Help my hen cannot walk/balance!!

[Blatessa]

Hi! My chicken has had an issue with the "wobble" x3 days now. Monica goes to walk and acts as if she's drunk, she tries to balance with her wings but ultimately lays on her "knees". She is about 4.5 months old. I've separated her and monitor her closely. She's still eating and drinking plenty and expelling as normal. Ive looked at a lot of similar forums suggesting it may be a vitamin deficiency. I've given her the infant polyvitamin without iron 2-3 times a day x3 days now. She seems bright and alert just unable to walk without stumbling. Her legs look fine and I see no scabbing . She hasn't lost but one feather. Any idea how long until I might see results if this is in fact a vitamin deficiency? I'm not sure if she's been vaccinated. Any advise please!

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

If the vitamins aren't helping I would suspect Mareks, especially given her age.

 

[Blatessa]

If the vitamins aren't helping I would suspect Mareks, especially given her age.

Thank you for the response.

 

[azygous]

Give the vitamin therapy a full week. If there's no improvement, you may be looking at Marek's classic symptoms. She's at the age when Marek's symptoms hit as @oldhen has pointed out.

Some chickens recover from Marek's symptoms, but most will die. If your chicken is one of the lucky ones to recover, she will still be a carrier of the virus. If she dies, you would be wise to get a necropsy so you will be able to properly manage your flock going forward because all have now been exposed.

 

[Eggcessive]

I would also keep up with vitamins, but only give her 3 drops per day. Guve it some time. Make sure that she can reach her food and water, and that she is drinking well.

 

[Blatessa]

Give the vitamin therapy a full week. If there's no improvement, you may be looking at Marek's classic symptoms. She's at the age when Marek's symptoms hit as @oldhen has pointed out.

Some chickens recover from Marek's symptoms, but most will die. If your chicken is one of the lucky ones to recover, she will still be a carrier of the virus. If she dies, you would be wise to get a necropsy so you will be able to properly manage your flock going forward because all have now been exposed.

Thank you, I guess I really wanted to see how long to give the vitamins. I'm hoping it's not Marek's. Time will tell. I'd be so sad to loose her. fortunately she's still in good spirits.

 

[thailand]

May I jump in here? I also have a hen with the same symptoms. She's been sick for almost 2 weeks. If it was Mareks wouldn't she have died by now? Apart from not being able to balance, she appears to be in perfect health. She's about 2 years old. All advice appreciated. I wanted to add a video but the file is too large.

 

[Ptera]

My pigeons have acted like this from Calcium deficiency. I took powdered bird calcium and mixed it to a liquid & gave them a syringe full in their beak every morning for several days, plus more in their drinking water. It's worth a try. After about a week or two they were back to normal. Don't forget to give them something with calcium in it on a regular basis, like crushed oyster shells or high-calcium grit.

 

[azygous]

This should help you learn about Marek's. https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/the-great-big-giant-mareks-disease-faq.66077/

 

[Blatessa]

This should help you learn about Marek's. https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/the-great-big-giant-mareks-disease-faq.66077/

Thank you, I actually read through that post after your response last night.