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Willow1234

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One of my girls (Clara) has gone a bit strange.
A couple of weeks ago she looked a bit run down so I popped her down to the vet. She gave her a jab and she picked up and was back to her normal self after a couple of days.
On monday she looked completely recovered. Running around, eating well and getting stroppy with the others and I thought that was the problem over.
I tucked them all in on monday night and everything was as it should be.
Then on monday morning I opened the hen house, they all came flooding out as normal but Clara kind of stumbled out and slipped off the ramp. I called her a stupid clumsy bird (she is naturally a bull in a china shop) but then I noticed she was having a problem keeping her balance. I took her straight down to the vets and they gave her another jab and didn't seem to know what the problem was.
She is still the same now but slightly improved. I don't think its down to any kind of recovery but more due to her getting a bit used to it.
She is bright and noisy as she normally is, her eyes are bright, there is no nasal discharge, no holding her head to one side, her tail is nicely cocked, she is eating and drinking well and retaining her place in the pecking order with no trouble at all. When she is standing still she looks a picture of health. Its just that she is having a problem keeping her balance. She still mooches around eating grass and whatever else I give them. She just loses her balance when she's preening or tries to turn round quickly. Even when she is just walking she is a bit wobbly.
The vet has ruled out Mareks which was my first thought. Its so strange. She isn't suffering in any way so I'm just keeping my eyes on her. Apart from the balance thing she is completely her normal self. No change in character at all.
Any ideas anyone? Its completely thrown me.
 
About 10 weeks ago...maybe a bit less. Not sure if I used enough flubenvet though cos I lost the box and instructions.
Would it happen overnight like that though if it was worms?
 
On what grounds has the vet ruled out Mareks? It does sound as if it might possibly be viral/neurological, doesn't it?
No, youre right, an acute attack of worms wouldn't happen overnight, though a worm burden might pull a hen down so the effects of another disease were felt more acutely.
How old is she? When you say 'she's naturally a bull in a china shop,' do you mean shes been dyspraxic in the past as well?
 
Thats what is so odd about it. She doesn't look in the slightest bit down or unhappy. Apart from the wobblyness she is 100% her normal self. She is about two and a half years old. No she just barges the others out of the way to get in and out of the hen house. She's always been like that.
 
No lice or mites. No discharge from nostril or ears. No head shaking or scratching. Her behaviour is literally 100% normal apart from the lack of balance. She is moulting yes although she is one of those birds where you hardly notice it.
 
Bit of a mystery then Willow. Perhaps she is just naturally clumsy, combined with her age? Our pet cockerel is similar. He's 5 now and has lost his appetite since we moved. He doesn't like it here as everything is in the wrong place for him. He has got a bit wobbly on his feet.
 
No its more than that. She has never had problems with her balance before. She has always slept on the perches, now she is sleeping in a nest box where she doesn't have to struggle to keep her balance.
 
I did have a buff sussex earlier this year who started off with similar symptoms. Within 2 weeks she was completely off her legs and we had to make the decision to call it a day. If she turned round too quickly she fell over, completely on her back and really struggled to get up again. One of her wings dropped, which was the first sign, then the other one. She couldn't get up the ramp to the house and when we put her in, slept on the floor. We had an autopsy done and Mareks was ruled out. There was nothing obvious found, so it was put down to some sort of neurological problem. She had always been a slightly neurotic bird, always getting herself into trouble!
 
Vast improvement today. She actually came out or the house 4th todays instead of staggering out last. She looks a lot steadier, Not perfect but a lot better. Neither of her wings have dropped at all. She has been on Baytril for a couple of days. To be honest I really didn't expect Baytril to make any difference and maybe it isn't. But she's a lot better.
 
Glad to hear she's improving, hopefully she will continue to do so. Maybe she has some sort of neurological infection that the Baytril is working on.
 
My only other thought is Lymphoid Lucosis -tumours of the Lymphatic system, which is affecting her legs Willow. Alternatively perhaps an injury which has caused a localised swelling and trapped a nerve to her legs. The latter would correct itself in a week.
 
Pretty good again today.
I would say about 80% back to normal. Things seem to be going the right way thank goodness.
 
Can chickens get labyrinthitis? That's what it sounds like... :-)11
 
I have no idea.
The good news is that she now seems to be back to her normal self.
 
So it sounds like an injury causing a swelling Willow. We had a hen trampled in the morning rush to the open pop-hole.
 
Both myself and the vet gave her a very thorough examination. There was no sign of any swelling or injury.
But all seems well now.
 
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