Weak and unable to hold self up

[Stacey Rushmeyer]

my daughter has 14 chickens and her favorite (of course) is unable to hold itself up or walk. It's squats like an owl and slowly falls to the ground and is laying flat. No apparent injuries seem present. At first we thought leg but both look and feel the same. She is about 14-15 weeks old and has been fine up until today.
She put up no fuss at all when picked up. We separated her and have her under a lamp with good and water.

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

Could be something like Mareks. How is she holding her legs? Otherwise something like botulism will cause paralysis.

 

[Stacey Rushmeyer]

Could be something like Mareks. How is she holding her legs? Otherwise something like botulism will cause paralysis.

She is sitting forward like laying down but tipped forward. She will sit up when we sit her but slowly lays flat and tips forward quite a bit.

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

@Eggcessive , @Wyorp Rock

 

[Stacey Rushmeyer]

Could be something like Mareks. How is she holding her legs? Otherwise something like botulism will cause paralysis.

my daughter has 14 chickens and her favorite (of course) is unable to hold itself up or walk. It's squats like an owl and slowly falls to the ground and is laying flat. No apparent injuries seem present. At first we thought leg but both look and feel the same. She is about 14-15 weeks old and has been fine up until today.
She put up no fuss at all when picked up. We separated her and have her under a lamp with good and water.

She is sitting forward like laying down but tipped forward. She will sit up when we sit her but slowly lays flat and tips forward quite a bit.

 

[Stacey Rushmeyer]

She does seem to act like boutolism... we have had a lot of rain in the last month and we live in a wetland area. Could she have gotten into a puddle or wet area?? Maybe... she is acting very ill and almost panting. She does have a heat lamp in her but it's about 4 feet high and she has access to a small water dish and food. She doesn't seem to have eaten or drank anything. She is very lethargic and her prognosis looks bleak. I will check her again in an hour and see.

 

[Eggcessive]

I would get some poultry vitamins with minerals, such as Poultry Booster, and put some in the feed daily with a few drops of vegetable oil to get it to cling to the feed after stirring it well. A vitamin or mineral deficiency is a possibility, or an injury, but Mareks can show up at this age. Make sure that she is able to get to food and water, and if needed, place her near some in a crate or pen. Note if her legs seem numb or her toes are curled. There is a good article called, "The great big giant Mareks faq, " if you Google it to read. Hopefully it is not that, but it is just one of many possibilities.

 

[Eggcessive]

You need to hold water up to her beak, in a small cup or bowl. Add water to her feed to get it really wet, and offer her that with some egg. Botulism is pretty rare in chickens, more common in ducks, but comes from eating botulinum toxin found in dead animals, fish, or rotted vegetation that has been without air, such as underground or under water. Botulism causes paralysis in legs, quickly progressing to wings, and then the neck and eyelids before breathing stops. This occurs in less than a day. Mareks can progress quickly or slower, and may cause paralysis in one or more legs, wings, or the neck. There can be many different symptoms, and no birds present the same way. Hopefully, it is not either of those.