PLEASE help!! 9 weeks old chick not walking

[Nambroth]

Hmm!! Very interesting.

Just got this in an email from UC Davis:


In it is this:
Poultry and Other Avian
Nutrional encephalomalacia due to Vitamin E deficiency was diagnosed in 3‐week‐old turkey poults with increase in mortality (1.5% per day) in a flock of 10,000 birds. The birds were ataxic, lying in lateral recumbency and paddling. Necropsy revealed severe petechial hemorrhages on the cerebellum associated with microscopic multifocal necrosis and thrombosis. Vitamin E levels
in the liver ranged between 0.53 and 2.2 ppm (normal range: 3‐15 or greater).

-Kathy

Hmm!! From what I gather, most of the birds they test and deal with are from farms larger than the average backyard keeper. If so, those poults were almost certainly fed a commercial feed. Even if they were from a small keeper, many of us feed commercial feeds. Not to always be suspicious of commercial feed, because goodness knows many of us depend on it, but I always wonder at quality vs. quantity. Cheaper ingredients (specifically fats) are less stable over the period of a month or three, and make fat soluble vitamin deficiencies much more likely.

 

[sararoni]

I have this in the house. It says for external use but the ingredients are soybean, vitamin e and coconut oil.
Do you think I can give her a few drops of this or better go buy the tablets?

 

[Nambroth]

I should also mention that, unfortunately, recovery from ataxia due to vitamin deficiency can be very slow, or if enough damage is done to the nervous system, a complete recovery may not occur. I had a bird that took over a month to go from immobility to stilted standing and walking. I apologize if this is discouraging, I just wanted to mention it.

 

[casportpony]

Hmm!! Very interesting.
Quote: You remember those two chicks I had a while back that were paralyzed? They were being fed a turkey crumble. I'm planning on calling UC Davis to ask them if they know what mill the feed was from. My bags were fresh, but there was something odd about them. Luckily both got better after just two days of treatment with the Rooster Booster Vitamins and one drop per day (just twice) of an E capsule.

Note that I'm not saying that the chick here has this, just wanted to share.

-Kathy

 

[casportpony]

I have this in the house. It says for external use but the ingredients are soybean, vitamin e and coconut oil.
Do you think I can give her a few drops of this or better go buy the tablets?

I don't know how much of that she can safely have.

-Kathy

 

[sararoni]

Ok and I remember Nambroth advise that you can easely overdose with vitamin E.
Today the sun is not hot so I am keeping her in the sun. The sun and the vitamin e in the multivitamin I am giving her might be enough I hope

 

[casportpony]

Ok and I remember Nambroth advise that you can easely overdose with vitamin E.
Today the sun is not hot so I am keeping her in the sun. The sun and the vitamin e in the multivitamin I am giving her might be enough I hope

I have given 150 gram chicks a drop of E, but I don't know how much E was in that drop or if it caused any damage, so I don't feel comfortable advising people to give fat slouble vitamins like E and D.

-Kathy

 

[casportpony]

http://www.healthaliciousness.com/articles/vitamin-E.php
Before feeding anything that's in that link, please verify that it's not toxic to birds!

-Kathy

 

[casportpony]

http://www.healthaliciousness.com/articles/foods-high-in-selenium.php

-Kathy

 

[seminolewind]

I understand that with EE and WNV, that chickens can become infected but never actually develop symptoms, hence they are "sentinel species" for these diseases. Is this correct?

With WNL, they are mostly exposures without symptoms. (Mostly). With EEE, the symtoms mimic Marek's and sometimes an added tremor. They do die. And horses die. I keep track of those two in florida so I know if I should give my horse a boost. But nothing's happened in my county for years.

Here's the link. They have a US map as well.
http://diseasemaps.usgs.gov/mapviewer/