4mo pullet with respiratory issues has crispy skin/air bubbles on her back

[Reijn]

I have a 4 month pullet who has been in respiratory distress for 9 days who has air bubbles or crispy skin on her back. I have been trying to Google what this is and what it means but I haven’t been able to find anything. I find subcutaneous emphysema but that is just a large sack of air under the skin but she has a lot of small bubbles.

she is currently semi under treatment of a vet. She’s been given la200 1/2cc SQ 3x (no more as it wasn’t helping we don’t think) and we are awaiting results of necropsy and testing of one of her flock mates for diagnosis. She is semi paralyzed so suspect Mareks but out of 55 chickens we had 2 sudden deaths and 2 respiratory illnesses, her being one of them. (I may make a full thread on this later for documentation but my phone really doesn’t like typing in the app and keeps resetting to the top of the page)

but what is the crispy skin? It feels like air bubbles. When I rub her back she stops sneezing and lays her head back like she enjoys it. Is this a symptom of a specific disease and is telling me something important? Is this significant in any way?

 

[Eggcessive]

Subcutaneous emphysema (leaking air sac) can also cause crackling under the skin. In humans, that is how it shows up. There can also be infection or fluid in the air sacs. I would ask your vet what they think about possibly draining it with a needle.

 

[Reijn]

Subcutaneous emphysema (leaking air sac) can also cause crackling under the skin. In humans, that is how it shows up. There can also be infection or fluid in the air sacs. I would ask your vet what they think about possibly draining it with a needle.

There’s quite a lot of bubbles - sometimes if I rub her down long enough they go away but today I came home from work and she was filled with them again. I have drained a large one before on a quail roos head but his was from trauma and it deflated like a large balloon.

I’m hoping we get the results tomorrow (it’s been a week) and I can ask the vet about the bubbles and the prognosis depending on what it is. If it’s Mareks I will probably have to let her go because she probably won’t get better again, but I’m hoping it’s not so I can start physical therapy on her. Other than tube feeding her and the back massages I have been avoiding going in there so I don’t contaminate myself and contaminate the rest of the flock any further than what may have already been done (her and her sick and dying flock mates live in a separate coop and part of the yard but they free range in the same spaces)

 

[Eggcessive]

Mareks is best diagnosed with a necropsy performed by the state vet after death. I hope you are not dealing with Mareks though.

 

[Reijn]

Mareks is best diagnosed with a necropsy performed by the state vet after death. I hope you are dealing with Mareks though.

Our state ag department has the body now. They took it for avian flu (negative) and gross necropsy results only showed an enlarged liver, so we’re waiting for the rest of the labs including Newcastle. The Mareks test is going to cost almost $130 in itself!

I mean… I’d rather it not be Mareks but out of the other two things it could possibly be I would rather it be Mareks. Only five of our birds are vaccinated for it (supposedly, secondhand information about the breeder but not from the breeder himself). And none of the quail I raise are vaccinated so that could get dicey

I did buy the vaccine as a Hail Mary and it got here today. So we’ll be mass vaccinating everyone tomorrow and hoping for the best but I’m not expecting a magical cure. It just made me feel like I was doing something, at least.

 

[Eggcessive]

A large liver can be common in lymphoid leukosis virus. It usually strikes chickens 4 months and older.

 

[Reijn]

A large liver can be common in lymphoid leukosis virus. It usually strikes chickens 4 months and older.

Hoo boy I hope not. These chicks were from Rural King and Alchemist Farm in Cali so someone’s gonna have some ‘splainin to do. My friend said most of her chicks from Alchemist Farm (roughly same age as mine) just recently died as well and she chalked it up to coccidia.

 

[Reijn]

Just an update even though I still should make a dedicated thread for whatever’s got this group sick.

No results yesterday, called them and they had nothing. Three hours until they open today and I’ll call again.

I’ll also be asking them to euthanize the two.

Had a cockerel from the same group looking ill (just puffed up and lethargic, no respiratory issues) so I brought him in. Gave him Corid water. His crop was empty initially, full at 9pm, put him to bed and woke up to see he passed.

This makes the third death from this group of 4 month olds. The ones who have died had no symptoms of any respiratory issues or any visible symptoms at all other than lethargy and standing being puffy. They all passed within 12 hours of being brought inside. The two with respiratory issues inside (that I will be letting go as soon as I call the vet today) were the same but didn’t die (yet)

 

[cityeggs]

Just an update even though I still should make a dedicated thread for whatever’s got this group sick.

No results yesterday, called them and they had nothing. Three hours until they open today and I’ll call again.

I’ll also be asking them to euthanize the two.

Had a cockerel from the same group looking ill (just puffed up and lethargic, no respiratory issues) so I brought him in. Gave him Corid water. His crop was empty initially, full at 9pm, put him to bed and woke up to see he passed.

This makes the third death from this group of 4 month olds. The ones who have died had no symptoms of any respiratory issues or any visible symptoms at all other than lethargy and standing being puffy. They all passed within 12 hours of being brought inside. The two with respiratory issues inside (that I will be letting go as soon as I call the vet today) were the same but didn’t die (yet)

I'm so sorry you experienced this. How is your flock doing now? Did you ever get results from the necroscopy?

I ordered chicks from Alchemist to pick up in a few weeks, and I didn't think to search here for reviews before ordering and this has me worried

 

[Reijn]

I'm so sorry you experienced this. How is your flock doing now? Did you ever get results from the necroscopy?

I ordered chicks from Alchemist to pick up in a few weeks, and I didn't think to search here for reviews before ordering and this has me worried

Hey! Yes, thank you for asking and reminding me, I kept meaning to come back. It was quite disappointing and not in the way you’d expect - more because I was left without a firm answer. I had two different people from two different facilities calling me to ask me questions and it seemed like neither of them talked to each other about what was going on with my chickens and I felt like I was in the dark the whole time.

It took several weeks to get results and I never got sent any paperwork with any information or results or lab work. They just left me a voice mail and casually said it was most likely Mareks. I am on the fence about believing that since they did not find marek’s upon the initial necropsy they did the day after I provided the body (results from that were “unremarkable” although enlarged spleen I think they said? I’m not sure if I wrote that earlier in this post or not), and from what I understand Mareks is best identified on necropsy from nerve lesions. When they billed me (it was not itemized) they only charged me the necropsy fee and not the additional testing I asked for including aspergillosis, although AI and Newcastle were both free, so I think someone dropped the ball somewhere and they just shrugged and said “eh, Mareks”

And since then I have also not had any problems with any other birds, just the alchemist and Rural King. A few other chicks from a local farm raised with them never had any problems. Some chickens I had given away or sold before this happened never ended up with any issues at their new house or any of the chickens they went to live with.

I also own quail and although they are normally housed separately, they do occasionally have contact with each other when I use the quail building to hold any chickens (inclement weather, broody etc) and none of the quail have come down with anything.

But maybe it is Mareks after all. It does cause a bunch of different symptoms but the only Mareks symptom these had were the one that couldn’t walk. And now I wonder if I had given her more time with vitamin therapy if she would have recovered after all.

If I ever have problems again I am going to buy one of the online tests for results.