[Shazzer]

I have posted previously about my Maran who has been unsteady on her feet and stopped laying about a week ago.  This morning I let them all out and she came out last, slowly.  When we looked our 30 minutes later she was on her side, she had fallen and couldn't get up, we put her in a box and brought her inside.  She is just led on her side.  She  look alert enough in herself. She doesn't seem to have any strength in her legs.  I don't know what to do poor girl.

[Aunt Sally]

It's difficult to say without seeing her, she's probably dehydrated, has she been drinking ?  Try droppping some water into her beak if she's not drinking.  

She sounds very ill.  I think vet or heaven are your only choices ( and the vet will probably recommend heaven) :cry:

[Shazzer]

thanks i have been thinking that.   A vet would probably charge me quite a lot to send her to heaven, but i dont think i could do it, should i just wait or is  that just cruel.  Why would she get so ill?

[Aunt Sally]

MY guess (and it's only a guess) is egg peritonitis.  

She has stopped laying and an egg yolk has gone into her body cavity instead of into the egg tube.  This can set up an infection, which I thnk she has.  If you feel her abdomen (below her vent) and it's swollen than that is the result of the peritonitis.

If it's not that then she has some other infection which I don't think she will recover from.

[Shazzer]

Thanks.  What do i do with her if/when she does die.  Should i be doing anything about the hens that she has been with, if she's had an infection could they have it?

[Aunt Sally]

Officially you're not allowed to bury the bird, how silly is that (I burried Gerty in the flower bed she was never allowed in) .  You can, however, put dead hens into the domestic rubbish.

If she has peritonitis the other hens are not at risk.  Don't leave it too long to take action, she is suffering  :cry:

[Shazzer]

Ah I had better take her to the vet I can't do it

[Aunt Sally]

What are your other options Shazzer.  I would have no hesitation in going to the vets - money no object for my pets, but many think it a waste of money.

[Shazzer]

Could she have Mareks disease? I just seen it on another site.

[agapanthus]

What are your other options Shazzer.  I would have no hesitation in going to the vets - money no object for my pets, but many think it a waste of money.

I agree with you there aunty. In my mind a pet chicken is the same as a cat or a dog.

[muntjac]

it wants a  vet visit to cull it and take the bird home dont let him get rid of it for ya ...... charge a blooming fortune to dump em on the tip ..... bury it in 2ft hole  

[Zoidberg]

Hey there,

Sorry to hear your hen is not well.
I am a complete newbie at this, so bear that in mind, but I have been looking for info on my own sick hen and the symptoms you described sounded a bit like the calcium deficiency ones - http://www.merckvetmanual.com/mvm/index.jsp?cfile=htm/bc/206913.htm

I know your hens wouldn't live in anything like the commercial hens described on that page, but the symptoms sounded similar. The other thing is I would guess you are probably doing all the right things re calcium as there seems to be heaps of good advice on how to provide it here.

Just thought I'd mention it though seeing I had just read the page when I read your post.

Good luck with it!!

[Aunt Sally]

Good thought Zoidberg

You didn't say if she had a swollen tummy Shazzer  :!:

[Shazzer]

I dont think her tummy is swollen, i put her in a spare rabbit cage we had so theat shes seperate from the others, she moving about a lot and managing to stay upright , just hobbling about.

[Shazzer]

if she falls she can get up by herself