# Priscilla wont walk



## Maryellen

I just go out and Priscilla my original tetra is laying down, i thought she was dust bathing but when i went over she cant stand.. I picked her up and tried to stand her up and she cant stand... The other day she was limping again on the same right leg so i thought she sprained her leg again.. Now she isnt walking at all , i checked her feet and legs and no bumble foot or cuts or swelling, what could this be? If she died that makes 4 in less then a year


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## Maryellen

She is eating out of my hand and drinking when i give her water but cant walk ... Wth is going on?


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## Maryellen

I'm so upset now i cant understand this. She was limping a whike ago i posted it and then she got better now she was limping the other day again but eating fine and with the other hens, now she cant walk


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## robin416

If you tickle her feet will she curl her toes? Or grab your finger?

What is her attitude like? Same as always?


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## Maryellen

Her toes are curled i can straighten them. She was always friendly and still is she is the head hen out of the group


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## Maryellen

I can pick her up no issues at all and check her over she isnt pecking me


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## Maryellen

I have such bad luck wtf


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## Maryellen

Yestrday she was chasing a moth in the yard


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## robin416

Riboflavin deficiency. Doing some more digging.


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## Maryellen

Riboflavin? They are on purina layer crumble


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## Maryellen

I have poultry drench and vet rx here and probiotics and electrolytes to give


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## robin416

Get vitamin B2 and begin dosing her with it. You can crush it and mix it in some moist food as long as she's eating. Its hard to over dose them with it since its excreted in through the kidneys but the problem will kill her if you don't treat it.

What I found is that B2 is quickly destroyed when feed is exposed to the sun. There was also a comment that wet food causes it to diminish greatly. If you're doing FF for feeding, stop. 

This is all going on what you've said. Its sounds very much like it but it could still be another issue. This is a place to start.


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## robin416

She needs more than what is in those things. B2 all by itself, not a multi vitamin or depending on what is in her feed or supplements. No short cuts.


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## Maryellen

I tickled her feet and she curled her toes. She is eating purina crumble layer . Eating out of my hand. I am not doing fermented feed haven't done it since i tried and spilled the whole container on my floor


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## Maryellen

I have b12 tablets i can crush and out in water 1000 mcg or 2500 which one?


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## robin416

Pick up some B2 vitamins on your way home tomorrow and start dosing her. 

She is either having an issue with absorption of the vitamin or there's a problem with the feed.


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## Maryellen

All the stores here are closed now


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## Maryellen

No one else is showing any symptoms. I'm at the end of the bag so I'll open a new bag anyway and give new food too


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## Maryellen

I keep the food in a galvanized container in the shed with a cover in the bag. I used to keep it loose in the container but stopped doing that after Dora died( who was a tetra)


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## robin416

I'm beginning to think that line of birds has a problem. B12 is not B2 so the trip to the pharmacy aisle is still necessary. If you think Bill can dose her and he'll be home before you, ask him if he'll start her.


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## Maryellen

I agree i think the line is messed up too, all three tetras came from tsc and I've had nothing but problems with them


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## robin416

And you might have to continue dosing them if this happens again. 

I need to go do some digging to see if the breed has particular health issues.


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## Maryellen

Bill will pick it up tomorrow he is going for an mri and the pharmacy is next door do he will dose her when he gets back


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## robin416

What would be great is if they had in liquid form. I've never seen it so I don't know that it exists. 

I didn't find anything that says they have any particular health issues.


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## Maryellen

He said he wil try to find liquid form. She ate and drank water and i gave her some poultry drench anyway , she perked up after all that and tried to go on roost which failed... I put her in a nesting box with food for the night


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## Maryellen

No b2 what can i use? B6?


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## Maryellen

B2 can only be found over an hour away at a gnc store . Walgreens in town doesn't have it I'm checking rite aid now


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## Maryellen

OMG no one up here has b2
I'm ordering on amazon


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## robin416

Has to be B2. 

If you can't find B2 close enough, do you have B complex? Its not enough B2 to fix her issue but it should maintain her until you can get the other.


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## Maryellen

I ordered b2 liquid and capsules on amazon will have the capsules tomorrow. I've been giving her poultry drench which is working she is perking up and eating and drinking good. I have b12 at home and another b vitamin one is 1000mcg one 2500 mcg that i was giving Dora for her wry neck . I'll keep giving all those till the b comes tomorrow


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## robin416

Don't toss everything and the kitchen sink at her. That could cause more issues than she has now. Right now you're trying to isolate what is causing this problem. B12 if the incorrect vitamin, you can not substitute one for the other. 

Give her the B complex and then start her on the B2 when it comes in.


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## Maryellen

Ok sounds good


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## Maryellen

Thank you again!!


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## Maryellen

She is eating drinking and alert but still cant walk. The b complex is helping i think or the poultry drench she gets one in the morning and the other at night.
The b2 pills arrive today the liquid b2 i wont get till next week from amazon. 
I wonder if its the purina layer feed? I was feeding the nutrena nature wise but went back to purina as the nutrena was out of stock so i had to get something


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## robin416

Its not like a pain pill that you'll s ee results within a half hour. It will take a bit of time for it to reverse the problem. 

Its only been the Tetras, correct? If none of the others are affected then its probably not the feed but them. 

One of the things the long time breeders, I'm referring to breeders that have been doing this for 30/40 years, feed should be the freshest it can possibly be. They begin to lose their potency from the moment they are bagged. But feed stores are told six months is the maximum shelf life for bagged feed. Toss in a bird that does not efficiently absorb what is available and bad things happen.


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## Maryellen

Yep just the tetras. I go thru feed like crazy, a bag only lasts maybe a month.. Two at most. I have two feeders in the pen so everyone has access to food and two waterers as well this way everyone has access.0


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## robin416

A bag of feed for nine birds lasts me about two weeks. And they are all bantams. 

Start paying attention to your bag dates. Its easy with Dumor but the others you'll have to find out how to decipher their date codes. I've seen stuff expired by months still out for sale, that happened with Manna Pro supplements. TSC will have feed for sale right up to that six month bagged date because of what the sales people have told them. I refused to buy it. Finally got fed up and found a local mill that had what I needed. Turned out our co-op carried that mill's feed so I stopped buying it from TSC.


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## Maryellen

I'll have to look at bag. Mine free range every day and are only in pen and coop to sleep or bad weather , maybe that's why feed lasts longer?


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## robin416

Very possible. 

Developing the habit of checking dates on anything you give the birds is one that will pay off in the long run.


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## Maryellen

I put her outside the coop was to hot. 









She is now out of the xpen and the other hens are watching her.i am out here with all of them standing guard


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## Maryellen




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## robin416

Hopefully, in a few days you'll be reporting that she is up.


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## Maryellen

Vit b capsules have arrived and she got her first dose


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## myhppyndng5221

If your Tsc is like ours, the purina feed is on a skid, as opposed to the stack of Nutrina under the feed rack. As a result of this, the purina is there for a much longer time then the Nutrina. The Nutrina will be gone within a week and the purina will be there for a month.


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## Nm156

At my local TSC , all the Manna Pro is over a year old.Their Nutrena feather fixer in the 7lb bag is over a year old.Up till March all of the chick starters were from July and August of last year.


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## myhppyndng5221

Out of curiosity what Tsc location is it? If that is the case, that means that not only the Tsc employees are slacking, but also the state inspectors are slacking and either not stopping or not being accurate when they check. I'm also very surprised that is that old and is still there. At ours it is rare that a bag is on the shelf for more then 2 months, especially with poultry.


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## Nm156

Sandusky MI .A lot of times they don't rotate the stock either.The Feb. 25th bag is still on the bottom and the May 13th bag is on top.I don't think the state of MI inspects anything.


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## myhppyndng5221

Interesting. Also, just an FYI our store has been sent almost out of date or out of date stock, and not just in feed. Its hard to watch out for and frustrating to understand all of the dates and codes. By law I do believe they need to be inspected. Even grass seed has a shelf life date


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## Nm156

I was at a different name store the other day 6-6 ,and their Blue Seal was dated the 265th day of 2014.257 days old!


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## myhppyndng5221

Ah good old Julian code! Those dates you have to look up to find out how long they are good for. Such a pain


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## Maryellen

Day one of b2, yesterday it arrived late 
Today she is the same ,still alert and eating and drinking her b2 water


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## Maryellen




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## Maryellen

She is the whiter one with the large comb,


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## robin416

It would be much better and faster results if the B was mixed in to a moist treat. You need to know she's getting the whole dose at a time. Not just in dribs and drabs and I see she's out with the others which means they could also be helping themselves.


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## Maryellen




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## Maryellen

What could I give her? I have eggs, applesauce, oatmeal


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## Maryellen

Scrambled egg bit with one pill


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## robin416

Crush it, mix it in to anything you know she'll eat.


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## Maryellen




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## robin416

Better. Now she'll get the whole dose and maybe get her up and around quicker.


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## Maryellen

She tried to stand earlier the b2 in the egg worked,so she will get it every day in scrambled eggs.
Once a day or twice a day should I give it to her?


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## robin416

You can do either one, once she's up again you can take her down to once a day. Or if you want to find out if she does have a B absorption problem, stop it to see if she does well without it. Sometimes young birds do seem to outgrow these types of issues. 

I'll have to see if I can dig up any answers on whether or not too much B can cause issues in other areas. I know that too much Biotin can cause issues with A absorption and Biotin is another one of those many B vitamins.


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## robin416

Ok, here is what I would do after reading what I read. I would stop the B2 once she is up and stable.

I found that extreme dosages of B2 can cause kidney stones, probably because the excess is excreted through the kidneys making them work extra hard. In excess amounts it can interfere with other vitamins doing the job they are supposed to do. The problem is, we don't know what excess is for a chicken. But she needs the B2 now or she will never recover. 

Get her up, stop dosing her and just watch. If you see her begin to limp then supplement her every three or four days. Then watch to see if the limp goes away. If not then reduce the time in between doses and watch again. 

Having ordered the liquid might pay off for you since it will be easier to do a smaller dose.


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## Maryellen

Ok thanks! She tried to stand this morning got a quarter up for a few seconds then back down again . Breakfast was egg and b2. Tomorrow bill takes over as I'm back to work for her morning feeding and taking care of her.


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## robin416

I've been thinking about this since another forum member is having an issue with what appears to be a B12 deficiency. Use Nutri Drench after she's up to supplement her if she starts to limp. That's what I used with Head Tuck my head injury bird when she tucked. It always brought her out of it. I just wouldn't use it full time since too much can be just as bad as too little.


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## Maryellen

Ok I'll do that, she responded good to it when i had given it to her before i got the b2


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## Maryellen

She can stand for a few seconds


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## robin416

That's good news.

Are her toes still curled?


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## Maryellen

Her toes are straightening out. Now she has almost straight toes . She still cant walk but she can stand , when she tried to walk her legs are still wobbly and she falls down. 
Today all the hens were pretty much inside their pen due to the rain. Priscilla was in the coop , i moved her out of the nest box do she could stretch her legs after her b2 breakfast which she are a little more then 3/4


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## robin416

She might get tired of the egg so you might need to mix it in something else.


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## Maryellen

Tomorrow I'm going to try oatmeal


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## Maryellen

She stood a little bit more tonight . Ate some grass , oregano, basil, and crumble


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## Maryellen

She took a few steps this morning!!!!!!!

Then laid down but that's ok she is standing s few seconds more each time


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## robin416

I don't enough about this kind of deficiency to tell you just what to expect on her progression. I'm sitting here wondering if upping her B would be a good idea? But then there are the possible side effects. How long does it take for those to happen? Can a short time burst of the extra get her up faster without the side effects? 

I would also like to know what is going on with this B vitamin deficiency since it wasn't just your girl. This makes the third or fourth bird in a very short time.

Maybe she'll be taking even more steps by the weekend.


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## Maryellen

She is the 2nd one Dora was the first. The other hen died from an impacted gizzard stuffed with oyster shells and Gertrude had a tumor


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## Maryellen

When i first got the tetras two died as chicks then we got two more as i had three to start ,so maybe this line that tsc sold had genetic issues?


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## Maryellen

She is using her wings to steady herself too. As her feet keep crossing over each other


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## robin416

We've had two others on the forum that appeared to be thiamine deficiency, another B vitamin. Either folks are becoming more aware and willing to ask about it or something is not right out there with the feed. 

Let's hope its happening just because she hasn't been using the muscles for a week and that as the B builds up in her body she'll get her co-ordination back. At least she's trying and you didn't see her doing that in the early going, did you?


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## Maryellen

She is trying and has more coordination, i am hoping its just from laying down all the time and her legs are weak


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## Maryellen

She walked from the front of the coop to the last nesting box tonight, so she is getting. Stronger


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## robin416

Yes!!! Very pleased to read that. It's hard doing this over the computer and hoping that the owner is describing things in a way that it's is possible to toss out some ideas.


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## Maryellen

She walked from the front of the coop to the back , and I got it on video


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## robin416

Keep giving her the B for a while. After that, I just don't know if or how long she should stay on it.


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## Maryellen

I'll give the poultry drench only when she is recovered and off the b2


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## robin416

You have to be careful with the nutri drench also. 

OK,I finally found the list of ingredients in nutri drench. It does not have B2 in it, so it will not help her. But it does have vitamins that can build up in the body fat and cause toxicity. I didn't find what the daily percentage of each ingredient so I can't say when it could become a problem. 

BTW, I keep forgetting to say this. The curled toes you mentioned was the thing that led to the B2 deficiency guess on my part. That's why I can become so repetitive when folks leave out information. You didn't. You noticed right away that her feet were not normal.


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## Maryellen

I try to give as much info as possible , I've been learning its better to give more then less.
Ok so I'll go easy on the poultry drench just until i see she is back to normal then stop it.


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## Maryellen

I cant figure out how to put the YouTube video i took with my iPhone of her walking on here grrrr


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## robin416

The nutri drench will not help her with her B2 deficiency since there is none in nutri drench. She's going to have to say on the B2 for a while yet.

I wish others would do that. Not enough do and it can get frustrating, especially after asking repeatedly for the information.


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## Maryellen

Today we put Priscilla out of the coop in the chicken yard with the other he's as its finally nice out and not storming. We gave her a bowl of food and water too. We'll she decided to walk away from the bowls!! 
She is slowly walking more and walked from outside in the grass to in the pen where the food and water are. She hopefully will continue to improve. I can't thank you enough Robin. If it wasn't for you I would have never figured it out..


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## robin416

Sometimes we are just too close to a situation to think clearly and rationally. You could have probably found the info online. The plus is that by asking you're helping me to remember the things I learned over the years. And not all have as clear a picture as your girl, those toes were the magic words.

If there's a chance for recovery, I'm no kill. But I will take the steps necessary to end suffering when the outcome appears to not be the one desired.

And you're very welcome. Just keep her on that B2 for at least a week.


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## Maryellen

And she walked around so much she now isn't walking bill said she walked by the water tank ,bushes, pen to food and water and then laid down under the coop in the pen area. She still won't walk ,her toes are still straight. I am hoping she just overdid it todsy. Tomorrow it's going to rain all day again so she will be in the coop for precaution as she can't climb the ramp to get back in the coop if she is outside.


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## robin416

Keeping her up for a bit probably won't hurt.


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## Maryellen

She won't stand up, I tried three times to get her to stand up and she just laid back down. She is losing weight too as I am always carrying her and I can feel she is not as plump as she used to be before she couldn't walk. Her poop isn't normal either, it smells bad and it's not solid like it was prior to her getting sick, it's more brown ,a bit smelly and isn't round like normal chicken poop.
I make sure she has a full bowl of water and food right at her reach plus she has grass access to


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## Maryellen

And she laid an egg today too


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## Maryellen

OK liquid b2 is 8.5mg.... Capsules are 100mg.. liquid doesn't work Priscilla left foot is curled up and she can't walk. I'm giving the capsules again


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## Maryellen

I have found with this to check the MG amount niw, as liquid doesn't always have the same mg amount


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## robin416

If its easier to give the liquid you can up the amount you give her. I'm not liking that this is happening with that small of a reduction. 

Check your B complex, see what the daily amount is in the B complex. 

Another thing that you can get and mix the B in is Kaytee hand rearing mix for cage birds. They love it and she'll lick the bowl clean.


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## Maryellen

I'm back!!!


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## Maryellen

I have Kaytee baby bird powder formula here I will. Give it to her too


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## Maryellen

The b100 has 100mg of riboflavin


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## Maryellen

She ate the bird food,eggs,b2 and b100 again, she acts like she is starving and I have food and water in her box.
She pooped a huge log of poop before, like dog size. It was really smelly and brown underneath as I scooped it up .


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## robin416

I'm at the airport waiting on Hobbs just mixed to be in the KT


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## robin416

robin416 said:


> I'm at the airport waiting on Hobbs just mixed to be in the KT


I was not drunk when I sent that. Siri was.

How did you get back?


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## Maryellen

I logged in at home when I found my password lol


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## robin416

That always helps if you want to post and not just lurk. 

BTW, after five hours they cancelled the hubs flight. Its up in the air on whether or not he's coming in tomorrow.


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## Maryellen

Oh no that stinks! Stupid airlines


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## robin416

They had one heck of a T-storm where he was at. Then the t-storms kept building so that take off was only safe in one direction. At a major ap that's a huge problem.

I should be going to get him at some point today. As long as there are no more storms.


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## Maryellen

Yeah tstorms are bad to fly in, bad he had to wait but better to wait then fly in them


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## Maryellen

She still has semi curled feet, stands occasionally and is now refusing the b2 in any food I give her..


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## robin416

Try putting it in either the nutri drench or in about a cc of molasses. Birds usually like the taste quite a bit of either one. 

There might be more going on that you can't see.


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## Maryellen

I think there is more going on too, same with Dora I kept treating her she got better then worse. 
She eats like she is starving yet her bowl is in front of her, the other hens don't touch it as they are outside when she is in the coop. Her feet are still curling and yet she can stand and straighten them out , but is mostly laying down


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## Maryellen

She walked out of the coop today, but is still refusing the b2


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## robin416

Is she alone? It might be time to to put her with the others so she has company. That might mean keeping them all in the run for a while.


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## Maryellen

She has been with them the whole time, she walks out of the coop and goes under it. If I keep everyone in the pen they will start picking on each other and starting squabbles and I really don't want that to happen as they are all getting along really good


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## robin416

I was kind of hoping that she was suffering separation anxiety. 

You might have to start dosing her with the liquid B. That's better than nothing at all.


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## Maryellen

I'll been putting it in her water too in case she wouldn't eat it. She can stand for a few seconds and walk a bit, bit she is now going to the back of the coop and under all the way in the back of the pen under the coop where we have to crawl in to get her. I used a syringe this morning (no needle) to try to get her to eat the b2 but she refused to cooperate, as soon as she smells it she is done


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## robin416

Have you tried to put it in molasses? It will cover the taste quite effectively. I had to dose Head Tuck for a week with prednisone, my vet made up a suspension with the molasses flavor, she drank it straight from the spoon once she got a taste.


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## Maryellen

I'll try the molasses in the morning


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## Maryellen

And she only ate a bit of the molasses...


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## Maryellen

She walked into the coop today to lay an egg so that's a good sign, her legs are still wobbly though, but at least she is staying the same or a bit better .


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## robin416

I know this is getting frustrating but she still needs the B. Have you tried yogurt? Or you might have to resort to forcing her to take the liquid without anything added to it. When I have one that is just not willing to take something, I mix it in something like the nutridrench and then drop by drop administer it to the bird.


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## Maryellen

She is being a royal pain, now when she sees me she goes to the back of the coop and I have to climb in and grab her. She got it today with molasses and strawberries
She doesn't realize I have droppers and will outsmart her lol.
Yogurt will be next, I also have a bowl of b2 water and I drop ground up veggies in it so every time she gets a veggie she gets some b2 water, and that is helping too along with me dosing her


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## robin416

Smart on the veggies. Sometimes we have to try and out think them. Watermelon might be another trick.


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## Maryellen

Rice,green beans , b2, yogurt are a hit lol


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## Maryellen

She is now walking in and out of coop on her own, and still getting the b2.


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## robin416

Excellent, if you can make sure she gets it at least every other day. Maybe as she matures she will do better and better at using the B she needs. Sometimes they do grow out of issues that are there as young birds.


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## Maryellen

She is still a bit wobbly so I'm going to keep giving it till she is steady on her feet. I am hoping a few more days


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## Maryellen

She is still limping on her right leg, getting around decently though


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## Maryellen

Last night she actually climbed the ladder and roosted with the others, she is still limping thouugh, so she is still getting the b2 every morning


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## Maryellen

So she is back to limping on her right leg again. I stopped the b2 and two days later back to limping. .


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## Maryellen

She is back to sleeping on the bottom of the coop and isn't roosting anymore


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## robin416

I don't know how I missed you older update but I did.

I don't know what to think about her and why you can't get her off the B. I'll see if I can find anything that gives any reason why it looks like she has to stay on it. Not sure I will but I'll give it a try.


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## robin416

From College of Agriculture website
POULTRY EXTENSION - SMALL AND BACKYARD FLOCKS Vitamin B1 deficiencies result from an inadequate level in the diet. Other causes of a deficiency include excess Amprol (used to treat or control coccidiosis) in the diet; moldy feed; or by rancid fat oxidation. A deficiency typically takes three weeks to develop. Vitamin B1 is needed for formation of a coenzyme involved in the function of the nervous system.

http://homesteadontherange.com/vitamin-b2-riboflavin/

It keeps going back to the feed. But it still might be her.

Grogel Plus B, Rooster Booster Poultry Cell, Kaytee Exact Hand Feeding Forumla

Since she's giving you so much grief about the B you can try any of the above things. All contain the B2, the Rooster Booster had the 30 mcg they recommend for daily intake. The Hand Rearing formula they consider yummy but it doesn't say how much B2 is in it. The Grogel Plus B has all of the B vitamins, no electrolytes.

One of my birds will drink the Rooster Booster out of spoon. Most of my birds think the Kaytee is to die for and fight over it.


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## Maryellen

I updated today so don't worry. I don't get it either, every time she is off the b2 she goes back again to limping. I gave her another pill tonight . I mean almost out of the Purina crumble and am not sure whether to get more or not. She was raised on dumor and always did fine on that, which is weird as Purina owns that, but once I switched the chickens from dumor to Purina and d nutrena I started having issues. Or its a coincidence?


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## robin416

What you can do is call your state vet, ask him/her if there is a lab you can send some of the feed to to see if it contains everything it should. I checked, so far there are no recalls. I don't like that there are two birds on this forum that have the same problem. I mean, if we were heavily trafficked then maybe. But two with such light traffic makes no sense.

Since you can not tell the date on the Purina, it might be old. TSC will sell it right up to the 6th month the sales people will tell them is good.


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## walnutdale22

Would it be helpful if I posted updates, etc, on this topic since we are dealing with the same thing?


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## robin416

So many don't provide updates when things are moving in the direction they should so that we never know if what we told them worked. So, updates are much appreciated. It's all about learning and doing the best that we can do. The only way that can happen is with other's experiences and outcomes. 

If I hadn't raised Silkies I might not recognize so quickly when it appears to be a nutrition issue. Silkies are almost a built in laboratory for all things nutrition. 

And if you read about issues others have had you can learn a great deal. Although, some things that were done I would never recommend. I'm dead set against the use of antibiotics just because. And I will say so when I read someone threw them at their bird for no good reason. 

I am dead set against VetRX. As far as I'm concerned what they recommend is snake oil. There are no ingredients in it that will do what they say. The only thing I've found it's good for is shining a rooster's comb for a show.


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## Maryellen

Well back on b2 and Priscilla is roosting again.... so basically either she can't process b2 or she can't get purina..


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## robin416

If you switch back to Dumor, keep her on the B2 for a few days. Then wean her off it to see what happens.


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## Maryellen

That's what I'm going to try, and see what happens


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## Maryellen

Dam I didn't see ur post about the rooster booster.. I have the kaytee formula and she hates it lol..
I'll get the rooster booster. She was on the roost last night but tonight on the coop floor as the b2 is out of the water. They are all on the dumor now. I have feather fixer mixed in as some are molting


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## robin416

Try adding some sugar to the Kaytee, sometimes that gives it the pop some of them seem to want. I've been giving it to mine lately just because it's here. My two Hamburgs and King the ten year old go nuts over it. The others take a taste and wander off. King is the one that will drink the Rooster Booster out of the spoon. The Hamburgs probably would too if I let them.


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## Maryellen

I can't find the rooster booster I'm trying online.
Priscilla is walking a tad better, still limping but it's improved a hair on the dumor. I loaded the water with b2 so once that's done let's see what happens. .


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## robin416

I'm beginning to wonder if she has a malabsorption problem. And I mentioned at some point in this missive that she might have something else going on internally. I would have expected her to rally more than this if it was just the low B.

It might be worth giving her B Complex to see if you see even more improvement.


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## robin416

TSC should have the Poultry Cell. That's where I picked up the bottle I have now.


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## Maryellen

I'm thinking that is what happened to her sister Dora to who had wry neck


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## robin416

No, Dora had something else going on. I would not have been surprised if a brain tumor hadn't been found on necropsy. That circle thing was just wrong for so many reasons.


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## Maryellen

Lol I was looking for the words rooster booster, I saw poultry cell but walked past it


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## robin416

Just so you know, you are not the only one that has to deal with these issues. I'm feeding Head Tuck the Kaytee with a cc of Poultry Cell and a dollop of sugar in it. She started tucking her head between her legs again. It's from an old brain injury and when she gets stressed she tucks. This heat probably means she's not eating enough and has started this all over again. But at nine, it's a miracle she's even still around.


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## rosco47

*disclaimer: I probably know the least about chickens in this room
but based on what I know about OUR bodies and nutrition, I lean towards your hen having a digestive issue absorbing nutrients. would likely need to be supplemented her entire life.
just my 2 cents


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## robin416

rosco47 said:


> *disclaimer: I probably know the least about chickens in this room
> but based on what I know about OUR bodies and nutrition, I lean towards your hen having a digestive issue absorbing nutrients. would likely need to be supplemented her entire life.
> just my 2 cents


I'm leaning that way too. We won't know for certain until she tries to take her off it. It's also why I suggested the B complex because she should be up on her feet by now.


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## Maryellen

She is walking with a slight limp now, b2 is almost out of water and now all on dumor crumble, she isn't roosting again and is sleeping on bottom of coop in the sand (which is nice and cool with the hot weather we have. She is not laying any eggs now


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## walnutdale22

I have to wonder if Rosco is correct in his thinking. I afraid what will happen if I stop the B-2.


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## robin416

walnutdale22 said:


> I have to wonder if Rosco is correct in his thinking. I afraid what will happen if I stop the B-2.


You're bird is younger than Maryellen's so yours still has a bit of wiggle room for growing out hers.

Maryellen, how much are you putting in the water? She may not be getting a high enough dose putting it in the water.

What I'm doing with Head Tuck when she's not particularly interested in eating the Kaytee mixture is dosing her with a CC of the Poultry Cell. That way I know she's getting the full dose I want her to have.

I get down on the ground with her, put her between my knees and use one hand to open her beak and dose her with the other. Being between my knees she can't get away since I've got her totally restrained.


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## rosco47

this has got me to thinking. many times your body's inability to metabolize food and absorb certain nutrients is linked to something else that is going on. also there may be something else that would enable her body to NATURALLY absorb these nutrients.

...i'll do some digging


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## robin416

You're spot on with your thinking, Rosco. Way back in the beginning I mentioned that this could be something more. Especially since Maryellen experienced other losses from the same line of birds.


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## rosco47

bring me up to speed- I have not sifted through all the pages of info in this thread. how old is Priscilla?


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## robin416

You are kidding, right? 

I'm not certain she ever gave a specific age, my guess is the one to one and half year old range. Now I can't even remember the breed but she got them all at the same time. Last year one suddenly started an almost stargazing type posturing. The issue was the bird also turned circles, not something you see with star gazing. She tried treating her for it but the bird continued to go downhill. 

I might have some of this wrong since a lot of words have been exchanged with her and others in the mean time.


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## rosco47

I'm going to go with an enzyme issue. seems like her system isn't producing enough of a certain enzyme to breakdown nutrients. does anyone know if you can supplement digestive enzymes in poultry?

also, I see that most B vitamins are prevalent in animal protein- eggs, chicken, red meat. I have read some info about the type of protein currently used in most chicken feed being veggi based...could have something to do with it. most B vitamins must be bound with a protein in order to be metabolized and absorbed...again though, a deficiency of certain digestive enzymes could inhibit this whole process all together.

any thoughts? again, on all things chicken, I am likely the least knowledgeable in the room...


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## robin416

But there is much that is human that can be applied so you're thinking has merit. You are also on to something about the soy based protein being the majority of the protein source and maybe not being right for many. They have shown that males who ingest a lot of soy suffer low fertility. I don't think I've ever come across a fix for a lack of enzymes that are missing in a body.

Way in the back when, I was unhappy with my bird's feathering. I went in search of more knowledge. Those that have raised birds since the beginning of time swore that animal based protein was the only way to go. The search was on. I found Nutrena game bird with animal protein. Within months the sheen on the white birds feathers was like I had taken a polishing cloth to them. Then Nutrena went to the dark side and I began searching again and found a local mill for my feed. They've been on locally produced feed ever since because they use animal protein in their feeds.


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## rosco47

most digestive enzyme supplements for animals are all for dogs and cats. many different forms. I would take the label of a few to a vet and get their thoughts about giving it to poultry...just a thought

also antibiotics and potassium replacement supplements can really hinder the absorption of a lot of key nutrients including B vitamins. something else to consider. not sure if the feed you are using contains any antibiotics of if you use an electrolyte supplement that might have high levels of potassium?

I'm hanging my hat on enzyme problem, lack of animal-based protein or antibiotics. in that order. I know you mentioned feeding b vitamin mixed with scrambled egg earlier in this thread. eggs naturally have very high levels B vitamins. you might have been onto something there.


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## robin416

Unless she's been hiding giving them antibiotics, I highly doubt it, it's not that. 

What is interesting is its only the one breed she's having issues with. It is very possible that they are from the same line and that there is a problem in the breeders.


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## rosco47

that's interesting. like all living things, some breeds may be more prone to certain issues. but as you pointed out Robin, very likely it has to do with the particular breeder and their bloodlines. 

to address the issue though, prognosis...I would start with enzymes and protein source and go from there


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## Maryellen

Wow you are all amazing!!
OK let's see if I can fill you in.
Priscilla is a tetra I got ftom tractor supply April 7, 2014. She was two days old when I got her and her sisters, her one sister died after 3 days. Her other sister died after 4 days. We got 2 replacement tetras. They started on dumor crumble ,and I had 3 rsl. All 6 were fed dumor at start. Then I switched to Purina crumble thinking it was better. All 6 he s did good and at laying age started laying eggs. 
Dora got sick in sept 2014 with wry neck . I treated her for a month then she got worse so I had her euthanized. She got b vitamins. Tumeric, vitamin e, selenium to help the e. Her neck got a bit better then she started walking in circles ( I have a seperate thread here somewhere on her and the videos are on YouTube under mprincess.)

After she died the other 2 tetras were ok. Then I had chipmunk an EE I got from someone gorge herself on oyster shells and died from an impacted gizzard, all hens were on purina at this time. Then Gertrude a bantam EE that I got with chipmunk got sick, x-rays showed a mass on her liver pushing her liver into her other organs, she died as well. They were all on a local feed in between the Purina , and went local feed. Then nutrena then back to purina. Then Priscilla got sick when I was feeding the nutrena and local feed. So I put everyone back on purina as my Gertrude and chipmunk died when I fed the local feed.
So on the Purina Priscilla gets worse, limping on one leg and listless.. I give her poultry drench till I cN get b2 vitamins. Once I got the b2 into her she improved dramatically, so I kept her on it till the limp went away and she was roosting . 
Take away b2 and she is back to limping and not roosting. Take them all off purina and all 12 are on dumor crumble for layers.
I was giving her one b2 twice a day. Now I put 3 b2 pills in a 3 gal water container. Plus she gets scrambled eggs with liquid b2.


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## Maryellen

No electrolytes either


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## Maryellen

I added feather fixer too to add more protein


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## robin416

The question, if it is an enzyme problem, which one? And if we know that is it even available or effective given orally? I have never seen anything that says that it can be corrected in humans so I doubt there is anything there for poultry. I know that some humans do better with diet adjustments, others are on feeding tubes for their lifetime. But that also seems to depend on what the human is missing.


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## robin416

This will give you an idea on how complicated it is to know which/what might be causing the issue. It also appears it is established for most with DNA testing.

http://www.encyclopedia.com/topic/Metabolic_diseases.aspx


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## rosco47

I would honestly try contacting a trustworthy vet. tell them you think your chicken has an enzyme deficiency and asked how they would go about correcting it? supplementation?if there is an enzyme complex suitable for poultry I would start there. also have you tried supplementing a b12? they make an oral b12 supplement now for folks. honestly a lot of your symptoms sound like a b12 deficiency as well.

based on the fact that most nutrients are absorbed in the small intestine, a good probiotic suitable for poultry might help as well. it definitely wouldn't hurt if there is such a thing?again I would recommend discussing all of this with a vet... Which I am NOT


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## rosco47

http://m.phys.org/news/2013-06-poultry-enzyme-cocktail-chicken.html

Just found this interesting article on chicken enzymes. Pay attention to what they are saying about phosphorus. Sounds real close to your symptoms!


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## rosco47

http://www.novusint.com/media/novus...fits-of-protease-enzymes-to-poultry-producers

If you can get your hands on this, it may be worth looking into


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## Maryellen

B2 is out of water now, Priscilla is still limping but not as prominent. If I give her b2 the limp goes almost away


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## Maryellen

And limping is worse.... no more b2 in water and her limp is worse.


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## rosco47

Have you tried supplementing enzymes?


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## Maryellen

I emailed the company and am waiting for a reply. Two days of no b2 and she is limping big time


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## Maryellen

Can I get enzymes anywhere? Like on amazon?


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## rosco47

I would recommend asking a vet. But I would personally try getting some online if I was comfortable enough with my research.


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## Maryellen

I ordered some online with poultry cell


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## walnutdale22

What did you order because I'm having a similar problem with one of my hens. Thanks


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## Maryellen

I ordered poultry cell and big Ole bird probiotics, if that doesn't work I'll try something else. My vet will want to see Priscilla and a vet visit will run me close to $100 so I'm opting for this for now


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## Maryellen

I put 3 b2 capsules back in the water and she is improving slowly. Her remaining sister isn't showing any symptoms. I'm feeding dumor crumbles with feather fixer pellets mixed together.


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## Maryellen

Walnut dale 22 what is your hens symptoms?


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## rosco47

has the order arrived yet? or are you putting her on the B2 until it does? it would be good to only have her on the enzymes to see if that is the solution...


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## Maryellen

The order is supposed to arrive today. I had to put her back on the b2 as she couldn't walk the other day. Once the b2 is out of the water I'll use the poultry cell rooster booster


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## walnutdale22

My post was "5 month old hen can't walk". On July 4, I found her laying down. Tried to get her up, but she could not walk. On her hocks and feet curled. After I posted Robin416 replied to my post and said about your hen. So, I got her B2 and gave her a tablet of that in the AM with yogurt and then Poly-Vi-Sol in the evening until I found out about the Poultry Cell by Rooster Booster. Within 4 days, she was able to walk so I slowly put her back with the flock(while continuing the B2, etc.)and would bring her in at night. She was fine for over a week and then last Wednesday I found her down again in the run. This time, her right leg was the problem. Toes totally curled, but her left leg is fine. Put her back in the dog crate and there has been no improvement whatsoever. She is still laying eggs, however, and her spirits are fine. This is my favorite hen and just don't know what to do. Taking my lab to vets tomorrow for her annual and will ask vet about it tomorrow. Not too many vets around here deal with avian problems. I don't know know if she injured her right leg or not since her left leg is totally fine, whereas, both legs were affected when I first found her down on July 4. I guess my only option then, if no one can help is to put her down, which I will ask the vet to do because I cannot do it. I mean, she sees me coming with the yogurt on the spoon and she hobbles her way to me. Just sad and it breaks my heart. All the other hens are fine and I have 12 others.


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## Maryellen

What breed is she? 
Mine too couldn't walk one day, then when I mentioned the toes curled Robin researched and said b2 deficiency. My other tetra died of wry neck, she was Priscilla ' s sister. I got 3 of them at tractor supply a year ago
If I keep b2 in Priscilla she bounces back 95%. Lay's eggs and walks aroubd with the others. If I don't give her b2 faithfully she gets worse. I have chickens more for bug control and as pets, so mine are not a $$ maker for me. She looks happy when she can walk. I too thought a sprain in her left leg, but once the b2 hits she barely limps. I was feeding her scrambled eggs and yogurt and mixed veggies all coated in b2


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## walnutdale22

She is a Dominique. I got her and the others from Meyer Hatchery in February. I got a "brown egg assortment" The others are Plymouth Barred Rocks, a Buff Orpington, New England Reds and the Dominiques. 

We have a small roost out in the run and I saw her get on it one day last week and I went out and got her down thinking that she may hurt herself getting down. So, I have to wonder if she didn't injure herself since it is only the right leg and she was totally fine. I don't know. I use my hens for the eggs, but I have gotten attached to all of these in this bunch. Haven't felt this way since my first hens 8 or so years ago and have never had a problem like that. 

Question is, how long do you allow them to not have the quality of life like the others have?


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## Maryellen

I thought mine hurt her leg too, I had put aspirin in the water and she got a bit betrer. Then it got worse. I don't know who tractor supply gets their chicks from but my first 3 I got 2 dird, then I got 2 replacements which were Dora and priscilla, those two had issues starting months ago. I'm waiting for the other tetra to show sonething. I put the rooster booster in the water tonight so hopefully it will work


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## Maryellen

Poultry cell in water and priscilla is still limping. Better then before, but still not back to normal


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## robin416

How are you dosing the poultry cell? I would hit her hard and heavy with the B, just the B not the poultry cell or I should say with the poultry cell. Three caps in water does not mean she's getting all that she needs. The B in Poultry cell is the required daily amount. So either give her a more than one capsule of B or draw up double what you've been giving to her in the liquid.

You need to know that she's getting what she needs. The waterer mix is not it.


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## Maryellen

I'LL syringe her the poultry cell in scrambled eggs , that way she gets it all


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## robin416

No, the B. The Poultry Cell contains other vitamins. She evidently is not able to absorb the B like she needs to and you're trying to find if doses of B will fix her issues. You might have up her dose of B to finally get her right.


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## Maryellen

Oh ok. I'll put 3 pills in eggs and see if 3 b pills works twice a day or once a day


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## robin416

If she's still fussing try for once a day. The idea is to get her b levels up. See if the limp goes away. Since she is up and moving around we know that the B has had a benefit, now it's time to establish what she needs to stop the limp. If it goes away gradually reduce the B until you see the limp returning. 

It appears she is going to have to stay on it.


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## Maryellen

3 b2 pills in dinner . Tomorrow will do the same... I take her away from flick to feed her so she gets it all


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## robin416

Good. Now it's back to wait and see, the part we all hate so much. And believe it or not, this isn't easy for me either. I don't want her to suffer because I told you something wrong. The B is fairly safe but if there is some other cause for this then it means you did all of this and still didn't get the outcome you wanted.


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## Maryellen

3 b2 last night in eggs and her limp is much better. I also have two waters in the pen one with ol big bird and one plain


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## Maryellen

I'm going to give 3 b2 a day and see how it goes


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## robin416

Wishful thinking on the limp? 

I sure hope you're right.


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## Maryellen

E b2 pills again tonight. Still limping but not like the other night


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## robin416

This really is not good. Even with the heavy doses you're not seeing complete clearing of her lameness. And it's appearing more and more like she's going to have to be on the B for the rest of her life.


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## Maryellen

This morning her limp is almost gone. She got 6 b2 pills total yestetday.

Thus morning she got 3 more


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## Maryellen

Last night she also roosted instead of sleeping on the floor of the coop


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## Maryellen

She is still getting g b2 and still limping, not badly but still limping.. I have supplements in the water and she gets b2 twice a day


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## robin416

There isn't much more I can suggest. We know she collapses if she's taken off it. This may be as good as it gets for her. If she's living life and able to keep up then just keeping her dosed from now on is the only option.


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## Maryellen

She is doing good , limping but is forsging, dusting, and holding her own. She still runs the show so that's a good thing


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## Maryellen

And today the 3 rsl tried to kill her. They ganged up on her and then 2 ameracaunas joined in. I had to pull them off her twice. She is now in the nursery coop for her own protection, she is trying to get out but I can't let her. If she gets out the rsl will kill her


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## robin416

I suspect something more than vitamin deficiency is going on with her.

I was thinking about her last night, too. I was hoping someone else would pop in with some other suggestions.


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## Maryellen

I know I shouldn't seperate her, but they are relentless today for some reason, she hid in the nesting box for 2 hours


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## Maryellen

And I know I should let nature take its course but I can't as I am a sucker. She us more pet then livestock to me


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## robin416

Get the brooder coop back out. Find a friend for her and put them together. She won't have much of a life if she's forced to live by herself, that's something that can make chickens very depressed.


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## casportpony

Is it possible that she has some type of parasite load that's keeping her from absorbing enough vitamins?


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## Maryellen

The nursery coop is out and she is in it. I'm waiting for her sister to come out from under the deck to put her with her to see if she will not attack her. She dust bathes I've seen her and I checked her over before no bugs on her at all. I don't understand what happened, but the 3 rsl have it in for her and she is terrified.


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## Maryellen

She was fine with them yesterday, everyone was out together like they have been every day and all of a sudden today something changed, she used to be the lead hen but once she started limping another hen took over Henrietta my ameracauna. But this morning it all turned bad


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## Maryellen

I dusted everyone last week too.


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## Maryellen

Grabbed her sister and they are both in nursery coop. I have to add back the larger area wire once I find it too and add some roosts.


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## seminole wind

I would give her multi B vitamin . I read something about one B vitamin crowding other B's out. Some people suggest vitamin E, too. 

I have 3 living together right now that started getting attacked by others in the flock. No idea why. One is a gimpy healed broken leg hen, the other 2 were not coming in to get food and water . They are in a pen in the middle of all the other chickens, but safe.

She may have hurt her leg. Check for Bumblefoot. How old is she?


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## seminole wind

If she is really not eating, or looks like she wants to eat but doesn't, or is wasting and her breast bone is sticking out, you can tube feed her with the Kaytee, water, and vitamins. Maybe 1/2 a baby aspirin. Casportpony is a very detailed person who teaches tube feeding. 

I have fed raw egg and pieces of bread in a bowl with some sugar and my last two wolfed it down. 

Have you had any other limpers? How old is she?


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## robin416

I know it's hard to pick up in the middle of a long drawn out story. She had another from that same group that might have died from a brain tumor. I only say that because of the behavior of the bird. 

Every time she tries to reduce the B the bird goes down. Put her back on it and the bird is up again, usually within two days.


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## Maryellen

She eats and drinks and forages grear. Gets b2 twice a day plus other stuff , limp is there buy much better on b2 and other liquids.


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## Maryellen

Her sister has been pacing non stop since I put her In the pen. So they are both out and I'm standing g guard over priscilla.she will go in nursery coop tonight with her sister. She is also afraid of one of the roosters. He walked toward her and she freaked out and ran away


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## Maryellen

She is fine with all the hens but the 3 rsl. I don't know why they are hanging up on her


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## Maryellen

It's one rsl that starts it. She was just with all the hens and the rsl and was fine. Then the bigger one went after the back of her head where she was pecked. I put blue cote on it and will put her in the nursery coop with her sister later on.


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## robin416

Then the simple answer is to lock that bird up, do not let it out no matter how much it paces. If this keeps up it's probably time to rehome the trouble makers. Why have them disturbing the peace and tranquility of the rest of the flock?


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## Fiere

Red sex links, at least in my experience, if coming from their own flock form tight bonds and kick arse on the "different" birds. The single hen I have left of my RSLs rules the roost, when her 11 sisters were with her I called them The Harpies for their nature in the flock. They killed hens they didn't like for fun. If yours are exhibiting such animosity towards this hen I would not keep putting the hen with them until she was well and truly healed.


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## Maryellen

The rsl were raised with the tetras as babies, I put Blu cote on her wound and will see what happens when it heals. I don't want Priscilla stressing out that's for sure. The trouble makers are my best egg layers. I sell alot of eggs at work (10 doz every 2 weeks) , and I really don't want to lose 3 hens right now, I'm keeping Priscilla away from them until her neck heals then will see then, it's one rsl that starts it then the others join in.


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## Maryellen

Priscilla ' s sister is the one that was pacing, she is fine with all the other hens.


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## Maryellen

Priscilla will stay in the nursery till her neck heals, and go with the other hens when I am home watching her. If the one rsl offend er keeps going after her then I will rehome her or put her in the nursery by herself for two weeks , then she will come out with a lower status


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## Maryellen

Should I put her pacing sister back in with her in the nursery?


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## Maryellen

She is all snuggled up in the nursery coop. Her neck is starting to heal. I plan on putting her back full time once her neck heals after I see how the one rsl acts with me watching them . If the one rsl goes after her I will put the rsl in the nursery and priscilla back with the hens.
Of course my first forage in Chickens and I get the troubled ones and **** starters


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## robin416

if she bloodies her again, put some blue kote on the wounds. That will keep the other from picking at it.


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## Maryellen

She has blue cote on now, if the rsl attacks her again that rsl will go in the nursery by herself. Priscilla will be healing first before she goes back


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## Maryellen

And the rsl went after the rooster .. wth....


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## Maryellen

The 3 rsl are going tonight to a friend . They get the other hens riled up and attacked priscilla again.


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## Maryellen

They are now in a new home. The rest of my hens are already looking more relaxed.


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## seminole wind

It's happened to me a handful of times now where a group gets along just fine and one day they are all jumping on one chicken. Even sisters!


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## Maryellen

Last night she was more relaxed. So we're the others which is good.


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## seminole wind

I know what you're saying. My group of 4 outcasts are very calm and comfy now. It's funny to watch them figure out that no one is coming to attack them.


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## Maryellen

Today was better too, everyone is more relaxed, and the newer ones are foraging more and there isn't any bullying going on


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## seminole wind

Sounds like the right combo.


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## Maryellen

Yep much better combo, all the hens are more relaxed. I hated to sell them they were my best egg layers but I needed harmony more


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## Maryellen

And priscilla is back in the nursery coop, I don't know who did it but her neck is all bloody.. right under where I put the blue kote is another wound, so she is back in the nursery coop again. I'm going to keep her there as long as I can weather wise. My husband said he saw the rooster peck her once today. But I don't know if any other hens did or how many times. The rsl are all gone so it wasn't them, they were hard on her. Which is odd as they all grew up together as babies. She was the head hen till she started limping. I cleaned up her neck and put meds on it and she is now seperate but still next to the others.


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## Alaskan

I had one hen, that was just fine ... But had a dropped shoulder.

Every so often she would take a dust bath and if she ended up on her bad side, couldn't get back up.

Whenever that happened the other chickens were MERCILESS!!! 

It was a horror show... I couldn't figure out how to fix the problem.


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## Alaskan

Oh! My point! 

Look very closely and see if there is something that is setting off the blood bath.


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## Maryellen

She limps, has a b2 deficiency so gets b2 every day. Since I got rid of the 3 rsl that always attacked her I thought things calmed down but apparently some one else is picking in her


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## Maryellen

Her neck last night when I got home from work










It's right under the blue kote, it looks bad, I cleaned it all up and it's feathers pulled out which bled alot. She has medicine on it. I'm going to put more vetericylyn on it again tonight


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## Alaskan

Poor girl!

A wound like that should heal up nicely though.


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## seminole wind

Does the rooster do that while mounting?


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## Maryellen

My rooster is good with the hens and doesn't try to hurt them, with this either he grabbed right under her healing wound or another hen pecked her hard. Either way she is now fenced in a seperate coop for healing.
None of the other hens are missing neck feathers I went over each one last night


----------



## Alaskan

I have two hens now that have lots of feathers missing on their necks... I cant decide if it is a horrid molt, the rooster, or feather eating by other hens.


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## Maryellen

They are molting too, so less feathers makes it look even worse.
I'm feeding feather fixer and it's helping make their molt not as bad


----------



## seminole wind

I have seen my roo hold on to the hen by grabbing the feathers on the back of the neck. During a molt, it's even worse.


----------



## Maryellen

It's starting to heal, but I'm keeping her seperate still till its 100% healed to be sure, she is molting too and I don't want it to be worse. Yep Stanley grabs them there too.


----------



## Maryellen

I just hope the night weather stays warm as tge nursery coop she is in is not winterized.


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## Alaskan

How cold do you get? As long as it isn't a crazy sudden drop, she should be just fine.


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## Maryellen

It's gone down to 45 so far, 60, 55, 49, and days have been between 72-85. I can always bring her in the house too. She is molting I looked closely and she has pin feathers coming in


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## Maryellen

I loaded the coop with Timothy hay and put the curtains on her coop door opening.


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## Alaskan

45 is summer weather here. Blah.


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## robin416

Yeh, 40 is nothing. Zero is the time to be concerned about a lone bird. Right now she probably appreciates the cooler weather when she's got all those feathers keeping her warm.


----------



## Maryellen

Her head is healing good. But not fast enough. I'm going to put some local honey on it, I've used it on my dogs and it helped heal cuts faster so I'm going to try it on her


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## Maryellen

Her head is alot better, I figure a few more weeks she can go back with the hens


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## Alaskan

Awesome that she is improving!


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## seminole wind

Good news!!!


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## Maryellen

I can't wait for her to be back with them


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## Maryellen

More honey on her wound and it's healing up nicely. Hopefully by next weekend she can go back with the others. Her little group all forage neat her and they all nap together close to her wire area


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## Maryellen

She is almost back to normal, spends the day with the others and her coop at nifht, I am slowly integrating her back in


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## Alaskan

Getting better is GOOD!!


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## Maryellen

Tonight she put herself to bed with the others in the big coop. Normally she puts herself in the nursery coop she has been in for the past few weeks, but tonight when I counted she was with the others


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## Alaskan

Pretty cool that she decided for herself that she was feeling better.


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## seminole wind

I think it's funny when chickens invite themselves into a new home. I've had these 5 Polish in the past think of the silkies as ma and pa, and invite themselves to spend the night or a couple days with them. Then they go back to the main coop. It's kind of cute, and the silkie roo does act like pop.


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## Maryellen

She used to be in the big coop till she got hurt, I put her in the nursery/medical coop to heal. 
I'm glad she went back in the big coop, it means she feels well enough to stay with her group.


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## Maryellen

She put herself in the big coop again tonight


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## Alaskan

So good to hear!


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## Maryellen

She has been going on on her own, which I'd a great sign she feels better


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## Alaskan

I completely agree! A good appetite is a sign of good health.


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## Maryellen

And...... soft tissuee/ligament injury. ... house rest till spring..... so during the day she will go to the infirmary coop in the greenhouse with the other hens and inside at night. Cold/rainy days inside....
I think she is loving house life.. I ordered diapers so she can walk around the living room supervised so she doesn't jump and injure her leg more....
She is comfy lol

In the rabbit cage in the house










Outside in the infirmary coop in the greenhouse/chicken pen


























That's her sister here, not priscilla.


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## seminole wind

Nice area they have! I hope she heals fast. 

Is this different than the last time


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## Maryellen

I think it's the same injury just not healed, she jumped off the roost months ago and was limping. Every time I put her on house rest it gets better then I put her back too early and she reinjures .it.
Plus with. Her needing b2 her immune system isn't great for healing.
The greenhouse is a pen for the chickens if it snows and they can't free range, it's next to their coop so I just have to shovel a 6 foot long path for them to walk to it.


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## Maryellen

We saw the vet and xrays showed no bone injuries so vet feels it's soft tissue/ligament as she saw the way she was limping. She also has roundworms so I dewormed her and the flock yesterday and will redo in 10 days.


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## Maryellen

Her Initial Injury Was A Cut On Her Back Of Her neck


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## seminole wind

So you got snow already? 

As my Jerseys got older my roosts went from 5 foot to 4 foot now at 2 foot high. Now my silkies want a roost. That may be less than a foot high.


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## Maryellen

Nooo no snow yet.. but when we do get snow it's usually 2-3 feet at a time


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## Maryellen

My one silkie now roosts too, I gave a ladder they climb to the roosts which are almost 3 feet high










They climb it to go on and climb to come down and the bars are positioned to roost too


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## dawg53

I've dealt with quite a few strained/pulled tendon or ligament issues in standard size breeds, especially heavier birds. Lowering roosts and eliminating high places where they can jump down from will help eliminate leg problems.
Placing the injured bird in a cage for long term rest and relaxation is best. It prevents movement which can further aggravate and worsen the injury. You can mix vitamin B complex on or in her feed to eat. It may or may not help speed up recovery. Give the vitamin B complex for 7 days. Then remove her from the cage and see if there's improvement. If not, recage her and provide the vitamin B complex for 5 days. Then remove her from the cage and see if there's improvement. If not, recage her and stop the vitamin B complex. Then provide her comfort care. 
Leg injuries such as these require long term R&R, TIME heals. If the injury worsens without long term R&R, there will come a time that you will have to evaluate her quality of life and might have to put her down. 
I've had very good success with hens, not so good with roosters.
You've done a great job so far, but she needs to be caged for a longer time in order for the leg to properly heal.


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## seminole wind

I have one that's a poorly healed broken leg. The vet set it and didn't think it would heal. But it healed well enough for her to get around. I have her in a pen with no roost. I put 2 other outcasts in with her and they have no roost, only the top of a small dog house about 2 feet high. There are some days I have to give her aspirin because she sits around all day . But for the most part she's got good weight and a good appetite. But no roost for her.


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## Maryellen

Thanks dawg, she gets b vitamins too, when she landed wrong off the roost we lowered it, added the ladder and I had her on crate rest but I didn't do it long enough, now she Wil be inside till spring so 6 months should heal it, she is in a small rabbit cage and that is limiting her walking and there is no roost in it. The vet didn't want to cast or wrap her leg as she can't tell if it's truly ligament or soft tissue, so she said house rest is a must. She isn't heavy luckiky, so that helps. She is on an anti inflammatory too with vitamins as well. Yeah each time I put her back too soon as she reinjures it, so now she is housebound till spring, then I will see how it has healed.


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## Maryellen

I'm probably going to have to rehome my rooster as when he mounts her the limp gets really bad. She was doing good before I got him


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## seminole wind

Awww. Yea my hen with the limp is separated into a large pen with 2 other outcasts.


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## Maryellen

She won't go back out till her leg heals, I let her walk around with a diaper on so she gets some exercise. She is lucky as its now 21 degrees out


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## Maryellen

Pricillas leg is healing g really good, she still is in the house but on warm days she goes in the greenhouse in the nursery coop with the others. We are having spring weather now so it's been really warm out


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## dawg53

Maryellen said:


> Pricillas leg is healing g really good, she still is in the house but on warm days she goes in the greenhouse in the nursery coop with the others. We are having spring weather now so it's been really warm out


I like hearing good news, glad she's on the mend. Did you rehome the rooster?


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## seminole wind

Lucky Hen!


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## Maryellen

No I still have stanley. He is a really good rooster , good with people and the hens and only crows a few times in the morning. Priscilla has to stay inside for a few more months, then she will be gradually reintroduced again , like I'm doing now, she goes our on warm days with the flock but is in a nursery coop and pen so the others can see her and be around her but not touch ger. This way it's slow and gradual. He ligament has to heal comoketely, I kept putting g her back too early and wasn't giving her leg time to heal so she kept reinjuring it.


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