chicken walking like she is drunk?

by Stephanie
(Buckley, wa. us)

Questionchicken walking like she is drunk?: So my 6 month Road Island red hen started with her comb bending over and just acting very calm. She did this for 2 days on the 3rd day she could not stand. She would just fall onto her side.


I separated her from the flock. I started to give her some general medicine. Now we are on day 5 and she can walk a little. Sometimes she tips, sometimes she goes backwards.

But she looks drunk. Am I making progress? She eats what I give her and only drinks what I squirt down her mouth. Her vent is fine and poop is like regular chicken poop.

I do have to give her a bath because she has just been pooping where she sits. Any thoughts?

Answer
Worms and coccidiosis can cause those symptoms. I would suggest that you go to your local feed store and pick up some medications for these problems.

The symptoms are also the same for blackhead however; the comb would actually start turning black in color.

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See if the medications helps her any and if not, you should make a trip to the vet.

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starstarstarstarstar 		Marek's Disease
by: sharon

So sorry to read this about your rooster. The disease is more common than we would expect. I hope your boy survives. Please take precautions if you think about adding chickens in the future, as the disease is in the environment - if this is Marek's. It can be very expensive to get a clinical diagnosis of the disease. There is a vaccine, so any new chickens that will live in this environment should be vaccinated. Your two hens have been exposed and may or may not ever show signs of the disease, but likely are carriers. IF THIS IS MAREK'S.
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starstarstarstarstar 		Drunk Chicken
by: Anonymous

My rooster, who is about 2 can not stand up. He looks healthy until he tries to walk. I googled it and this is what came up, but I only have three chickens and can not imagine how he would get this. Marek's disease.
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starstarstarstarstar 		Delawares dying after stumbling around for 4 days.
by: Anonymous

Greetings
I have just lost a hen and a roo to something that sounds a lot like this. They were over seven months old, the hen was laying. She died about 4 days after I noticed the symptoms, he came down with the same symptoms about a month later and died 4 days after initial symptoms as well.

No obvious signs of illness. Any ideas?
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starstarstarstarstar 		up date to chicken walking like she is drunk.
by: Stephanie

So just to let you all know, my chicken lived. I had talked to someone and they thought it might be an inner ear infection. Maybe, maybe not but none the less she made it. So the general medicine/antibiotics I got from dells and hand feeding her did the trick. So the total time she was sick was about 1 week.

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