Vitamin deficiency? Curled toes, can’t stand hen

[NoCluckingWay6]

Hello. I came here to hopefully get guidance for my hen that is not doing very well. She is two year old Astro and she is recovering from a severe mite infestation (embarrassed I must say since my chickens are living in what I thought was a luxurious home) I took her to the vet and at the time the vet said she looks great, eyes clean, no nasal discharge, skinny from mites but otherwise good. She was lethargic but after a bath in Elector PSP she started feeling herself again. Eating great, running around, eating her grubs and on the right track to getting back to her normal self. Yesterday we came to find her inside the run (fan on in these hot conditions) laying on her side and unable to stand. We immediately separated her, put her in shaded, vented garage in our homemade brooder. She was given some probiotics, I went to TC grabbed some Rooster Booster and started her on that. She drinks well, eats scrambled eggs well, and is loving her watermelon and I soaked in the Rooster Booster water. Her poops are normal and today she has a slight and I mean slight improvement as far as eyes don’t look so sunken in and she is talking to me. Am I too late for any hope? She was fine the day before, or at least looked fine. Went for a little free range stroll. Did not get into anything. Any suggestions for this I truly appreciate. Thanks

 

[RoyalChick]

Curly toe paralysis can be a vitamin B deficiency. Just give her B supplements from the pharmacy for a few weeks. I found mixed into mash was easiest.
But your description doesn't mention curly toes (only the thread title) and it sounds like you think she is more generally poorly.
As you already have a vet involved could you ask them about it?

 

[NoCluckingWay6]

Curly toe paralysis can be a vitamin B deficiency. Just give her B supplements from the pharmacy for a few weeks. I found mixed into mash was easiest.
But your description doesn't mention curly toes (only the thread title) and it sounds like you think she is more generally poorly.
As you already have a vet involved could you ask them about it?

Yes, my apologies. Her toes are curled and one leg she can’t “tuck” under herself. Sticks straight out. My vet was not in the office today or yesterday. I have to try for an urgent Appointment tomorrow

 

[RoyalChick]

Yes, my apologies. Her toes are curled and one leg she can’t “tuck” under herself. Sticks straight out. My vet was not in the office today or yesterday. I have to try for an urgent Appointment tomorrow

Is she vaccinated against Marek’s? That is a possibility too from your description.

 

[NoCluckingWay6]

Is she vaccinated against Marek’s? That is a possibility too from your description.

I don’t believe so. She was the batch that I purchased two years ago from Tractor Supply. All my other chickens I ordered online with the vaccine. All the other hens she is with are doing well.

 

[Eggcessive]

Have you added any new birds to your flock recently who might have been a carrier of Mareks? Her posture can be common in Mareks, but other things may also look like Mareks. Mites can really sap the strength of a chicken, make them anemic, and even kill them. Do you have a rooster who might have hurt her? I would use super B complex 1/4 to 1/2 tablet daily for a couple of weeks crushed into some food or egg.

 

[Eggcessive]

Here are some links to read about Mareks:
https://vetmedbiosci.colostate.edu/vdl/colorado-avian-health-program/mareks-disease/

https://extension.psu.edu/mareks-disease-in-chickens

https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/the-great-big-giant-mareks-disease-faq.66077/

 

[NoCluckingWay6]

Have you added any new birds to your flock recently who might have been a carrier of Mareks? Her posture can be common in Mareks, but other things may also look like Mareks. Mites can really sap the strength of a chicken, make them anemic, and even kill them. Do you have a rooster who might have hurt her? I would use super B complex 1/4 to 1/2 tablet daily for a couple of weeks crushed into some food or egg.

Thank you for your response! I appreciate everyone taking the time to answer.
She had a bad mites infestation a month ago and is coming back from that. All my flocks, we have 3 coops, have been treated for mites using Elector PSP. She was coming back well from that because she was anemic (or appeared that way) and not really eating then. She went out to pasture just fine and she was bright and happy. We do have a rooster but they have not interacted freely and I’m not sure I will let him with my other hens besides the ones he was raised with. He was supposed to be a she and I never wanted a rooster but here I am a rooster owner now haha! I have her Rooster Booster yesterday evening when I found her laying on her side curled toes and sunken eyes and very lethargic. I also gave her the vitamin B complex (human one) via syringe this evening. She’s eating and drinking well. She did try and by try I mean more like a stretch upwards to stand. I did slowly flex her curled toes today and stretch her legs. She’s had watermelon, egg and nutritional yeast, grubs and her regular food which is corn and soy free organic feed. The feed we have does add in the vitamins to it but after reading more we believe with how hot it’s been and one of their food containers does get sunlight a couple hours a day we believe that it went down in the vitamins. They do have another feeder inside their coop out of the sunlight but I’m not sure which one she mainly eats from.

 

[RoyalChick]

Thank you for your response! I appreciate everyone taking the time to answer.
She had a bad mites infestation a month ago and is coming back from that. All my flocks, we have 3 coops, have been treated for mites using Elector PSP. She was coming back well from that because she was anemic (or appeared that way) and not really eating then. She went out to pasture just fine and she was bright and happy. We do have a rooster but they have not interacted freely and I’m not sure I will let him with my other hens besides the ones he was raised with. He was supposed to be a she and I never wanted a rooster but here I am a rooster owner now haha! I have her Rooster Booster yesterday evening when I found her laying on her side curled toes and sunken eyes and very lethargic. I also gave her the vitamin B complex (human one) via syringe this evening. She’s eating and drinking well. She did try and by try I mean more like a stretch upwards to stand. I did slowly flex her curled toes today and stretch her legs. She’s had watermelon, egg and nutritional yeast, grubs and her regular food which is corn and soy free organic feed. The feed we have does add in the vitamins to it but after reading more we believe with how hot it’s been and one of their food containers does get sunlight a couple hours a day we believe that it went down in the vitamins. They do have another feeder inside their coop out of the sunlight but I’m not sure which one she mainly eats from.

In my experience if it is a B vitamin deficiency you need to give quite a lot and for at least a couple of weeks.
No need to syringe - mine found it quite tasty. I sprinkled the contents of a human capsule onto their mash (it turns it yellow which they seem to like!).