International Black Copper Marans Thread - Breeding to the SOP

whole B12 complex tablet
B12 is only vitamin B12
B Complex has all the B vitamins (there are several)
Make sure it is B Complex.

A bit of a Vitamin E supplement will help with absorption of the B Complex.
A little egg will also add some Selenium which I was told was useful with this issue. Selenium supplements can build up in the system so the egg is better for him to get this.

B vitamins are water soluble so way harder to overdose these.

He needs the B Complex and E vitamins in a therapeutic dosage which is more than what is in normal "chicken vitamins" that we mix with water. When my hen was having this issue I gave the supplements and put chicken vitamins in her water. I was fortunate and she recovered. It took a few weeks, maybe 3???

Hope he improves. Prayers for King. ❤️
 
King has taken a downward turn...

He's been stumbling around, tripping and falling down trying to keep up with his girls the last couple days. He's been sleeping in one of the nest boxes since swapping them over, which is a little challenging to get cleaned out first thing so girls could use it without laying in poo. (Thankfully they're not in full on production). I've been good with that, he's been a very reliable friend for going on 3 years...
But over the last week I've had to lower it to almost floor level, and then I added a ramp to it for him.
Tues evening he struggled more to get up the ramp using his wings to balance himself so yesterday morning I set him up in the revamped brooder coop, thick layer of bedding and a box of bedding for him. Food/electro-water is on blocks. For treats wife made him up a plate of dry oatmeal, yogurt, a raw egg, sliced green grapes/blueberries, wet and dry cat food and peas. I hand fed him a whole B12 complex tablet also and just gave him another this morning. He's eating and drinking ok its just the stumbling, lack of balance.
If you've made thru all this please realize he's not a breeder. He's one of my yard partners. I know what's coming and when I see he's struggling too much or in any pain I'll do it.

Any other suggestions surely welcome.... This is mainly just a vent of emotions for the day. I know there's a line drawn between breeding and pets and I'm willing to make that reasoning when I start that part.

@marchick you just went thru this and I'm feeling that pain coming. 😔
This will be my first friend I've had to put down in a couple years. My wife is taking it hard, King was our accidental roo and she latched onto him with ♥️.

It never gets easier.
Sorry to hear about this. I hope he recovers.
 
B12 is only vitamin B12
B Complex has all the B vitamins (there are several)
Make sure it is B Complex.

A bit of a Vitamin E supplement will help with absorption of the B Complex.
A little egg will also add some Selenium which I was told was useful with this issue. Selenium supplements can build up in the system so the egg is better for him to get this.

B vitamins are water soluble so way harder to overdose these.

He needs the B Complex and E vitamins in a therapeutic dosage which is more than what is in normal "chicken vitamins" that we mix with water. When my hen was having this issue I gave the supplements and put chicken vitamins in her water. I was fortunate and she recovered. It took a few weeks, maybe 3???

Hope he improves. Prayers for King. ❤️
Thank you, @NanaK
You are correct. B Complex plus B12.
IMG_20240208_103613.jpg
 
King has taken a downward turn...

He's been stumbling around, tripping and falling down trying to keep up with his girls the last couple days. He's been sleeping in one of the nest boxes since swapping them over, which is a little challenging to get cleaned out first thing so girls could use it without laying in poo. (Thankfully they're not in full on production). I've been good with that, he's been a very reliable friend for going on 3 years...
But over the last week I've had to lower it to almost floor level, and then I added a ramp to it for him.
Tues evening he struggled more to get up the ramp using his wings to balance himself so yesterday morning I set him up in the revamped brooder coop, thick layer of bedding and a box of bedding for him. Food/electro-water is on blocks. For treats wife made him up a plate of dry oatmeal, yogurt, a raw egg, sliced green grapes/blueberries, wet and dry cat food and peas. I hand fed him a whole B12 complex tablet also and just gave him another this morning. He's eating and drinking ok its just the stumbling, lack of balance.
If you've made thru all this please realize he's not a breeder. He's one of my yard partners. I know what's coming and when I see he's struggling too much or in any pain I'll do it.

Any other suggestions surely welcome.... This is mainly just a vent of emotions for the day. I know there's a line drawn between breeding and pets and I'm willing to make that reasoning when I start that part.

@marchick you just went thru this and I'm feeling that pain coming. 😔
This will be my first friend I've had to put down in a couple years. My wife is taking it hard, King was our accidental roo and she latched onto him with ♥️.

It never gets easier.



sorry to hear that. is he injured? maybe another roo pecked him hard? b complex with b 12 might help if injured.
 
sorry to hear that. is he injured? maybe another roo pecked him hard? b complex with b 12 might help if injured.
If I remember right from us talking about it before it was just a neurological condition, something wrong with the brain’s functions. This can be developmental rather than injury related, like various conditions in people (Huntington’s disease comes to mind though I don’t know if the same mechanisms impact this chicken). I have a Wellie roo with something similar. He walked around with his head down and sometimes falls over. He seems to have gotten a little better recently, I can’t really tell why.

All I know is that things like this can be inherited diseases, so breeding isn’t advisable. I happen to only have the one Wellie roo as all the others died, so I’m left with a decision on what is best for my line: breed numbers with him and then select down or introduce new, healthier blood.
 
King has taken a downward turn...

He's been stumbling around, tripping and falling down trying to keep up with his girls the last couple days. He's been sleeping in one of the nest boxes since swapping them over, which is a little challenging to get cleaned out first thing so girls could use it without laying in poo. (Thankfully they're not in full on production). I've been good with that, he's been a very reliable friend for going on 3 years...
But over the last week I've had to lower it to almost floor level, and then I added a ramp to it for him.
Tues evening he struggled more to get up the ramp using his wings to balance himself so yesterday morning I set him up in the revamped brooder coop, thick layer of bedding and a box of bedding for him. Food/electro-water is on blocks. For treats wife made him up a plate of dry oatmeal, yogurt, a raw egg, sliced green grapes/blueberries, wet and dry cat food and peas. I hand fed him a whole B12 complex tablet also and just gave him another this morning. He's eating and drinking ok its just the stumbling, lack of balance.
If you've made thru all this please realize he's not a breeder. He's one of my yard partners. I know what's coming and when I see he's struggling too much or in any pain I'll do it.

Any other suggestions surely welcome.... This is mainly just a vent of emotions for the day. I know there's a line drawn between breeding and pets and I'm willing to make that reasoning when I start that part.

@marchick you just went thru this and I'm feeling that pain coming. 😔
This will be my first friend I've had to put down in a couple years. My wife is taking it hard, King was our accidental roo and she latched onto him with ♥️.

It never gets easier.
O man,
I am so,so sorry. Its painful to watch and its painful to cull.

He will be missed because he was also a farm pet. No shame in that. It sure is hard to do.

I have no treatment or remedy advice.

Ive had a rooster present with the same symptoms but was not a pet so no real effort was made.

I sure hope these treatments suggested help him recover..
 
Thank you everyone for the kind words and helpful suggestion.


@NanaK did you dose your hen vitamin B & E everyday for the full 2-3 weeks
And is 1 full pill a day of each ok? He's taking it right from my hand. I'm starting the E tomorrow.

A couple other things have developed with him.
Anything he drops while eating he then lays down to get it, so I've got his feed and water up to beakish level for ease. And his crow is different, it actually sounds like a cockerel getting started, like one perfecting his crow. This concerns me....
I know it's hard to judge but I don't think he's in any pain. He's standing a lot still. It's when he walks is where his balance issue comes in, but when he does lay down during the day he pecks at the bedding like it's just a normal day.

Thank you again. ♥️
 
Thank you everyone for the kind words and helpful suggestion.


@NanaK did you dose your hen vitamin B & E everyday for the full 2-3 weeks
And is 1 full pill a day of each ok? He's taking it right from my hand. I'm starting the E tomorrow.

A couple other things have developed with him.
Anything he drops while eating he then lays down to get it, so I've got his feed and water up to beakish level for ease. And his crow is different, it actually sounds like a cockerel getting started, like one perfecting his crow. This concerns me....
I know it's hard to judge but I don't think he's in any pain. He's standing a lot still. It's when he walks is where his balance issue comes in, but when he does lay down during the day he pecks at the bedding like it's just a normal day.

Thank you again. ♥️



ear infection? check his ears with a q tip. neurological issue has nothing to do with crowing. also check for lice and mites. do you have any antibiotics? vitamins can help with infection too.
 
Thank you everyone for the kind word s and helpful suggestion.


@NanaK did you dose your hen vitamin B & E everyday for the full 2-3 weeks
And is 1 full pill a day of each ok? He's taking it right from my hand. I'm starting the E tomorrow.

A couple other things have developed with him.
Anything he drops while eating he then lays down to get it, so I've got his feed and water up to beakish level for ease. And his crow is different, it actually sounds like a cockerel getting started, like one perfecting his crow. This concerns me....
I know it's hard to judge but I don't think he's in any pain. He's standing a lot still. It's when he walks is where his balance issue comes in, but when he does lay down during the day he pecks at the bedding like it's just a normal day.

Thank you again. ♥️
Neurological symptoms can come from various issues and cause odd problems. Mobility problems, dizzyness and wry neck are possible.
Vitamin diffencies can be a cause but there are others too. Some times a bird needs more of something than other birds. I've found this true especially as they age. Old age in poultry is rarely studied.

Probably best not to breed a bird with issues but I have many pets too. I do not breed every animal I own.

This girl was a pet so i wanted to do all I could.. Same as I would do for a dog or cat, etc.

She was a small CLB so <5 lbs. I had liquid B Complex. I gave 1ml per day. If I had tablets I would have given her 1/2 tab per day. I was told and also read that B vitamins are very difficult to over do because the are water solvable. The body will expel what it does not need.

I could only get tablets for the vitamin E so I gave her 1/2 per day.

She also got regular chicken vitamins/electr mix in her water for a while.

The first week or so she got a scrambled egg each day. Also all the feed she wanted.

The laying down to pick up up bits and odd crow *could* come from feeling tired or sore. If he is using more effort to move around he could feel tired so not put as much gusto in his crow.

ear infection? check his ears with a q tip. neurological issue has nothing to do with crowing. also check for lice and mites. do you have any antibiotics? vitamins can help with infection too.
@chickengr makes a good point.
An ear infection/fluid can cause similar odd symptoms as well.

Check his ears. Look for drainage. Careful use of a q-tip to see if they are gunky. Check his nostrils for drainage. If you can look inside his mouth. Make sure his throat looks clear with no yellow patches or irritation.

Look for mites especially around the butt feathers and under the wings and leg scales.

Do you worm your birds? Parasites cause crazy problems too.

These are the things I do when looking over any bird that is acting off. My vet retired. He didn't see poultry but would advise me on some things. Now I am on my own.
 
Neurological symptoms can come from various issues and cause odd problems. Mobility problems, dizzyness and wry neck are possible.
Vitamin diffencies can be a cause but there are others too. Some times a bird needs more of something than other birds. I've found this true especially as they age. Old age in poultry is rarely studied.

Probably best not to breed a bird with issues but I have many pets too. I do not breed every animal I own.

This girl was a pet so i wanted to do all I could.. Same as I would do for a dog or cat, etc.

She was a small CLB so <5 lbs. I had liquid B Complex. I gave 1ml per day. If I had tablets I would have given her 1/2 tab per day. I was told and also read that B vitamins are very difficult to over do because the are water solvable. The body will expel what it does not need.

I could only get tablets for the vitamin E so I gave her 1/2 per day.

She also got regular chicken vitamins/electr mix in her water for a while.

The first week or so she got a scrambled egg each day. Also all the feed she wanted.

The laying down to pick up up bits and odd crow *could* come from feeling tired or sore. If he is using more effort to move around he could feel tired so not put as much gusto in his crow.


@chickengr makes a good point.
An ear infection/fluid can cause similar odd symptoms as well.

Check his ears. Look for drainage. Careful use of a q-tip to see if they are gunky. Check his nostrils for drainage. If you can look inside his mouth. Make sure his throat looks clear with no yellow patches or irritation.

Look for mites especially around the butt feathers and under the wings and leg scales.

Do you worm your birds? Parasites cause crazy problems too.

These are the things I do when looking over any bird that is acting off. My vet retired. He didn't see poultry but would advise me on some things. Now I am on my own.
Good advice!

The first thing I always check is for worms or bugs. They will cause all types of symptoms.
 

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