- Nov 30, 2011
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Case History:
Molly is a 4 1/2 year old production Leghorn (leghorn/rhode island red hybrid) who has lived with us since she was a week old. Sunday morning (the morning following the first really cold night) my husband went to the shed to gather eggs and found Molly sitting in a nest box. He reached under her to look for eggs and she flopped over on her side. Closer examination revealed right-sided wing droop and extreme weakness in the right leg, as well as a total loss of the "grab reflex" and all strength from the right foot. She can flap the right wing, but it is notably weaker than the left.
My husband and I are both EMT's and our first thought was CVA (stroke).
In addition, she makes a gurgling sound in her chest, mot noticeably when she eats. Her comb is pale and dry with a few white spots on it.
Otherwise, the hen appears healthy and alert. She eats a little, drinks water, and occasionally attempts to stand. She poops normally.
Interventions taken:
We first hoped Molly might be having an issue related to the cool weather, given the timing. We brought her into the house and placed her in a laundry basket lined with a blanket, fed and watered her, and examined her carefully. We put her in the bathroom where we can monitor her and set up a heater. We keep the lights out much of the day to encourage her to rest.
She has slightly improved from lying in a tipped-over position with legs sticking out to sitting in a balanced position, as if she is sitting in a nest box. She has also managed to turn around at least once, that we saw.
Later today I plan to start taking her out of her basket periodically and encouraging her to stand and to flap her wings.
Lifestyle/Other considerations:
We have a small flock of about 3 dozen chickens, 2 Muscovy and a guinea hen, all of which were raised here or have lived here 2 years or more. All birds are free-range, coming into their shed every night. All birds eat the same food. We did buy a different brand of feed about a week ago, and switched from all-flock to layer feed at that time. We have used this brand of feed before. None of the other birds seem to be affected.
Molly has always been a bright and personable hen, and she has always been healthy. Her only other health issue was a nasty case of bumblefoot about 15 months ago.
Does anyone have any ideas or advice?
UPDATE: after reading pages of BYC posts about similar symptoms, I took her some banana yogurt. She ate quite a bit of it and attempted to stand up. She made a good try, but the right leg is useless. It does seem that the warmth and rest are doing her some good. However, I am still taking her to the vet tonight.
Molly is a 4 1/2 year old production Leghorn (leghorn/rhode island red hybrid) who has lived with us since she was a week old. Sunday morning (the morning following the first really cold night) my husband went to the shed to gather eggs and found Molly sitting in a nest box. He reached under her to look for eggs and she flopped over on her side. Closer examination revealed right-sided wing droop and extreme weakness in the right leg, as well as a total loss of the "grab reflex" and all strength from the right foot. She can flap the right wing, but it is notably weaker than the left.
My husband and I are both EMT's and our first thought was CVA (stroke).
In addition, she makes a gurgling sound in her chest, mot noticeably when she eats. Her comb is pale and dry with a few white spots on it.
Otherwise, the hen appears healthy and alert. She eats a little, drinks water, and occasionally attempts to stand. She poops normally.
Interventions taken:
We first hoped Molly might be having an issue related to the cool weather, given the timing. We brought her into the house and placed her in a laundry basket lined with a blanket, fed and watered her, and examined her carefully. We put her in the bathroom where we can monitor her and set up a heater. We keep the lights out much of the day to encourage her to rest.
She has slightly improved from lying in a tipped-over position with legs sticking out to sitting in a balanced position, as if she is sitting in a nest box. She has also managed to turn around at least once, that we saw.
Later today I plan to start taking her out of her basket periodically and encouraging her to stand and to flap her wings.
Lifestyle/Other considerations:
We have a small flock of about 3 dozen chickens, 2 Muscovy and a guinea hen, all of which were raised here or have lived here 2 years or more. All birds are free-range, coming into their shed every night. All birds eat the same food. We did buy a different brand of feed about a week ago, and switched from all-flock to layer feed at that time. We have used this brand of feed before. None of the other birds seem to be affected.
Molly has always been a bright and personable hen, and she has always been healthy. Her only other health issue was a nasty case of bumblefoot about 15 months ago.
Does anyone have any ideas or advice?
UPDATE: after reading pages of BYC posts about similar symptoms, I took her some banana yogurt. She ate quite a bit of it and attempted to stand up. She made a good try, but the right leg is useless. It does seem that the warmth and rest are doing her some good. However, I am still taking her to the vet tonight.
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