Needing advice and ideas on my hen!

[Sulli108]

My beautiful and sweet sapphire gem hen - who is 18 weeks old, has been loosing function in her legs. It started with one foot and has moved to the other. She was walking on her toes when it was just one.



She is eating and drinking fine. Her poops are normal. She is the first in our flock to start laying - and her eggs are a mix of hard and soft (finger print in shell soft).



She sits with her wings out and seems alert.



I sperated her because our surprise rooster wants to exclusively mate with her and under the circumstances it felt right to keep her separate.



My thoughts are Mereks or a nutritional deficiency?



I'd love ideas on what could help her.

 

[nuthatched]

What's her diet? How's her eyes look?

 

[Wyorp Rock]

My beautiful and sweet sapphire gem hen - who is 18 weeks old, has been loosing function in her legs. It started with one foot and has moved to the other. She was walking on her toes when it was just one.

She is eating and drinking fine. Her poops are normal. She is the first in our flock to start laying - and her eggs are a mix of hard and soft (finger print in shell soft).

She sits with her wings out and seems alert.

I sperated her because our surprise rooster wants to exclusively mate with her and under the circumstances it felt right to keep her separate.

My thoughts are Mereks or a nutritional deficiency?

I'd love ideas on what could help her.

Welcome To BYC

Can you post photos of her and her poop?

When was her last egg?

Check her over for any injuries or bruising.

If she's been having problems with soft shelled eggs, I would give her 1 Calcium Citrate+D3 tablet once daily for 7 days. See if she improves any with mobility and with egg quality.

Do provide her with her normal feed and see that she's drinking well.

Hard to know if she's starting to present with symptoms of disease like Marek's, has something reproductive going on, possible injury/trauma/stress from the cockerel or ?? one of the numerous other conditions that can affect them.

 

[Sulli108]

Welcome To BYC

Can you post photos of her and her poop?

When was her last egg?

Check her over for any injuries or bruising.

If she's been having problems with soft shelled eggs, I would give her 1 Calcium Citrate+D3 tablet once daily for 7 days. See if she improves any with mobility and with egg quality.

Do provide her with her normal feed and see that she's drinking well.

Hard to know if she's starting to present with symptoms of disease like Marek's, has something reproductive going on, possible injury/trauma/stress from the cockerel or ?? one of the numerous other conditions that can affect them.

Here is Rainbow - the egg she laid last night , and her poo.

I will pick up some calcium citrate to give that a go!

 

[Wyorp Rock]

View attachment 3894599View attachment 3894596View attachment 3894595

Here is Rainbow - the egg she laid last night , and her poo.

I will pick up some calcium citrate to give that a go!

What a lovely girl!

Try the Calcium and offer supportive care.

Do you notice a difference in her eyes? Could be the angle, but if you have older photos of her, take a look to see if her eyes have changed.

 

[Themellowyellows]

I have had this problem with my hen before and she did not make it, R.I.P. I agree with what Wyrop Rock is saying, do you offer oyster shells and grit? Is she moving around or lethargic? If you notice swelling in her vent or her crop not emptying let us know. If you think she might be egg bound try a epson soak, but if she is weak dont. Does she seem to be eating and drinking normally?

 

[Sulli108]

Her eyes seem the same.

She seems to be eating and drinking pretty well - it's warm here - so I think some daytime reduction would be normal.

She does have access to grit and I recently started offered oyster shells, but only a few days ago - as she was our first layer and has only been laying for about a week.

She is moving around. I have given her space from our roo by letting her have free range and have been keeping the rest of the flock in their run. I think she misses them and makes it over to a juniper bush everyday near them. It's a great shady spot. She does a fly walk to get there - about 100 yards give or take. So she has the energy to do that - but she really keeps to a small area.

She is alert, and knows I am trying to help - though that calcium pill! I broke it into three parts and inna couple attempts she had it down. Advice on giving pills would be great!! I don't want to stress her if this is her last remaining days.

I don't notice swelling at her vent.. but I don't have much experience. She does have a little poo there on her feathers now - which is new from yesterday.

Thanks for the support and ideas!

 

[Themellowyellows]

Her eyes seem the same.

She seems to be eating and drinking pretty well - it's warm here - so I think some daytime reduction would be normal.

She does have access to grit and I recently started offered oyster shells, but only a few days ago - as she was our first layer and has only been laying for about a week.

She is moving around. I have given her space from our roo by letting her have free range and have been keeping the rest of the flock in their run. I think she misses them and makes it over to a juniper bush everyday near them. It's a great shady spot. She does a fly walk to get there - about 100 yards give or take. So she has the energy to do that - but she really keeps to a small area.

She is alert, and knows I am trying to help - though that calcium pill! I broke it into three parts and inna couple attempts she had it down. Advice on giving pills would be great!! I don't want to stress her if this is her last remaining days.

I don't notice swelling at her vent.. but I don't have much experience. She does have a little poo there on her feathers now - which is new from yesterday.

Thanks for the support and ideas!

I mash up the calcium really fine, put water, suck it into a syringe, grab her waddles and pry her beak open and put it in. However, there is a chocking hazard so watch a video, when I do this I pat my hens on the back and crop, (not to hard) to help it go down right. Whats there diet?

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Her eyes seem the same.

She seems to be eating and drinking pretty well - it's warm here - so I think some daytime reduction would be normal.

She does have access to grit and I recently started offered oyster shells, but only a few days ago - as she was our first layer and has only been laying for about a week.

She is moving around. I have given her space from our roo by letting her have free range and have been keeping the rest of the flock in their run. I think she misses them and makes it over to a juniper bush everyday near them. It's a great shady spot. She does a fly walk to get there - about 100 yards give or take. So she has the energy to do that - but she really keeps to a small area.

She is alert, and knows I am trying to help - though that calcium pill! I broke it into three parts and inna couple attempts she had it down. Advice on giving pills would be great!! I don't want to stress her if this is her last remaining days.

I don't notice swelling at her vent.. but I don't have much experience. She does have a little poo there on her feathers now - which is new from yesterday.

Thanks for the support and ideas!

She can swallow the pill whole, they can swallow a mouse whole LOL
But it's fine to give it in pieces.

The "rooster" is her age? Around 18 weeks? If so, that is a hormonal cockerel.

I separate out roosters and cockerels, not pullets and hens if the boys are getting too rowdy. It's easy to put a male back into a flock of girls after they have been separated out for a good while, but not always quite so easy to put back a separated pullet or hen. The girls have an established "picking" order so they can be not nice to another coming back to be "included". Roosters/cockerels pretty much revolve around the order, they are not necessarily part of it.

 

[Sulli108]

She can swallow the pill whole, they can swallow a mouse whole LOL
But it's fine to give it in pieces.

The "rooster" is her age? Around 18 weeks? If so, that is a hormonal cockerel.

I separate out roosters and cockerels, not pullets and hens if the boys are getting too rowdy. It's easy to put a male back into a flock of girls after they have been separated out for a good while, but not always quite so easy to put back a separated pullet or hen. The girls have an established "picking" order so they can be not nice to another coming back to be "included". Roosters/cockerels pretty much revolve around the order, they are not necessarily part of it.

Yes - a hormonal Cockerel then.

Maybe I'll let the ladies out too tomorrow and keep Bubbles the Cockerel in (my 2 year old daughter named him).