Wobbly hen

[sharrielee]

I had a rooster a year or more ago that started staggering and having trouble walking out of the blue and then couldn't walk at all. Everyone else was fine, I separated him fed him Vitamin B liquid (helped some) and other vity's etc. he was able to stagger along like a drunken sailor after awhile, but eventully he died.
(People thought he had too much calcium becuase my roosters ate the layer feed the hens did.)
Everyone has been fine since then.
Now all of a sudden I have a hen that is now loosing her balance and having trouble walking. WHAT IS GOING ON???
Please help!

 

[azygous]

You may have an avian virus in your flock. There's one called lymphoid leucosis and it's in so many flocks that I've been told that it's practically ubiquitous. The thing about LL is that most chickens develop resistance to it and live long lives without ever showing symptoms so most flock keepers never know it's in their flock. Occasionally an individual will show symptoms of paralysis and imbalance and quickly go downhill and die or have to be euthanized.

It causes lymphomas on organs, heart, brain, joints, etc. The only way to verify this is what is going on is to have the next chicken that dies in your flock necropsied to determine cause of death.

It's in my flock, but most of my chickens are resistant to it and live very long lives, the oldest ones now being ten to thirteen years old. But when it strikes a chicken that has not been able to develop resistance, it's a very sad and painful thing to have to deal with. There is no vaccination or cure.

 

[sharrielee]

Where does it come from? How are they getting it if in fact that is what's happening? Is it environmental? Thanks