Bantam with problems standing

[Mary]

I have a young bantam, silky, that has gone in head first between a bail of straw and the wall at roosting time. I have taken her out three or four times now. One of them she could not stand an sat on her lower legs with her rump on the ground. I kept her in the house over night and did physical therapy with her by placing her in the proper position and helping her stay upright sleeping and awake. Her feet seamed sensitive. A little after noon I took her outside and gave her a chance to try walking. It took about ten minutes of her trying then she finally managed to walk nearly normal. Tonight she was once again wedged between the hay and the wall. I took her out and put her in the bantam's roosting area. She was already having problems with her legs again. Can anyone tell me what is causing her lameness. And if there is anything that can be done about it. Thank you for your help.

[Oregon Swedes]

[[[[[[.........I have taken her out three or four times now. .............Tonight she was once again wedged between the hay and the wall........]]]]]

Well, for one thing, if it were my bird and my coop, I'd have put something to block that space between the straw bale and the wall long before this point.

[Angela]

Tell us more....
How old? Is she eating/drinking? Any other physical "thangs"? When you say she is having trouble walking, can you describe in detail? Any twisting of the head, flapping of feathers? More details please.

OS....you have again, overstated the obvious But, I'm with you on this....There is a reason that the bird is "propping itself up". That's the focus point of the discussion.

[Mary]

Thank you, Oregon Swedes & Angela, for you interest and help. I didn't state that I had blocked where she was getting behind the bail. Nor did I state she managed to get between the bail and the door after blocking the other place. The floor in the feed room where this is happening is concrete. If she gets off the floor into her roost box with the other two bantams she does OK. She was sitting on her hocks and having difficulty getting to her feet and acted as her feet hurt her. She also lost coordination in her feet. She is about 5 months old. Could she get something like arthritis from the cold floor and it cause a near paralysis? The nights I am late penning them up or she doesn't get up in the box about 14 inches above floor level where they sleep are the times the problems has appeared.

This particular bird had what appeared to be seizures when she was about 3 weeks until about 9 weeks of age. The first one I observed I took her into the house and kept her inside, bringing in her fellow silkies when I observed signs of stress from being alone, until I was reasonably sure she was over the seizures at about 4 months age. The seizures took the form of her tucking her head between her legs and backing up 2-6 inches then tumbling forward several rolls. She would be exhausted and sleep/rest for long periods following an episode. She ate voraciously once she was active. She has always been thin and underweight compared to her mates. She eats large amounts of food, or it appears that is the case but, doesn't gain weight equally. Some nights she feels very thin and emaciated. Other nights she feels like she has gained a little weight.

Are there any known genetic problems with the buff colored silkies? The one buff I had last year had neck problems like it was out of line and shook his head frequently. Holding him and giving a gentle straight stretch of the neck would often relieve the shaking for a day or two even up to three days and then it would start over. The biggest of the remaining three I got this year acted like he is having a different problem with his neck for about two months. It was as if he had something stuck in his throat. Does anyone have any idea what was going on with either of them?

[Angela]

This particular bird had what appeared to be seizures when she was about 3 weeks until about 9 weeks of age. The first one I observed I took her into the house and kept her inside, bringing in her fellow silkies when I observed signs of stress from being alone, until I was reasonably sure she was over the seizures at about 4 months age. The seizures took the form of her tucking her head between her legs and backing up 2-6 inches then tumbling forward several rolls. She would be exhausted and sleep/rest for long periods following an episode. She ate voraciously once she was active. She has always been thin and underweight compared to her mates. She eats large amounts of food, or it appears that is the case but, doesn't gain weight equally. Some nights she feels very thin and emaciated. Other nights she feels like she has gained a little weight.

Mary, this is definately Marek's. Although this bird is surviving, it will never thrive. It would be best to separate her to allow her more focused care....but be ready to put her down....Sorry.

[Evy]

Crested birds often have neurogical problems. Similar to the ''soft spot' in a baby's skull, these birds have one that the crest's grow from. Crested ducks are especially plagued with balance problems. I'd suggest you not breed from that line of birds .

[Altair]

My hens which eventually had Marek's had symptons like these: not roosting, wedging themselves near objects to avoid getting pecked on when they couldn't get away. Though they didn't have seizures to my knowledge. Their paralysis went from being complete in the case of my Polish to having the ability to stand and shuffle every now and again (Australorps). Regardless as Evy said, don't further that silkie line.

Danielle

[Oregon Swedes]

If she is having trouble getting up to the nest boxes, is it possible to put a nest box at ground level for her? A box with some bedding would keep her out of contact with the concrete floor.

I have no idea what might be wrong with her. My experiences with vets and neurological problems indicate that they are willing to run as many tests as they can talk you into, all the while vacuuming gobs of money out of your pocket, and then never finding a cause.

At my house, a bird with health issues ends up in the stew pot, not at the vet's office. If you don't want to take her to the vet and you can't find a chicken chiropractor, maybe the thing to do is to accommodate her special needs and try to keep her comfortable. If nobody else has symptoms by this time, she probably isn't contagious.

[Altair]

My experiences with vets and neurological problems indicate that they are willing to run as many tests as they can talk you into, all the while vacuuming gobs of money out of your pocket, and then never finding a cause.

Hear hear. If she shows no signs of improvement it would be best to put her down. Poultry, among other livestock, shouldn't be high maintenance, and if they are it's a sign we need a better game plan.

[Mary]

Thank you all. Based on the fact that she has been doing very well for many days now and is able to fly up to the roost box I am inclined to agree with Evy because she has all the special crest, fluffy cheek feathers, obviously a very highly breed chicken to get all this fancy stuff, that it is most likely the neurological problems which come from breeding as her symptoms do not match Marek's Dx in the Chicken Health Handbook by Gail Damerow nor another book I read but am not able to give the name of as I don't seam to have it. I have no plans to breed the silkies. I got them to set other chicken eggs if I decide to set eggs. She has become quite the pet because of all her problems and care. When she see me she will walk right up to my feet and stand for me to pick her up. I do and talk to her while petting her. When she has had enough she wiggles to let me know she is ready to go and I set her down.

Vets are out. I can't afford their expense. We don't have any in our area that specialize in poultry. The pet bird vet charges both arms and legs and didn't heal my parakeet nor did he tell me the problem. If I can't find the problem in a book on chicken health or here then I just do what ever seams best, which may include putting a bird down if that seams appropriate.

Thank you again for all your ideas. I really appreciate having a place I can go where people talk real bird problems and solutions. Like so many of you I don't care for BYC either. It is amusing reading but not informational. Thank you for being here for everyone.

[Rich]

Mary, My wife is a vet and sometimes I can't afford to use her either. In reality, some situations work themselves out over time. We often forget that most diseases progress into something worse or they improve as the body's immune system has a chance to heal the condition. There are a lot of conditions that can result in a bird having difficulty walking. Mareks disease is one common one that can show itself at just about any time and in my personal experiences with it, around the age of your silkie. In my experiences, it is progressive, starting with some minor paralysis and progressing to complete paralysis and weight loss, ending in death. Some birds do get arthritis but a 5 month old bird is kind of young for that one. Evy is also right on target about some of the coniditions with crested birds. The best mode of action with your poultry is to give the bird time to recover from any condition it may be experiencing. If you suspect a bacterial disease, you can treat it with antibiotics. If you suspect something viral, then proviiding good clean water, a draft free environment and nutritious food is about all you can do to let it run it's course. If it is a physical injury, you can treat the wounds or in the case of internal injury, put the bird in a place where others won't harrass it and give it time to heal. Ultimately, if it gets better great! If it goes downhill over time, the eventual decsion may be to put it out of its misery. I am glad your bird has gotten better. Good luck.

[Mary]

Thank you Rich. The bantam continues to do well. I know if I get cold I am in bad shape, muscles hurt and sometimes I don't feel like doing the things that hurt the muscles that are affected. I am hoping that is the problem since she has not had any more symptoms and is able to fly up the few inches to her roosting box with her fellow bantams. I make sure she gets the opportunity to eat one last time before roosting for the night because she is the least of the three. Thank you again.

[Oregon Swedes]

Since this is under the waterfowl forum, I am assuming it is a bantam duck and as far as I know, ducks don't get Mareks.

[Evy]

Since this is under the waterfowl forum, I am assuming it is a bantam duck and as far as I know, ducks don't get Mareks.

No, it's a chicken. She posted under the wrong heading.