2 1/2 month old chicken can't or use legs, has cloudy eyes.

[Brandi86]

One of my chickens died this past Wednesday. The Thursday before I dropped the cage on her foot when I was cleaning up. I noticed that she was hobbling around and wasn't walking right. I picked her up, but I didn't see anything wrong, no cuts, or broken toes that I could see. So I put her back with the others thinking she would be ok. Friday and Saturday morning she was still hobbling around and couldn't walk right. Saturday evening she couldn't even stand or use her legs, she could only scoot around. Sunday morning I found her with her wings spread out, her legs were stuck out, she couldn't bend or use her legs at all, and her head was in between her legs, she could barely hold her head up. I seperated her from the others and noticed that her eyes were cloudy, she wouldn't eat, only drink if I stuck her beak in water, her legs would stick out to her side or her head would be limped over in the middle of her legs, one time I found her on her back with her legs in the air
Her legs would twitch, but she couldn't use them. Later that day I noticed blood in her poop. I had previously dealt with coccidiosis with this same flock about a month ago, so I put them all on corid. I hand fed her for three day, but she did not improve and died. Does anyone know what could have been the problem? Was this just a bad case of coccidiosis, maybe her injury made it worse? Or was it something else entirely?

 

[MySweetChickens]

it sounds like mareks

Marek's disease is a virus infection of chickens, and rarely turkeys in close association with chickens, seen worldwide.The disease has various manifestations: a) Neurological - Acute infiltration of the CNS and nerves resulting in 'floppy broiler syndrome' and transient paralysis, as well as more long-standing paralysis of legs or wings and eye lesions; b) Visceral - Tumours in heart, ovary, tests, muscles, lungs; c) Cutaneous - Tumours of feather follicles. Morbidity is 10-50% and mortality up to 100%. Mortality in an affected flock typically continues at a moderate or high rate for quite a few weeks. In 'late' Marek's the mortality can extend to 40 weeks of age. Affected birds are more susceptible to other diseases, both parasitic and bacterial. The route of infection is usually respiratory and the disease is highly contagious being spread by infective feather-follicle dander, fomites, etc. Infected birds remain viraemic for life. Vertical transmission is not considered to be important.

Signs

• Paralysis of legs, wings and neck.
• Loss of weight.
• Grey iris or irregular pupil.
• Vision impairment.
• Skin around feather follicles raised and roughened.

Treatment

None.
Prevention

Hygiene, all-in/all-out production, resistant strains, vaccination generally with 1500 PFU of HVT at day old (but increasingly by in-ovo application at transfer), association with other strains (SB1 Sero-type 2) and Rispen's.

It is common practice to use combinations of the different vaccine types in an effort to broaden the protection achieved. Genetics can help by increasing the frequency of the B21 gene that confers increased resistance to Marek's disease challenge.

http://www.thepoultrysite.com/diseaseinfo/90/mareks-disease

it cannot be cured nor can you get rid of it it will live in your soil until the next bird comes the ones that survive(if there are any) will be forever carriers and if you go visit somewhere where there are other chickens you will have to make sure you have taken a shower and wore clean clothes you will not be able to get any other chickens

 

[Brandi86]

Sorry about the thread title. That should read "2 1/2 month old chicken can't walk or use legs, has cloudy eyes." I tried to edit it, but I'm having trouble with the editor.

 

[Brandi86]

Thanks for all that information. So if it was marek's disease, and another one falls ill, then it will die and there is nothing at all I can do for it?

 

[Brandi86]

I have 13 other chickens from the same flock. With mareks should I just go ahead and cull them all? Would that be best? Or just cull any others that show symptoms?

 

[MySweetChickens]

if another one falls ill it will definitely die so it is best to cull immediately if another shows the same symptoms see if you can send the body in for a autopsy now since i am pretty sure its mareks culling the ones that show symptoms and keeping the ones that are ok is good but you will NOT be able to get any more chickens as long as you live in that area the disease is in the ground and will infect and bird brought to that area the ones that you keep if they make it will not be able to leave your house or yard and warning your neighbors if they intend to get chickens is a good idea since your birds and the disease in the ground will infect their birds

disinfecting their coop and anything that they could have touched is a must i have heard of people successfully culling their whole flock and disinfecting everything literally everything from the ground to their clothes to their entire house you can try this and it may work but ordering or buying any chicks they MUST I repeat MUST be vaccinated for mareks. if you really want chickens again i suggest trying this method to see how it works

 

[danychick]

I need help one of my chicks got her wing bit off what do I do

 

[MySweetChickens]

first try to disinfect the wound with peroxide if it is deep don't pour it in jut dab it on with a towel or cotton swab
giving her antibiotics should help give her terrimycin it is an antibiotic and should help with infection is there any bone poking out if so cutting it so the skin can heal over it is a good idea if the bone is protruding it can encourage infection rather than preventing it don't use anything that ends in -cain as that is poisonous to chickens separate her from everyone else and keep her warm she probably is in shock

you will get more help if you start a thread in here https://www.backyardchickens.com/f/10/emergencies-diseases-injuries-and-cures
just click the blue button at the top that says start a new thread

 

[aatx]

I don't know that I would automatically jump to Mareks in this case since there was an injury that started this all.

Here's a good FAQ on Marek's and even address what to do now concerning the rest of the flock if it IS mareks - https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/the-great-big-giant-mareks-disease-faq

 

[Brandi86]

Thanks to MySweetChickens and aatx for the replys. Today I noticed that another chicken is sick. She has one eye closed, doesn't seem to be eating as much or as active. So I think I will cull all the others. That seems to be the best thing to do.