leg paralysis in a game hen...last chance-she needs help! **UPDATE**

[suburbanminifarm]

***UPDATE***
"El Pico" is actually getting slightly better!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
We all were on the verge of giving up on her, especially after the 2 vets noticed the curled foot/leg was cold.
She just kept on living, and eating enough, so we kept her in the rabbit cage and one day she *****barely**** started using her legs a tiny bit. Now she can even rise up and stagger a shaky few steps!! Yippee!! Fingers crossed that she continues to slowly improve......
I can post a video I guesss if anyone is interested.
I thought I'd update in case someone else out there is wondering if their own chicken can recover from moldy feed toxicity.
Thanks everyone, you are the best and I might have given up hope without your support over this very long illness.

 

[kimb]

What good news

! I hope she keeps getting better!

I have a little d'uccle that keeps going up and down ... this is inspiration to keep doing the best I can

... until she lets me know she's giving up the fight - I won't either.

 

[SallyOK]

Which therapies did you end up doing with your chicken? I've got a rooster that has the same problem and I was about to give up on him?

Sounds like there might be hope after all?!

 

[Rocky Top Chick]

You may want to try some physical therapy to improve her muscle tone.

 

[suburbanminifarm]

Thanks all.....the message here is DON'T GIVE UP -- there is still hope if the chicken hasn't given up on life either!! And so many people I know wrinkled up their noses and said "just put her down..."
I just kept on handfeeding her--whatever she would eat---( on good advice earlier in this thread ) at one point it got to where she was eating only blueberries, other soft fruit and birdseed but as long as she still had interest I still kept a tiny bit of hope. Really she is not very demanding she isn't that much trouble. I never did make that sling thingy to keep her upright, I probably should have, but I just turned her side to side in order to keep her laying position rotated and bedded her in a good deal of hay to minimize pressure points. Remember I was worried she was cutting off circulation to her own leg. I kept food and water close to her and offered water often when I suspected she wasn't drinking on her worst few days. I never did do the flush either because after much discussion we decided that it had been literally months of her being affected and the flush was meant for a more recent tox ingestion.
Physical therapy to improve muscle tone is a *brilliant* idea why didn't I think of that? Her only P.T. right now is daily sessions of grass and sunshine in a wire penned area so the other chickens can't disturb her. The cold leg is now the same temp as the other leg

 

[Mitzi16]

Hi

I know this is a long time ago but did your little hen survive? We have a hen who we rescued from the disgusting battery hen prisons and she hasn't ever been able to stand. We have given her calciboost the rickets formula and homeopathic medicine and had her inside and although she does what your hen did laps (very strong in her wings) and rests on her hocks she is very frustrated and wears herself out with trying to stand and then gets very wheezy - terrible to hear. Any advice very welcomed.

 

[bantamgirl]

hi. i have a hen who won't put weight on a leg. i'm going to make a sling, but not with a chair thing more like a full body suit so i can hang her in her cage and take her out around the yard. she still hops around on one leg. i nave her in a makeshift sling and she uses her good foot to move around to diffrent food dishes even though she can reach them without moving.

i'm going to try the needle thing. i think it might be the mold thing though. i don't quite understand the flush thing could someone explaine this to me.i'm going to keep her moving so she stays fit.

putting her down is not an option. she is very dear to me. i rescued her from a parking lot the same day my rabbit died. she is my first chicken. my mom diden;t even wan't chickens, but she found her way into my life. i might even get my mom to let her move into my room for a little bit even though it's got plenty of animals in it already.

my words to live by are that we don't get to choose when animals enter this world and when they leave, all we can do is make sure they have the beast life while they're here.

this is sort of what it will look like.

 

[Sylvestor12]

It may be a lack of enough calcium. Goto your local Tractor Supply and get some crushed oyster shells. Or you can take eggs boil them, crushed the shell, and feed both to your hen.

 

[bantamgirl]

i finally managed to get a closer look at her leg. it is very swollen an has some blue where it is swollen. the part that's swollen is where the feathers and leg meet, where the leg bends. what should i do? should i leave the swelling to go down by itself, or should i use ice or something. other than that I'm going to leave it and she if it mends itself. if it gets really bad or doesn't start getting bettor I'm going to see if there's a vet that dose poultry

 

[bantamgirl]

hi my hens leg is better now. she is fine.