Stroke?

Marigold

Marigold

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This morning when I went to see the hens I found Marigold, my 5-year-old Buff Sussex, lying on her side on the floor next to the coop, lags waving faintly, unable to get up. I gently lifted and examined her, but couldn't find any external injury or problem with her legs, but she fell over again on her right side when I put her down, and her right wing looked a bit droopy. I put her back in a nestbox for an hour or two, to see how she would get on.
I lifted her out later, and found she could now walk, slowly and very stiffly, and made her way to the drinker and had a long drink, followed by a large, runny, very smelly poo. There have been similar poos in the coop for a while, but until today I didn't know who did them.
She hasn't been quite herself for a week or two now, nothing major, just hangs back at treats time when the others all pile in to the goodies, but has been eating if I give her some to herself. Seems as if she's dropped down the pecking order, having been second only to Nutmeg for some years. She hasn't laid for months, not since her last broody spell back in July, so at this time of year I think egg problems can be ruled out. It looks like a stroke to me, but I'm a bit puzzled by her apparent partial recovery. I expected her to go rapidly downhill when I made her comfortable in the coop.
Any ideas, folks?
 
Need to check her abdomen for swelling Marigold. She may not be laying full eggs but could be missing the oviduct- something we have encountered after broodiness for some reason. The very stinky poos might be a sign of internal infection, so possible peritonitis. If there is internal pressure it may be stopping her pooing, so when she eventually does it relieves the discomfort? Hope you manage to sort to out -guess a trip to the vet is in order?
 
Sorry to hear about this Marigold. A stroke is a result of blood supply to the brain being cut, if that supply has been reinstated then some level of function would return. I know that in humans depending on the severity of the stroke the brain learns to re-route itself and given everything in chickens is happening at x10 speed compared to humans it isn't beyond the realms of possibility that this is what has happened to Marigold. Fingers crossed for her.
 
Thank you both for advice. She did seem to perk up quite a lot as the day went on, was able to get up under her own steam and join in round the plate of mash at teatime and ate a reasonable amount. I've just been down to see if she could manage the ramp into the coop at dusk, or if she needed any help, but I watched her getting up OK, although rather awkward. Her right wing is droopy, though, on the same side as her lame leg, which might indicate a stroke. Of course she may also have an internal infection, but her abdomen feels OK to me. When she reached the drinker this morning, she was very thirsty, so I don't know how long she had been lying unable to get up. As I leave the pophole open all the time I don't usually check to see they've all gone to roost, so she might even have been lying there all night, and got hungry and thirsty. Still, it was a warm night and the run is dry, so this wouldn't have harmed her.
I'll see how she gets on over the weekend, as she has improved during today, - probably she hasn't got long and a one-way ticket to the vet is on the cards for next week.
 
Hi Marigold.
Sorry to hear that your namesake is struggling- I do hope that she pulls through and doesn't have to go to the vet's.
:-)06
 
Looks like the droopy wing is a classic sign. Hope it works out. The music thing is very interesting - never thought of putting a radio in the coop for entertainment.
 
We leave the classical music station on for Bottom (who is very ill at the moment) when we go out. We also play classical music to chicks because it improves their growth rate.

You would know if the abdomen was swollen Marigold because it would be rock solid and she will walk a bit 'penguin-like'. Sounds like it isn't that and reading the article a stroke is more likely. Perhaps that's what happened to Claude (avatar) last year when he fell off the perch in the night?
 
So sorry to read about Marigold, hope she recovers well, as apparently they can. It does sound like a stroke.
I loved the story of Chooky and her recovery, chicks are nowhere as dumb as people think, and I have heard before that chicks love music.
Hope she recovers to lead you a merry dance as an old lady who needs attention in her retirement.
 
I went down at 7.15 this morning to see if she had managed to get herself out of the coop. All of them were up, grouped at the far end of the run where the food and water is, including Marigold. Her wing was a bit droopy stil, but much less than yesterday, and she was walking around slowly but steadily. To be honest, if I hadn't been looking for problems I probably wouldn't have spotted that anything might be wrong with her. She certainly didn't have that hunched-up penguin stance which is typical of abdominal infections, and looked a different bird from the one I found collapsed and unable to get up 24 hours earlier. Very strange creatures, chickens!
Of course, if it was a T.I.A, she may have another at some point but she seems OK at the moment. Thanks for your good wishes, Val - I too intend to be an old lady who leads people a merry dance in her retirement!
Sorry to hear Bottom is struggling, Chris. Please give him a cuddle from me.
 
When Claude fell off the perch the second time he got very cold- ice cold to the touch. His poos looked like the feed was undigested, just passed through his system. We theorised that the cold had killed off his gut flora and so we put him onto Avipro Avian. His poo improved after a week but then he certainly had a stroke and we had to say good-by. May be worth giving Marigold some just in case, because if she doesn't digest properly she won't have the fuel to stay warm at night.
 
So glad to hear Marigold seems to be making a miraculous recovery. I do hope she gets over her stroke.
 
Update on Marigold - sadly, I took her to the vet today and she passed away very peacefully. After seeming to recover fairly well a month ago, she went slowly downhill in terms of muscle tone and ability to get around. Got to the stage, when I appeared with the lovely warm mash in the afternoon, and was mobbed by the other girls, she just stayed sitting in the most sheltered corner of the run, where she took to spending all her time. When I lifted her over to the plate, or when hand fed, she did eat and drink, but was losing weight as she didn't seem to have the strength to initiate trips to the feeder or drinker unless helped. She couldn't get up the low ramp into the coop, or perch, so I've been lifting her in to a nestbox overnight and out in the morning. But it was evident that her quality of life was becoming severely restricted, in fact she may have had another little stroke, who knows? The vet agreed that her time had come and I didn't want to see her just eating enough to prolong her life, at the expense of all the social and physical things that make a chicken's life worthwhile. It was sad because I could see from her bright eyes that she was still alert and responsive, and she didn't seem to be in pain. But she had five good years. I expect Nutmeg will miss her, they were chicks together and Marigold always looked to Nutmeg for guidance on what to do next!
At least I shall be reminded of her every time I come on here and look at my avatar.
 
What a shame Marigold, it must have been very upsetting but there is no doubt that you did the right thing by her. I just looked again at your picture of her on the perch with her friends and she was a beautiful bird, me and Mrs Dinosaw will raise a glass to her tonight.
 
So sorry about Marigold, very sad. You must miss her terribly.
People who do not keep hens have no idea how they get into your heart, you always remember them and their endearing qualities.
When my Sally died, one of my first 4 hens, a Warren, and such a character, I was really upset, and I have never had a hen that was such a character again. She was fast, funny and joyful, unstoppable.
Will you replace Marigold?
I had a couple of speckled Sussex from a lady down in deepest Hampshire, and they are lovely girls. Beautiful mahogany/green and speckled white plumage.
 
Thank you both for your kind words. She was quite a character, in a pantomime dame sort of way, with her glorious golden knickers and air of perpetual bewilderment. I'm now down to 5, so shall have to wait for another to drop off the perch before thinking about a new pair of chicks or pullets, as the comfortable run capacity is 6. No more Sussex, though - Marigold was a sweetie, but went broody such a lot, which was a nuisance, and so not very productive. She would undoubtedly have made a lovely Mum, if I could have faced dealing with the cockerels.
 
So sorry Marigold. Strikes me that loosing one is a milestone in chicken keeping I've yet to face.
 
It's a particularly unpleasant milestone as well Rick. Probably the main reason why we will stop keeping chickens, or indeed any livestock as it seems to get so much harder as you become in tune with them. We have noticed this last year that they are making a lot more effort to communicate with us. The strangest event was a 5 year old Buff Orpington hen called Verity, normally a quiet sole, came over to us and 'talked' at great length in a vocally variable manner we've never before heard from a chicken. When she finished she walked straight over to her sister's grave and stood on it looking at us. She died suddenly a few days later and was buried alongside her sister- perhaps that's what she was asking for, or was she telling us she was departing soon?

Very sorry to hear that Marigold hen didn't recover Marigold. Hope Nutmeg doesn't pine.
 
Wow! That's like a tale from Shinto folk-law Chris, and quite beautiful. But will they let you stop?
 
Verity's behaviour really makes me wonder about chickens and their behaviour more and more.
5 or 6 years ago my daughter lived here with me briefly when she left London and moved to Godalming. This was when I had my wonderful Sally who was just a Warren, but amazing, in through kitchen window, cat flap, etc. when she was patrolling , nosing, after cat food, or just wanted human company. Sally used to object violently to Kate smoking, and tried every way to stop her. Attacking lighter, cigarettes, tobacco and even smoke in the effort to make her stop, no personal attack, just the smoking equipment. I don't smoke, and we never found out what she was trying to do apart from object in the strongest way. Certainly strange behaviour and a shame it did not work!!
 
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