vitamin deficiency, cocci, marek's, or what?

[dancingflame]

i'm having some trouble figuring out what is wrong with one of my chicks. when i first realized something was wrong, i noticed that she was laying on her side whenever i went out to feed her. she seemed pretty weak and didn't want to move at all. i assumed this was some sort of sprain with her leg because she was leaning on it and didn't stand up. whenever i went out to feed her this morning, she seemed more energetic and had moved, but was now walking around on her hackles instead of her feet. she tries to flap her wings to get away when held, she moves her legs when picked up, she uses her wings to try to stabilize herself as she sort of scoots around... i'm at a total loss. she still eats, so i'm not really certain what's going on.

here's a video. i also attached a picture.

she's not even 4 months yet, so i highly doubt it's an egg issue. and it's important to note that another chick hatched from the same batch is currently experiencing some vitamin issues and has wry neck.

if anyone can give any advice or help, it would be greatly appreciated. thank you for taking time to read this.

update: i've put her on some poultry booster (rooster booster) vitamins. she did poop, which appeared normal and non-bloody, but it was quite solid and she had to be assisted. she's eating and drinking well (i'm also giving pedialyte for just in case) and has filled her crop pretty well. she's lively, her eyes aren't clouded, and i can't feel any sort of raised or rough skin on her around her feathers. i'm hoping for improvement, but it's hard to say at this point.

 

[azygous]

I hate to have to mention this, but it appears to be symptoms of an avian virus. either Marek's or leucosis. In both these viruses, the sciatic nerve often is affected first, resulting in lameness then paralysis. It hits at right around three to five months.

There is a chance it's related to a vitamin deficiency, so by all means try treating that. Use a strong B complex such as B-100 or B-50. One table per day in the beak. Also, use vitamin E in case the cause is neurological and include a sliver of selenium. Again, just pop the pill directly into the beak.

I had three five-month old pullets with these symptoms, and all progressed to full paralysis and had to be euthanized. This is my thread in case you wish to compare. https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...update-now-another-pullet-going-lame.1432738/

 

[dancingflame]

I hate to have to mention this, but it appears to be symptoms of an avian virus. either Marek's or leucosis. In both these viruses, the sciatic nerve often is affected first, resulting in lameness then paralysis. It hits at right around three to five months.

There is a chance it's related to a vitamin deficiency, so by all means try treating that. Use a strong B complex such as B-100 or B-50. One table per day in the beak. Also, use vitamin E in case the cause is neurological and include a sliver of selenium. Again, just pop the pill directly into the beak.

I had three five-month old pullets with these symptoms, and all progressed to full paralysis and had to be euthanized. This is my thread in case you wish to compare. https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...update-now-another-pullet-going-lame.1432738/

i'm so sorry to hear. how long did it take from the first noticed symptom did it take for them to become completely paralyzed?

 

[coach723]

I would definitely do the B complex supplement, a riboflavin deficiency can cause hock sitting. Many of the B's when deficient can cause neuromuscular symptoms. It will not hurt to try. If she doesn't improve, or just keeps getting progressively worse, then a virus would have to be considered. There are several that can cause symptoms like this. I've had them recover with vitamins, and had them not recover, depends on the cause. If she doesn't make it then a necropsy is your best way to find out for sure.

 

[azygous]

My three pullets lasted around five months as I tried one treatment after another. You would have to read the thread to see how much each one varied in their symptoms and rate of progression. But all ended up paralyzed to the extent they could no longer function at all. A necrosy confirmed leucosis was the cause.

 

[dancingflame]

here's a small update. she seems to have gotten more stable instead of falling back so often, and she definitely still has movement in her legs. i'm hoping this is a good sign. i did notice her toes seem to be curling a bit. :c

 

[Iluveggers]

I had a similar experience with one of my pullets at about the 9 week mark. I brought her in my mud room and she could not move enough to get out of a small 1ft high enclosure i rigged to keep her in. I hand fed her wet mash, treated with corid just in case, and also fed her lots of egg yolk. Still to this day don’t know what was wrong, but she went from sleeping the entire day on her stomach to hopping out of thr enclosure 48 hours later. The second day I was trying to figure out how I was going to put her down…so work with your hen and hopefully she will pull through. If you do treat with corid, you cannot give vitamins with it for it to work. If the vitamins show no improvement in 1-2 days, maybe try corid just in case. My chicken is 100% better, she’s slightly smaller than the others of her breed and actually laid an egg at 5 months which I think is a miracle. I tend to wonder if she was low in pecking order and wasn’t eating enough, and moving her out and hand feeding/drinking her for 2 days made the difference although she could have had coccidosis. Try what you can, and don’t give up hope!