CHICKEN CANT MOVE LEGS OR STAND

[wormkins]

Hello,

I have a 9 month old chicken that I just noticed today was laying in the dirt under the chicken coop and not moving. She was trying to get up but her legs were just limp and so she was stuck there. I picked her up and put her in a box in our laundry room with some food and water thinking that she might be cold. She would try to lift her head up but would just bob back down into food or into the pine shavings. She ended up eating alot but not really drinking much water. She is alert and makes noises when I pet her but she cannot stand. I try to hold her in an upright position and she just falls back down if I don't hold her up. It's almost like her feet and legs are dead. She has been laying in the same position for most of the day. I don't know what is wrong with her.

If anyone has any advice or suggestions as to what may be the cause and if there is anything I can do for her I would greatly appreciate it.

Thank you.

 

[Double Laced]

This could be marek's disease, it causes paralysis and wasting. mortality is around 80%.

one way to diagnose marek's is to look at the eye, a bird with the disease will have a grey iris.

SYMPTOMS INCLUDE: sudden death (fairly common), depression (common), gradual weight loss (fairly common), neck paralysis (not common), paleness (in conjunction with other symtoms), wing paralysis (common), leg paralysis (most common), star-gazing (fairly common), extreme sudden emaciation (rare), mishapen pupil (not common), gray iris (not common), crazy behavior (rare), unresponsive (common), internal tumor growth (not common), tumors on feather follicles (not common), fearful (not common)

It could also be injury

 

[JUPAFiSH]

Hello.
I am experiencing a similar problem. Will check her eyes tomorrow. However I have noticed what seems to be a badly bruised middle toe and she is limping a lot. I am drawn to believe she has been injured by a larger roo. Could the blueness be anything else?

 

[casportpony]

I'd say it's probably Merek's. You should read this thread:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/...ons-questions-questions-help/20#post_10095337

 

[JUPAFiSH]

Thanks, I did read it but it didnt mention bruises. However just read something else and I understand Mareks can cause what seems like internal bleeding or infection creating the dark marks. Blimey, she is a youngster and with all my other chickens. Does this mean they have it? I read conflicting comments about whether it spreads or whether the rest will be fine. Gutted. Please help.

 

[Double Laced]

I just noticed where you live, could be she has been attacked by a bird of prey, we had a similar problem when we lived in garsfontein x10, pretoria

 

[JUPAFiSH]

I don't think so. She is tiny and a bird of prey would have taken her whole. The other chickens are bigger and feisty - they have been getting on for weeks but I see there is a bit of roughness between the Roo who are roughly 8 weeks and the younger ones who are 5 weeks. Its just that the bruise is so localised and she limps but doesn't really fall over. She isn't getting worse. To me it seems like an injury but after reading the Mareks threads my imagination gets going. She is earing drinking, making noise (thats why her name is screech).
Should I remove her from the coop? I was worried this would create further problems.

 

[casportpony]

Thanks, I did read it but it didnt mention bruises. However just read something else and I understand Mareks can cause what seems like internal bleeding or infection creating the dark marks. Blimey, she is a youngster and with all my other chickens. Does this mean they have it? I read conflicting comments about whether it spreads or whether the rest will be fine. Gutted. Please help.

The necropsy report in that thread that says I found swelling and bruising of the legs and feet on my hen and her cause of death was Merek's. I'm also beginning to see some very disturbing things in my flock and I'm highly suspicious that I have a very virulent form of Merek's. I never had a sick bird until I started bring home "rescues" from the feed store. I wish I had been smarter.

Look at all of the pictures here, some with swelling and bruising:
http://partnersah.vet.cornell.edu/avian-atlas/search/disease/502

 

[JUPAFiSH]

Apologies, I must have missed that. Oh dear looks very similar. Im terrified now of what to do next. Should i have her culled? The Bird vet here isnt in town for months,

Should i try and obtain a spray for the rest of my flock.

 

[casportpony]

Apologies, I must have missed that. Oh dear looks very similar. Im terrified now of what to do next. Should i have her culled? The Bird vet here isnt in town for months,
Should i try and obtain a spray for the rest of my flock.

I honestly can't say... In my case, culling anything would be pointless. I've noticed about a dozen that have funny looking eyes, so I'm going to take a picture of them and forward them to the avian pathologist that I work with. If you want to, I could send him pictures of your bird as well.

I don't want to scare you, but the last time I spoke with the pathologist, he said that Merek's is one of the leading causes of death that they see in chickens at the lab.