Hello,
It's been 1 week and I have had 3 x 18 week old Silkies die.
The first died 48 hours after bathing them all (I did all the right things, washed them in warm water, dried them and left them inside under a heat light for 24 hours until i 100% sure they were completely dry).
The second one was found dead the following day & this morning I went into the coop to discover my 18 week old roo lying on the floor gasping for air and paralysed.
Am I right in assuming it Marek's disease?
Additional information:
INFO:
Age: aprrox 18 weeks
Breed:Silkies
Sex: 2 pullets 1 roo
Your Location- country, state (different areas/climates have different problems)
ANSWER: Australia
What is wrong? What symptoms have you noted? - As much detail as possible please.
ANSWER: Chickens have all seemed fine but suddenly suffer peralysis of the entire body including neck.
Full droppings description.- colour, consistency, frequency, offensive smell.
ANSWER: I noted nothing unusual other than there seemed to be a lot stuck to the silkies near the vent area. (This is why I gave them a bath in the first place.
Respiratory Changes?- eg. breathing sounds, discharge, laboured breathing, facial swelling
ANSWER: I was only able to note in the last one found as it was still alive that it was struggling to breath almost gasping and it seems to have a 'sticky' beak.
Digestive Changes?- eg. eating, drinking, crop filling & emptying
ANSWER: All bird were eating a drinking fine in the days before death
Condition Changes?- eg. Weight, comb/wattle colour, skin, feathering
ANSWER: No changes were noted
Behavioural Changes?- inc. socialising, laying, crowing, broodiness
ANSWER: No changes were noted
Agility Changes? - eg. any lameness, favouring, energy levels
ANSWER: Energy levels in the first 2 were lower than usual.
Describe your usual worming routine and products. [If none, say so and skip the next 3 worming questions.] Do you have a cycle that you use eg. every 3 months, or every six months?
ANSWER: Birds are wormed once/twice a year
1. When was the bird last wormed??- approximate date.
ANSWER: approx 6 weeks ago
2. What product was used to worm the bird, and how was it given? ? eg. in the drinking water, on the skin, by injection?
ANSWER: Not sure of name but was given in water
3. Was a follow up dose given? (eg. 10-14 days later)
ANSWER: no
Any other recent medications?- antibiotics, coccidiosis meds, herbal remedies, etc
ANSWER:none
Other changes? – additions to the flock, diet, housing, extreme weather
ANSWER: there were 2 additions to the flock 2 plymouth rocks. All were getting along fine. No changes in diet, housing is always kept spotless and no extreme weather.
Photos? – any relevant photos are very helpful
INSERT HERE: NONE
