[3Bluebelles]

Well she seems much better this morning. She is still a little quieter and slower than usual, but nothing like yesterday.

No sign of red mites last night, so I don't think that's it. We have given them all a good powdering of louse powder and will do that again tonight.

Only 3 eggs laid yesterday from 6 chickens, which is unusual for them, usually it's at least 4, often 6. This morning 2 of them have laid already. So I wonder if they were all feeling a little under the weather yesterday, and poor little Josephine took it the worst being the smallest.

Just a thought, the day before, they did have a few windfall cherries. Do you think they could have affected them?

Cheers,
Jacky.

[3Bluebelles]

Another update. Josephine has been fine today, running around with the rest of them, and eating and drinking normally.

This evening we have given them all a 2nd powdering of louse powder, and picked them all up separately to do this. When we put Josephine down again, she again went very wobbly, and it now looks like she is definitely limping on one leg, and using her wing to balance herself.

Sorry Snowflake, I know you suggested this yesterday, but it now looks like she might have sprained or bruised one leg, and we may have made it worse by picking her up again tonight!

I hope this is all it is, and that she rests it and gets better on her own. We have again given her a little cat food to feed her up, and won't pick her up again for the next few days!

Will keep you posted.

Cheers,
Jacky.

[Foxy]

It may be she has something like Mareks, A limp due to an injury is usually obvious. A limp and balancing problem combined with looking peaky and thin could be Mareks disease. What breed is she? hybrids are usually vaccinated.

[snowflake]

I would sudgest seperating her from the others, to give her a better chance, if she is at the bottom of the pecking order.
you can feed her a hard boiled egg mashed up, a little  grated carrot and a little grated cheese and hang up a cabbage leaf. mine get some fishy cat food when I think they need a protine boost. but do keep giveing her layers pellets as well.
if you have apple cider vinigar the one you get from farm shops its cloudy thats good for hens. 
If she was a bought hen she should have been vacinated, but do worm her just incase she has them.

[3Bluebelles]

Sorry only just seen your replies from last night. She is a Speckledy. Bought her from a very reputable dealer, who also shows a lot of specialist birds herself, so I'm sure would have been vaccinated. She was around 18 weeks old, and that was at the end of March this year.

Last night she got worse. She struggled to get up the stairs to roost, so we lifted her up. When we went back a bit later, she had fallen off the perch and was just lying on her side, with her legs stretched out. We brought her inside and put her in a box with sawdust, in the same position. Eventually she shifted around to a more normal position with her legs under her. We left her like that, with food and water nearby, but didn't know whether she would last the night.

This morning she was standing up. We put her back in with the others and she is again moving around fine. I haven't seen her eat yet this morning.

Does this sound like it could be Mareks? If so, are there any other symptoms I should look for, and (I almost don't want to ask) is there a treatment?

Very worried,
Jacky.

[3Bluebelles]

Can't understand it. She has been absolutely fine today. Running around with the rest, jumping up for food, eating and drinking!

Is she just an attention seeker?!!! (Just joking)

On the other hand, they have got worms. We noticed them in one of the other chicken's poo this morning, so have to assume they all have them. So they've all had a dose of Flubenvet thie morning, and we have mixed in a week's worth with their pellets.

I hope that sorts her out. My nerves won't take much more!!!

[3Bluebelles]

Me again!

After leaving them all seeming perfectly OK last night, we got up this morning to find her fallen over again on the floor of the hen house, with her left leg stretched out. We have helped her out, and her left left is definitely giving her some pain. He foot is clawed, and she keeps trying to stretch it out.

Have separated them into 3s again, so that she doesn't get any more bullying from the older chickens, but still has company. She has eaten some fishy cat food, but is now just lying down.

Think it's time to take her to the vets and see what's up. I'm sure it's some kind of injury to her leg or hip, but don't want to make her any worse by trying to look myself.

We have looked up a fairly local vet who actually mentions chickens in their write-up. Will let you know how it goes.

Jacky. 

[joyfull]

fingers crossed xx

[Aunt Sally]

Those symptoms definitly sound like Marek's Jacky 

http://www.merckvetmanual.com/mvm/htm/bc/poumr01.htm

[3Bluebelles]

We have been to the vet's. Firstly Josephine did a complete recovery, and jumped up onto the bar under her table and walked along it, just to prove she is not lame!!!

The vet says she is showing no signs of Mareks. She has had a good feel and can't feel anything wrong with her leg or hip, but says it looks like she might have a trapped nerve, which would explain why it's intermittent. She says this could possibly be caused by a kidney problem, which would be pressing on the nerve in one leg, but also could be caused by just landing badly.

She also said she is very thin. I think this is caused by her being bullied, and forced away from the food, and possibly pecked in the hen house at night, which I saw them doing last night.

She has given her a steroid injection, which should ease things, and has said to keep the 3 younger birds separated from the older, so that she still has company but has the chance to build herself up. So that's what we have done. We have room for 2 runs, each with their own hen house and nesting boxes, and food and water in each. The 3 younger birds all came from the same place, and don't giver her any hassle, just get on really well. In fact I think they will all benefit from being away from the others.

Will let you know how things go on.

Thanks,
Jacky.

[Aunt Sally]

Well that's very good news Jacky

[joyfull]

so pleased it wasn't anything serious 

[snowflake]

Oh bless thats good to hear, keep her away from roosting bars, just keep her on flat ground if possible. you have wormed her so will get rid of tapeworms as well as normal worms so hopefully with good feeding she will put on the weight for you. Even lay a egg soon that egg will be so special for you after all you have been through ha ha .
  

[3Bluebelles]

Just been back to check on her, and she was in the nesting box, and has just laid a lovely brown egg. The thing is she hasn't stopped laying all through this, which is why I didn't think she was ill.

Anyway, she can sleep wherever she wants tonight, and if she chooses the roosting bar in this hen house it's got a shelf under it so she can't fall off!

Though you might like to see a picture of her and her 2 friends.

Thanks everyone for your support. It really helps being able to ask questions of people who understand.

Jacky. X

[snowflake]

Jacky she is lovely and so are her friends, your right a hen thats ill does not lay thats the first sign of illness. I can see her being your favourite hen haha.