rock hard as it was. I have not given her anything to eat since I gave her the olive oil this AM. Her face & comb are still very red. Any thoughts or opinions on what might be going on or how I should be treating her would be greatly appreciated. I'm definately making it up as I go.

 

[TajMahalChickens]

Good to hear!! I don't know much about hard crop or anything that is going on, but I really hope the best for Nite. Hopefully this will turn into a success story!

Best wishes

 

[IroquoisEgg]

Try giving her Poly-Vi-Sol Without Iron, ya know those infant vitamins, they're liquid. You will have to use a medicine dropper and put it along her beak or just on the tip of her nose and let it slowly drip into her mouth, doing that causes them to automatically open their mouth and consume the vitamins. My rooster had a similar situation, he started off by being off balance and doing face plants everytime he tried to walk and then he just wouldn't walk. This started 4 weeks ago tomorrow. Tonight he made it back to his roost for the 1st time in a month and is walking/running, although stiff legged. Still not scratching for bugs and what not and still having green poop, like he's not eating enough. But so much better. Give the vitamins once a day.

 

[CrazyerThanAverage]

Quote:
I'll go see if I still have any Poly-Vi-Sol from the kids or I'll have to make store run. Thanks for the suggestion! Vitamins certainly can't hurt, and if she is having digestion problems, probably will help. I'm happy to hear you rooster is doing better! Hopefully he will make a full recovery.

Nit was "walking" around her cage this morning on her hocks looking for food. (Yeah!) Her crop is about the same size as last night and medium hard. She definitely objects to me trying to massage it. The face & comb are still quite red and it looks like she has had several small, normal looking poops. I'll try and get some vegetable oil down her this AM and see if that will help lubricat things and empty out the crop. (Maybe she'll like the taste better than olive oil!) It's my understanding that it shouldn't take this long for a crop to empty, so this may be the root of her problems. Some one please let me know if I am wrong. Is there anything else I should be doing? I am providing lots of water, but no food at the moment. (~24 hrs no food)

 

[Miss Lydia]

have you been offering her grit along with all she's been eating since in chicken hospital? heres a link to crop problems, do you offer ACV in your flocks drinking water?

http://sites.google.com/site/moodysbantams/poultry-health-1/crop-impaction

if you haven't give her food in 24 hrs and her crop is full and hard. she has a crop problem for sure, there are alot of good info on BYC about crop issues, go to google custom chrome and type in crop impactation or sour crop..

 

[IroquoisEgg]

I have a polish with crop problems, I picked her up and held her at a downward angle with her head facing the ground and massaged a bit, could hear liquidy sounds and feel hard mass, pushed up starting st her breastbone and nasty fluid came out of her mouth. Did it several times until nothing else would come out. I went to Ace Hardware and got a very small plastic tube about 8 inches long. Put it on the end of a bakers syringe, you can find it in the grocery store with the spatulas and can openers and such. Filled it with mineral oil. Hold the chicken in a towel so it's easier to keep her calm and in place. Wrap your arm around her and open her beak with our hand. Stick the tube down her throat about 6 inches or so, you have to go that far to get to her crop, if not it could get into other holes that will cause her to aspirate, push the syringe to expel the oil into the crop, a couple tablespoons. Pull out tube. Hold onto to hen and massage more. Take a break and repeat in a few hours.

I have done this with 2 hens so far and no ill effects, it makes them feel better, but I am still dealing with the impaction mass. But, the impaction has not had the same effects on mine as yours. They are still up and around scratching etc,..but maybe yours has been like this longer than you knew and therefore hasn't been getting nourishment. That's why the vitamins are so important. You may be dealing with a compounded problem. I would try get her strength back with the vitamins for 2 days before attempting above suggestion, if she doesn't show improvement from vitamins, then do the massage and oil because the final option is probably if she's not getting any nutrition, she will slowly starve to death.

 

[tammye]

try a vitamin treatment, vitamin B12 everyother day for two weeks, vitamin E like every third day for two weeks , sometimes can help sudden leg paralysis in an older hen, it worked for my girk, i gave her warm baths too, she loved them. but it took two weeks before she could walk, she has been fine now for over a year.

 

[CrazyerThanAverage]

Thanks everybody for the great advise. (And I love hearing stories about other folks chickens that have recovered!) I will have to make a run to the store to get some vitamins, but will get them started tomorrow. I gave her some grit (and oyster/egg shell mix), neither of which interested her. I gave her more olive oil this AM and massaged her crop, but it doesn't seem to have made much difference in the size. She does seem to be getting stronger. (Yeah!) I think I will try and hit the feed store while I am out tomorrow and get some chick starter (I think I will need it in 14 days!

) to give her tomorrow, just to give her something VERY easy to digest. She looks so sad in the kennel when the others are getting treats and she hasn't had anything for 36 hours.

 

[Miss Lydia]

Have you looked up crop surgery? just might be your only option if nothing else works. I think I'd be trying to give her some watered down yogurt instead of nothing for 36 hrs. that seems like a long time without nourishment.. but I am glad to hear she is getting stronger..

 

[CrazyerThanAverage]

Today was a good day. Nit is continuing to get stronger. She is now "sitting-up" on her hocks and able to get them almost an inch off the ground as she tries to walk around the kennel. Her crop was a little smaller this AM (smaller than a pullet egg, but bigger than a banty egg), but still sort of moldy clay like (with a few lumps). She appears to have eaten some of the grit & oyster/egg shell mix. Around mid-day I gave her ~3ml of Poly-Vi-Sol and about 1/4 cup of chick starter mash. I also added ACV (Apple Cider Vinegar-Unfiltered) to her (and everyone else’s) water. The ones who have tried it seem to like it. By evening she had eaten about half of the mash and seems more active. I am beginning to believe she might actually recover from this!

On behalf of myself, Nit, and my entire flock, to everyone who has offered their advice, insights, and experiences, MANY THANKS!!! We wouldn't be where we are without you!