GwynMil
Chirping
Hello, I'm new here, so apologies if I miss anything out.
One of my hens is struggling. Last Thursday, I noticed her wobbling a lot, as if her legs were weak. Gave her a thorough inspection, found no wounds or anything. On Saturday the vet saw her, and also found no obvious cause.
(This is in the UK, by the way, and not many vets deal with chickens - this one was honest upfront, basically saying "We can have a look, but if it's something complicated there's not much we can do". All the other vet surgeries near this town are the same. Thus I'm turning to you experienced people at BYC.)
Since yesterday she keeps trying to jump up on things, but totally fails - just flaps, falls forwards and ends up sprawled on the floor. She staggers from side to side with every step, as if her brain can't control both legs at once. Can't stand up for long without sinking down. Also, one of her wings is dragging along the ground, between her legs. She flaps the other wing, but this one doesn't move at all. I didn't think to take a picture yet, but here's a rough drawing.
https://ibb.co/42tVCCb
(if the image upload didn't work, there's a link)
Last night, and again tonight, I found her on the shed floor, unable to climb on the perch. I tried 6 times to help her, but she can't seem to balance or grip it with her feet, and falls off. So she spent the night indoors, and right now is chillin' out on my lap for another night in my room.
Details:
- she's 8 months old, I've raised her from a chick. Her sister isn't having any of these problems, nor are any other hens.
- breed unknown, not sure if vaccinated for anything; the breeders just wanted rid of her.
- wormed 2 months ago with Flubenvet.
- looks normal, nice and heavy. No missing feathers, bad smells, nasal discharge or breathing problems. Eating, drinking and pooping normally.
- the wing doesn't seem to hurt. I keep correcting it, it flops back down. It's like she has no feeling in it.
So, anyone have an idea what the problem could be?
Last night I noticed a red mite crawling on her, so today we've disinfected the whole shed and put down some fancy eucalyptus bedding that's supposed to deter them. It's said that red mites can cause anemia, but a paralysed wing and loss of co-ordination...?
I'll probably keep letting her out to forage during the day (the others aren't picking on her), but keep her indoors overnight, until this is sorted. Feeding her lots of mash, porridge and other treats. What else to do?
One of my hens is struggling. Last Thursday, I noticed her wobbling a lot, as if her legs were weak. Gave her a thorough inspection, found no wounds or anything. On Saturday the vet saw her, and also found no obvious cause.
(This is in the UK, by the way, and not many vets deal with chickens - this one was honest upfront, basically saying "We can have a look, but if it's something complicated there's not much we can do". All the other vet surgeries near this town are the same. Thus I'm turning to you experienced people at BYC.)
Since yesterday she keeps trying to jump up on things, but totally fails - just flaps, falls forwards and ends up sprawled on the floor. She staggers from side to side with every step, as if her brain can't control both legs at once. Can't stand up for long without sinking down. Also, one of her wings is dragging along the ground, between her legs. She flaps the other wing, but this one doesn't move at all. I didn't think to take a picture yet, but here's a rough drawing.
https://ibb.co/42tVCCb
(if the image upload didn't work, there's a link)
Last night, and again tonight, I found her on the shed floor, unable to climb on the perch. I tried 6 times to help her, but she can't seem to balance or grip it with her feet, and falls off. So she spent the night indoors, and right now is chillin' out on my lap for another night in my room.
Details:
- she's 8 months old, I've raised her from a chick. Her sister isn't having any of these problems, nor are any other hens.
- breed unknown, not sure if vaccinated for anything; the breeders just wanted rid of her.
- wormed 2 months ago with Flubenvet.
- looks normal, nice and heavy. No missing feathers, bad smells, nasal discharge or breathing problems. Eating, drinking and pooping normally.
- the wing doesn't seem to hurt. I keep correcting it, it flops back down. It's like she has no feeling in it.
So, anyone have an idea what the problem could be?
Last night I noticed a red mite crawling on her, so today we've disinfected the whole shed and put down some fancy eucalyptus bedding that's supposed to deter them. It's said that red mites can cause anemia, but a paralysed wing and loss of co-ordination...?
I'll probably keep letting her out to forage during the day (the others aren't picking on her), but keep her indoors overnight, until this is sorted. Feeding her lots of mash, porridge and other treats. What else to do?
