Very Sick Chicken Please help

[Weeg]

Thank you cooing dove and everyone,@Eggcessive @KranK @Weeg She is hanging in there. We have her resting comfortably, she has been taking water as offered in the cap of a water bottle. I gave her a shot of antibiotic about 4 hours ago, after talking with a vet friend, shortly afterward she layed an EGG!!! She still is not able to stand but she is holding her own.

This is a good report! Glad she is hanging in there!

 

[KranK]

Hope she'll be alright. How's she?

 

[Eggcessive]

So glad to hear that your hen is hanging in there. Is she able to eat and drink, and pass droppings? Botulism from eating dead animal or plant remains, mold poisoning, toxins, or Mareks disease are common causes of paralysis and neurological signs. Nursing care, feeding, and the TLC that you are giving, can help her survive. If she is not eating and drinking tube feeding is something that is easy to learn. Please keep us up to date on how she is doing.

 

[want2know]

So glad to hear that your hen is hanging in there. Is she able to eat and drink, and pass droppings? Botulism from eating dead animal or plant remains, mold poisoning, toxins, or Mareks disease are common causes of paralysis and neurological signs. Nursing care, feeding, and the TLC that you are giving, can help her survive. If she is not eating and drinking tube feeding is something that is easy to learn. Please keep us up to date on how she is doing.

Good Morning Eggcessive, @KranK she is doing better. We are giving her water and food. Last night, the water she was able to drink a little bit at a time from a water bottle cap. Last night I fed her canned tuna and chicken cat food from a teaspoon and she gobbled down about a teaspoon full. She holds her head up well and has control over her eyelids and her breathing has greatly improved, it is no longer labored nor panting. She has not however, regained full control over her wings, feet and legs. Her left leg toes are extending but the right leg toes are still curled. This morning she ate several teaspoons of catfood and a lot of water and has moved up to a coffee lid. I am struggling as to whether to continue administering tetracycline or just switch to an Epsom salt flush today. I read antibiotics are good treatment, and have read not so good. Our Vet friend and the "chicken lady" at Tractor Supply told us antibiotics but then I read that the antibiotics can cause the toxins to accelerate.

 

[KranK]

Good Morning Eggcessive, @KranK she is doing better. We are giving her water and food. Last night, the water she was able to drink a little bit at a time from a water bottle cap. Last night I fed her canned tuna and chicken cat food from a teaspoon and she gobbled down about a teaspoon full. She holds her head up well and has control over her eyelids and her breathing has greatly improved, it is no longer labored nor panting. She has not however, regained full control over her wings, feet and legs. Her left leg toes are extending but the right leg toes are still curled. This morning she ate several teaspoons of catfood and a lot of water and has moved up to a coffee lid. I am struggling as to whether to continue administering tetracycline or just switch to an Epsom salt flush today. I read antibiotics are good treatment, and have read not so good. Our Vet friend and the "chicken lady" at Tractor Supply told us antibiotics but then I read that the antibiotics can cause the toxins to accelerate.

Thats good to hear. But can she move her legs? I can't help you with antibiotics but for sure someone else can. Wish your hen luck

 

[Eggcessive]

It might be late for an Epsom salts flush since this could have happened two days ago. That can also cause diarrhea and more dehydration, so use you own judgement whether or not to give a flush. I would keep giving the antibiotic since you started it, for a full 7 days.

The books say that if a chicken survives botulism for more than 24 hours after symptoms start, they may recover. If it is something else, then it may vary. Some chickens with Mareks may get better, but most get worse.
At any point, if you should suddenly lose her, hopefully not, I would contact your state poultry lab for a necropsy and testing for Mareks. At that point, you would need to keep the body cold, but not frozen in 2 garbage bags, until you can take her in or ship her body overnight.

 

[Chief43]

Help !! We had 12 chickens ...lost three about 4-5 weeks apart...no blood.. no trauma They all eat the same food...two of them were the same breed...getting concerned seems like a pattern..Any ideas thanks

 

[Eggcessive]

Help !! We had 12 chickens ...lost three about 4-5 weeks apart...no blood.. no trauma They all eat the same food...two of them were the same breed...getting concerned seems like a pattern..Any ideas thanks

It would be best to start a new thread of your own here:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/forums/emergencies-diseases-injuries-and-cures.10/

 

[want2know]

Thats good to hear. But can she move her legs? I can't help you with antibiotics but for sure someone else can. Wish your hen luck

@Eggcessive
Well it has been nine days since I last reported, but it is all good news. Sesame seems to have completely recovered.
Here's the story - Our flock comes up by our deck and porch when we let them out to forage, and Sesame seemed to do better when she could hear and see her flock. The first day before she could walk we put her out on the porch, she sat there and the hens would periodically come up and visit with her. So the next day, I carried her down the porch stairs and put he in the grass by the little water pool to spend time with the flock while they foraged. She ate better and drank more with out coaxing and it appeared that she pushed herself to walk and get better. Each day she got better at walking and standing for longer and longer periods. On the 18th we put her in the coop at night with her flock and she did fine. The first few days, I did notice that she walked almost normal early in the day, and by later in the afternoon she began to limp and rest more. And the whole flock rested along side her. She is their leader for sure. But now I am not noticing any limp.
For anyone reading this, I really believe that reintroducing her to the flock as soon as possible is what helped. And I believe it has helped the flock as well. Remember, the day before she fell ill, one of their flock dropped dead.
Having had a sick convalescent chicken and rooster before, isolation seems to lead to depression very quickly, they don't seem to want to eat or drink much like when they go broody, and they don't seem to recover as quickly.
I have 5 surviving hens and today is the first day since this began that I got two eggs. For the first few days no one laid, then I was getting one a day. I know that the other younger Australorp began molting a few days after Sesame rejoined the flock. Teriyaki, the other Australorp who has been with her since they were chicks hasn't laid and her behavior seems a bit off.
All these reactions seem reasonable and normal, are they? Anyone?

 

[Eggcessive]

So glad that she is with her flock and doing fairly well. Thanks for the update.