Whats Wrong With MY Chicken?

[mongy]

My chicken has been going down hill in the last couple of months.

Her comb is very pale, she has trouble walking on one leg, her feet are curled up, and she has trouble feeding as she tips forward.

I was wondering as its been so wet, could this be something to do with mould spores?

What can can I give her? as she is going downhill rapidly.

 

[TwoCrows]

Many issues can cause pale comb and general "going down hill". Has she been wormed in the past year? Is she really thin? Diarrhea as well? All of these plus the pale comb can mean worms or even external parasites. Worms will slowly drain the life right out of the bird and kill them eventually.

Give her an over all exam for lice, mites, check especially around the vent area for red, irritated skin and bug eggs. How is the crop in the mornings? Is she eating enough and does she go to bed with a full crop?

 

[mongy]

Yes has been wormed. Vent is dirty. No crop not full, Quite thin, its her leg that concerns me. I have to put her in bed as she can't climb the ladder.

 

[mongy]

Yes has been wormed. Vent is dirty. No crop not full, Quite thin, its her leg that concerns me. I have to put her in bed as she can't climb the ladder.

Is there anything I can give her to try and perk her up?

 

[TwoCrows]

Have you felt the foot, leg and hock? Are they hot, warm, swollen? Does she limp when forced to walk or not walking at all? Which leg is it?

 

[realsis]

Sometimes a vitamin defiency can cause this. Also Mareks disease can cause these symptoms. Can you post a picture of your bird? Mareks disease can be as subtle as a limp or as vigorous as full paralysis. Was she vaccinated for Mareks? Mareks disease is everywhere and it's a very highly contagious air borne disease. It is like a chicken cancer. What happens is the Mareks causes tumors and those tumors press on the nerves causing limping curled toes and paralysis. The only way to be certain it's Mareks is through testing. If she does have Mareks it does not mean your other birds will have symptoms like she does. However it does mean the other birds are carriers and can infect others.mareks can stay on land for years. It's recommend that any new poultry brought on to the land be vaccinated and given 14 days or longer to develop the antibodies immunity BEFORE exposure. Exposure would be to the outside or adult birds if this time isn't given the vaccinated bird can still catch the disease because antibodies were not given time to form
Sadly vaccine is not 100% effective but vaccine and breeding for resistance is all we have as of now. I'm not saying your bird definitely has this but considering her symptoms Mareks could be a real possibility. Do try giving the vitamins to rule out a vitamin defiency. I hope this was helpful and I wish you the best.

 

[casportpony]

Is there anything I can give her to try and perk her up?

You can tube feed her, it won't cure her, but she won't starve to death.

What did you worm her with? If it was something like Wazine, that only gets roundworms and Safeguard used just once doesn't get capillary worms.

-Kathy

 

[Eggcessive]

I would think with the curled toes and leg weakness it is a neurolgical disease. Vitamin B deficiency can cause curled under toes, but with her balance issues I would guess Mareks. As for molds or aspergillosis, they usually have gasping and respiratory distress, and neurological problems come later. I would put her on some poultry vitamins daily, and make sure that she can reach her food and water.

 

[casportpony]

Sounds like Marek's to me, but maybe that's because I've seen it far too often. Whatever it is, no harm in providing supportive care, worming, vitamins, etc.

-Kathy

 

[BantamLover21]

Sounds like Marek's to me, but maybe that's because I've seen it far too often. Whatever it is, no harm in providing supportive care, worming, vitamins, etc.

-Kathy

Agreed.