walking wierd and keeps losing her balance??

[tatiana916]

Hi my 9 month old Sumatra is walking really strangely. She's walking kind of straight legged and almost waddles like a duck. She keeps losing her balance and falling over. She didnt sleep on her perch last night and it looks like she's having difficulty hopping up onto things.

Anyone experienced this? Its been getting worse over the last few days.

 

[1dude]

One of my hens is doing something similar, I posted it here too. she limps around, but I guess you could say straight legged but seems at least in the begging like one leg and one wing. She falls over on her back now and can't get up. she eats and seems alert. just really odd. I have seen her fall back wards trying to eat.

 

[marthacolleen]

It's almost certainly Mareck's, which is a viral disease, HIGHLY contagious, and carried in their "dander" - so any feathers they shed, etc... will carry the virus for months. There is a vaccination that can be given for it, it's a sub-cut injection that needs to be given at one day of age. I'm sorry you had this also, it's horrific to watch them succumb to it. There is no "cure" and they will all die different "deaths". For their sake, just hope it's quick. Breaks your heart. They are so confused as to why their little legs no longer work, they fall over... it's horrible.

 

[tatiana916]

This mirnibg she was worse and was walking with hwr tail so high it was like she was trying to srand on tippy toes. Is this the signs of Mareks disease? I really hope not this morning I isolated her from the other chickens but she got quite distressed so I put my favourite chicken in with her who's really calm and docile. Hope I haven't now given it to her unintentionally!