[Jon Feather]

I've only seen this once before and cannot remember what was the cause and/or cure.
One of her wing dropped a few days ago and I thought she might have damaged it.
She is now on her back and struggling to get the right way up but cannot do it.
I have put her in a small straw lined cardboard box to give her some quiet time away from the others and a chance to right her self.

What is the matter with her and how do we fix her???

PS: she is one of last years bantam crosses.

[Marches Farmer]

If you put her the right way up does she immediately fall over? Is she eating, drinking and pooping as usual? 

[Jon Feather]

Thanks for the response.
She falls over again.  Don't think she can be eating or drinking in her state: although I haven't had the chance to watch her for long (work).

[waterbuffalofarmer]

Could she have had a stroke? Has she been twisting her head to the side shutting her eyes at all? Sorry can't be of more help.

[Jon Feather]

Stroke....hmmm.
Could be.  Her head is craned round so that it is as near the right way round as possible, while the rest of her is the wrong way up.

[Penninehillbilly]

What is her weight like?

[landroverroy]

 If she's very light in weight - Mareks Disease. Drooping wing is a classic sign.

[Jon Feather]

Meraks disease: scary stuff.  Found this on the net and found it very interesting and strangely reassuring.

http://www.backyardchickens.com/a/the-great-big-giant-mareks-disease-faq

[Stereo]

Sorry but I would cull immediately. Unless it's a pet and you are prepared to spend serious money on it.

[goosepimple]

I've had this twice in 10 years of keeping hens.  It won't get better and she will stay like that for quite some time but will ultimately die, I'd cull her, you don't know if she's in pain.  If you don't want to do it yourself ask a game keeper near you.  Sorry.

[Jon Feather]

She is a little better today (a very little) but I think culling is on the cards tomorrow if there is no improvement.
Reading the link I posted, it would seem that Meraks is everywhere, you can't really stop it, you can't cure it and, even if you don't think your birds have it, they probably do but are not showing symptoms or it is latent.
I'm not stressing about it.  I do my best for my birds: they get good food and clean water, clean dry well ventilated housing, have 24 hours access to outside, are free range all day and are not over crowded.  What more can I do.

[Stereo]

Not much and yes, these diseases are everywhere despite what some poultry people will tell you. I've bought from the very best and still had sniffles and sneezes etc.  But with good housing and lots of grass, very low mortality.

My policy now is to only breed from older hens, pref after a second moult and let them get on with it. Any weak ones just go, as they would in nature. Or they may be kept but not bred from. May sound harsh but it's better at the end of the day not to breed from birds who are prone to illness.

I do appreciate that some folk keep hens more as pets and that is a different matter.

[goosepimple]

Generally you will have one or two losses a year to something or other no matter what....

[Marches Farmer]

One of the oft-quoted symptoms of Marek's is the pupil of the eye going grey.  Avian leukosis (multiple tumours) presents in a very similar way but without the colour change.  I too would cull immediately as either makes her a source of infection for other birds and she must be at best uncomfortable and hungry and at worst frightened and in pain.  The more hens you have the more likely you'll see one or two diseases now and again.  If you have two or more birds affected in fairly quick succession then you may have a problem but you'll never have a 100% healthy flock all the time.