What is wrong with my floppy pullet?

[megsolley]

I have a 2.5 month old easter egger that I raised from a chick. (Actually one of my older chickens adopted and raised her.) Five days ago, when I opened the coop in the morning she wasn't there--I found her lying on the ground outside, where she had apparently been all night. (Raccoons are lazy in the summer?) At first I thought she must be severely injured, however aside from being slightly bloody on the inside of one wing, she actually seemed fine, nothin obviously broken. But she couldn't stand up without falling over. Still, when I brought her to food and water she drank and ate with great enthusiasm.

For the last five days I've had her in a cardboard box with food and water. She is alert, eats and drinks, and moves around, but her movements are very floppy (almost drunken) and she often has her limbs splayed out in strange ways. Has anyone had experience with this? What is the likelihood that she will every get better? How long should I "wait and see"? I would hate to kill her--my kids will be beyond sad, and so will I. But I'm worried that that's where this is heading.

 

[Allears]

Hello and welcome to BYC.

Sorry to hear about your chicken. From what you describe, she may have some neurological damage. It would explain the unco-ordinated movements and lack of balance... It could also be that there is swelling on the brain, which could subside on its own, in time. I'm guessing at what could be causing her symptoms, but I've seen that kind of behaviour often with the raptors that have been hit by cars. We treat with anti-inflammatory meds like cortisone. Some recover, others don't.

 

[megsolley]

Thank you for answering. My chicken definitely didn't get hit by a car, but she could have flown herself into a tree?

Of the birds that you've seen with neurological damage that recovered--how long did it take? And the ones that didn't recover--did they get worse and die on their own? Or did you eventually have to take matters into your own hands?

Thanks again,

Meg

 

[ryanhodapp]

How did she get bloody?

If it ISNT neurological, there is hope. I have had 2 Polish pullets get coccidia. They have been flat on their stomachs for 3 weeks. Finally they have started to move on their own by pushing off on a leg and flapping wings. I see improvement every day this week and it is week 4.

I have been tube feeding them for 4 weeks as they couldn't get to food much less strong enough to eat enough on their own.

Keep us posted

 

[megsolley]

I don't know how her wing got bloody, but it was just a little bit on the inside of the wing. I washed it out a few times and seems fine now. I guess either she had some kind of accident that resulted in the blood AND the lack of coordination, like maybe she hit her head or sprained her back?, or else she had some kind of brain aneurysm thing which caused the floppiness, and then she injured her wing while thrashing around trying to get back to the coop.

Thank you for the kind thoughts! She's still quite perky and eating/drinking healthily, so I guess I'll just see what happens for the next while.

 

[Allears]

Hi there, sorry wasn't suggesting she was hit by a car, but the symptoms sound similar to the kind of injuries you can get from head trauma. Each patient is different, some recover within a few days, others over a period of weeks. As long as they are eating by themselves by the end of the first week, we keep treating them. If after a month, there is no sure sign of improvement, we euthanase. Confining a wild bird puts them under tremendous stress, which suppresses their immune system and doesn't help to promote the healing process.

Hope you can give us some good news soon