1 dead-1 can't walk~~~UPDATE!

[Wynette]

Awe, Posey.....that's funny you say that, I used to not name them until they were older, too. But, I've lost a few adults, too, and so I've begun naming the youngsters again when their personalities begin to show.

Yep, the words are for anyone in chickens, because I truly believe those that do not experience any deaths in youngsters are few & far between and, if not, I don't want to know about it!

 

[posey]

Wynette been wanting to tell you that those eggs in your avatar are absolutely gorgeous!

 

[Wynette]

Awe, thanks! I love my Marans!

Well, I love ALL my chickens, that was silly of me to say!

 

[NJbirdlover]

UPDATE:

Well Pearl is still hanging on pretty well. She is actually walking a tiny bit...not much but better than before. She is still eating and drinking. Would she be showing signs of improvement this soon if this is actually Mareks?

Question......

If this is Mareks do I need to disinfect everything? Also, should I completely keep her away from the others? I have been keeping her next to the run(in her cage) during the day-it's the only thing that calms her down...being with her flock.

I think I am still in denial!

 

[AHappychick]

Mareks effects the nerves much like shingles. nerves heal at a very slow pace so depending on how severe the swelling is around the nerve (in the leg that is being effected) it could heal in days (not likely) weeks, or months (most likely)

All have been exposed to the Mareks by now so I would not bother to seperate, but would keep her seperate from new chooks if you plan on getting more.

She will always be a carrier though even if she heals so you have to consider that as well. it is shed in the dander and has a very long life outside of the chicken body in soil, dander and dust.

Good luck.

 

[nnbreeder]

If she is recovering this fast I would bet that she just injured her leg somehow. When they go down with Marek's it is usually a very long time before they recover if at all.

Without a necropsy being done on the hen that died it will not be clear on what happened to her but it is probably unrelated. Many of the faster growing large breeds are prone to heart failure, they just grow too fast for their heart to keep up. Plus anything could have happened to excite the birds and put undue stress on them such as a hawk or large bird flying over or a cat or dog walking by the coop/run.

Back to the injured girl though. How high are your roosts? Large breeds should have low roosts and preferably ones that they can step up on. Jumping down off a roost is a very common way to cause injury in a large bird and can also contribute to Bumblefoot as can roosts that are too small or have sharp corners. I use 2x4s that are placed with the 4" side up so they have plenty of support for their weight. In winter they are able to cover their toes better too which wards off frostbite.

 

[NJbirdlover]

Our roosts are actually up kinda high- we made our nest boxes up too high so then we had to put the roost slightly higher. We do have an old ladder leading up to the roost which is a long 2x4. I hope that is the case but what what's the chance that 1 hen would die and 1 would be injured on the same day...and that they are both Black Aust.? Believe me, I would much rather it be an injury than the other.

Back to the roosts, I never knew that they should be low. Since the ladder is there do you think we are ok? I am afraid if I lower the roost they will go back to sleeping in the nest boxes which of course would get full of poo. This isn't a problem now because they aren'y laying yet but in the future....eww.

 

[Wynette]

Good morning, NJ - glad your girl's hanging in there! HOpefully she does not have Mareks. If you could post some pics of your setup (nest boxes, roost, ladder, etc.) we could help you out more in that regard.

If you change things up and they begin sleeping in the nest boxes, just put empty feed bags (or small cardboard boxes, or anything easy!) into the nest boxes at night, and remove 1st thing in the a.m. It will take 7-10 days, but it will break them of the habit of sleeping in them.

 

[NJbirdlover]

UPDATE:

For the last 2 days Pearl has had no limp what so ever. Since this whole ordeal started I have seem a noticeable improvement everyday...is it possible that this was an injury and not Mareks after all???

I put Pearl back with her flock today and everything was fine, like she never left...she was going crazy in that little cage she was in and I kind of figured it was time.. I will keep a close eye on her.


THANK YOU EVERYONE!!! All of your help contributed to Pearls survival!!

WYNETTE I will have to get a pic of my roost, I am starting to think it's too high.

 

[posey]

We're so glad this has a happy ending for you and Pearl.

Check back next week and let us know how she is doing and have a great weekend.
Posey