My chicken is paralyzed. How can I care for her after illness?

Hello. It is very common to see reproductive disease in chickens including salpingitis & egg yolk peritonitis. If you could bring her indoors where it is a bit cooler, feed her nutritious foods such as cornbread, cooked eggs, even a bit ( not much ) of canned cat food & see if she perks up. Many of these birds are actually in quite a bit of pain, so if there is any way to have her seen by a vet, this would be best. X-rays are often taken in these cases to evaluate the internal organs or see if she is actually egg bound. There is a lot we know about chickens, but sometimes not much we can do to save them. Hope you can have her evaluated soon. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

It looks like she may have some mites going on if you're seeing them. Extended exposure to mites and other parasites can cause anemia which may make birds weak, unable to stand or move, etc. Taking care of the mites with a mite spray/and providing dust baths, and deworming all the birds to remove internal parasites can help lower the parasite load and help prevent anemia. Moving your sick hen to an isolated hospital area, removing as many mites and debris as you can, checking for visible wounds and treating them, and giving her close access to food and water may help, however if her symptoms continue or worsen, or other birds become ill, seeking vet care is best.

In older small birds, strokes can sometimes cause the use of legs and the inability to grip or perch properly. Other potential causes can include calcium deficiency (which if she isn't on a balanced diet may be possible), bacterial infections such as Aspergillosis, viral illnesses, toxins and even diseases contracted from wild birds if Snowy has had access to the outdoors or with wild birds. If you haven't seen an avian vet specialist, or had any blood work done, that may be your next best step in figuring out what is wrong. Changing Snowy's environment some, such as including flatter or platform-like perches may also help with mobility so that she can continue to have access to food and water.

It sounds like Bink is extremely ill and needs to be seen by a vet ASAP. It is possible there is a wound that got infected, an underlying illness causing his symptoms, or other underlying problem which needs to be treated. If he is kept with a flock, it is best to remove him from the flock to prevent being picked on and to prevent the spread of any illness to other birds. You can keep him separated and with easy access to food and water, or try syringe feeding, however if he is very weak and not moving much at all, and has visible swelling or wounds, seeking vet care immediately is needed.

Unfortunately, those are extremely vague signs of illness, so it would be hard to say what is going on. It would be best to separate the sick hen from your flock to avoid being picked on and spreading any illness. Keeping her warm in quarantine with easy access to food and water may help, however if you can't find an outward cause of her illness, she will need to be seen by a vet in person to determine what the issue is.

Ideally Stella needs a vet visit to asses. She could have a fracture or dislocation or make have a viral infection suck as Marek's disease that can affect the nerves of the leg. In many cases a fracture or dislocation in a hen requires sedation to attempt to fix but because they are two legged animals it requires a lot of TLC and nursing care to help them recover. She needs to be kep inside and have a sling fashioned to help her stand upright. She may need help cleaning herself. And in the case of bone injury she should have pain medication. Many times culling or euthanasia is chosen for chickens with leg injuries because of the difficulty in recovery.

Hi and thanks for your post. I would separate her from other hens if you have any and put her in a warm, clean and quiet area where she can rest. Offer small amounts of feed and water frequently. You may to phone your veterinarian if she doesn't improve in the next day or two -she may need antibiotics. Thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach and best wishes to you and Ginger.