What's wrong?

[Janine26]

I have a RIR hen that is approximately 20 weeks old. This morning she was fine, and now she won't walk. She will eat, but she won't stand. Is this Marek's disease ? Is there something I can give her? Vitamins? antibiotics?

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

How is she positioned? Generally Mareks birds will have a leg straight out front and maybe one back. Though occasionally they are out to the side.

Did you give her an exam looking for breaks, wounds or fractures?

 

[Eggcessive]

What does she do if you lift her up to stand? First though, check her legs for any bruising, sores, swollen joints, or displaced bones. Look at the bottoms of her footpads for any scabs or signs of bumblefoot. Look for curled under toes. Chickens with Mareks can move their legs, but the movement may be uncoordinated, and they can use their wings to help them move around. Wings may droop as well.

I would insert a finger 1 inch into her vent just to check for a stuck egg. On some occasions egg binding can cause a temporary lameness. Make sure that she can reach food and water, and a basket with a towel may be a good place for her inside the house or a dog crate. Poultry Vitamins with riboflavin or human b complex would be good for her now. Here is a good article with details of Mareks disease:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/the-great-big-giant-mareks-disease-faq.66077/

 

[Janine26]

How is she positioned? Generally Mareks birds will have a leg straight out front and maybe one back. Though occasionally they are out to the side.

Did you give her an exam looking for breaks, wounds or fractures?

Her legs are positioned underneath her. They aren't out to the side. It does look like she has one wing out to the side a little more than usual.

 

[Janine26]

What does she do if you lift her up to stand? First though, check her legs for any bruising, sores, swollen joints, or displaced bones. Look at the bottoms of her footpads for any scabs or signs of bumblefoot. Look for curled under toes. Chickens with Mareks can move their legs, but the movement may be uncoordinated, and they can use their wings to help them move around. Wings may droop as well.

I would insert a finger 1 inch into her vent just to check for a stuck egg. On some occasions egg binding can cause a temporary lameness. Make sure that she can reach food and water, and a basket with a towel may be a good place for her inside the house or a dog crate. Poultry Vitamins with riboflavin or human b complex would be good for her now. Here is a good article with details of Mareks disease:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/the-great-big-giant-mareks-disease-faq.66077/

Thanks for the reply! It does look like her toes are curled. she is trying to move around, it just looks like she is unbalanced. She did just start laying about 2 weeks ago. Could it be a stuck egg? That would cause her not to walk?

 

[Eggcessive]

Egg binding can be a cause of temporary lameness. Is she pooping okay? Just feel inside her vent to check for egg binding. The curled under toes can be a sign of riboflavin (vitamin B2) deficiency, but also can be a sign of Mareks disease. I would give her some human B complex crushed into food daily, and 1/4 tablet is plenty. Or you can use chick vitamins except poultry NutriDrench.

 

[Janine26]

Egg binding can be a cause of temporary lameness. Is she pooping okay? Just feel inside her vent to check for egg binding. The curled under toes can be a sign of riboflavin (vitamin B2) deficiency, but also can be a sign of Mareks disease. I would give her some human B complex crushed into food daily, and 1/4 tablet is plenty. Or you can use chick bitamins except poultry NutriDrench.

Just checked for egg binding. I didn't feel anything. Pooping just fine. I scrambled 2 eggs for her and she devoured them! Plus she is drinking also. I also gave her some crushed eggshells. She ate them all too. She is trying to move. She was on the opposite side of the coop when i went in. I don't know ~ so weird! I'll get some vitamins tomorrow. You said no to NutriDrench?

 

[Wyorp Rock]

I have a RIR hen that is approximately 20 weeks old. This morning she was fine, and now she won't walk. She will eat, but she won't stand. Is this Marek's disease ? Is there something I can give her? Vitamins? antibiotics?

You said no to NutriDrench?

Can you take a video of her, upload it to youtube, then provide us a link.

Nutri-Drench will not hurt her, but as @Eggcessive mentioned in the previous POST, with curled toes you want to provide B vitamins, specifically B2 (Riboflavin). Nutri-Drench does not contain B2. Better to give a B-Complex vitamin as suggested or find a poultry vitamin that contains it.

What do you normally feed your pullets, including treats?

 

[Janine26]

Can you take a video of her, upload it to youtube, then provide us a link.

Nutri-Drench will not hurt her, but as @Eggcessive mentioned in the previous POST, with curled toes you want to provide B vitamins, specifically B2 (Riboflavin). Nutri-Drench does not contain B2. Better to give a B-Complex vitamin as suggested or find a poultry vitamin that contains it.

What do you normally feed your pullets, including treats?

They eat Purina crumbles, and I buy wheat, sunflower seeds, oats, and corn for treats. They also eat my leftovers.

Im heading to TSC. what should I buy?

I'll try to post a video a little later.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

You can use human B-Complex vitamins, those can be found at Walmart, Cvs,etc. or you can use Poultry Cell.

When you have time, photos or a video would be good (upload your video to youtube, then provide us a link)