5 died out of 6! one 7 weekold BCM left please read symptoms

[chickenreyna]

Could possibly be poor bloodines .. Very likely have something to do with it

 

[Lady of McCamley]

Both. Poor breeding and illness, and somebody dumping their headaches onto you.

I'm so sorry. Hopefully it is Newcastle, and this one will make it to a strong bird.

LofMc

 

[drumstick diva]

I heard the odd noise in your video, it sounds almost like a kitten purring. I hope she has a chance (if Newcastle) .

 

[micstrachan]

I’m so sorry. Yes, that cat noise sounds respiratory. I don’t know what’s going on with the dandruff, but perhaps a little olive oil on the feed might be a nice little treat. Can you also look her over for external parasites like lice or mites?

 

[Saaniya]

I think when we face lots of struggle and doubts with the chicken illnesses . and can't able to decide the reason or disease whose a culprit I think then vet will help u totally @Charles A. Milverton will surely help u

 

[Red Banks]

So sorry you are dealing with this. Young BCM have green eyes, blue eyes, this is an indicator they will have orange when they are more mature.

 

[rebrascora]

I'm so sorry you have had such a rough time with these chicks. I am usually the first to suggest Marek's Disease, but I don't think it is the culprit in this case.
The first few deaths were far too young for Marek's. I would say they may have been due to stress, over heating, dehydration, pasty butt or any number of different things. Your next ones clearly had a respiratory problem which may have been viral or bacterial. I also wonder if ventilation/over heating may have been a problem. They appear to be in a plastic tote. Did you use a heat lamp and did you provide a cool side for the food and water. Heat can build up in a solid sided box and the water gets warm and they have no way to cool themselves down. What type of bedding material did you use and how often did you clean it? That can cause issues. I'm not saying that this was the problem, but it can be.... They may well have hatched with a respiratory virus inherited from their mother.

Feces will look normal sometimes but diarrhea is always present the same day

I wonder if you are aware that chickens have two different types of poop, the normal brown/green ones with the white cappings that don't smell and caecal poops which are more runny and shiny and stink and look a bit like diarrhoea.
Can you post a photo of the poop you are concerned about?

The eye colour change may just be a developmental thing or it could have been caused by dust or debris getting into the eye.... Does the remaining chick have this strange eye colour and if so, can you take a close up photo.

The dander may be as a result of a juvenile moult or they may have a parasitic problem or they may have been dust bathing in shavings and have small sawdust particles trapped in their feathers so that when you pick them up you get covered in it, especially if they are French Marans and have feathered shanks. Can you hold the chick over a dark flat surface and ruffle it's feathers and then take a close up photo of the debris that comes off.... if the debris is black, then use a white surface, so that we can see it. People's perception of a lot of dandruff can vary immensely depending upon how scrupulous they are. Have you examined the skin to see if it looks dry or inflamed.

Clearly these birds were not thrifty when you bought them and perhaps your inexperience has meant that you have not recognised problems until it was too late or maybe you realised there was something wrong but did not know what to do to help them. I do think there has probably been more than one issue causing the deaths and they are probably just a combination of bad genetics, bad luck and perhaps some inexperience.

I apologise if I have suggested things that you are already aware of and have ruled out. It is always difficult to figure out what is going on when you are relying on someone else's description and cannot handle the bird yourself or know the level of experience and knowledge the owner has.

I hope your last little bird is a survivor.

Good luck with him/her.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

How is she doing?

I agree, in the video, she clearly has some mucous, wheezing and possibly something like conjunctivitis going on with the eye. There are several respiratory illnesses that have similar symptoms, so without testing, it would be hard to know which one you are dealing with.

You can try antibiotics to see if they will help alleviate some of the symptoms. While the medication won't cure the illness, it can help with secondary infections. Injectable Tylan50 can be found at most feed stores. It can be given orally or by injection with a dosage of .20ml per 1lb. of weight, you can give it at least 2X per day (you may want to give it 3X a day) for 5days in a row. For the eyes, flush with saline, remove any pus that you see and apply an ophthalmic ointment like Terramycin or similar.

I'm very sorry that you have had troubles. Be aware, that respiratory illnesses are contagious and can make the birds carriers of the illness for life, even when they get better and show no symptoms. Illness can be passed on the any new birds that you bring into the flock. Some people do cull all and start over. Depending on your goals that may be something to consider. If you are keeping them for pleasure or for your own use, then closing your flock is an option - you will not want to sell, trade or give away hatching eggs, chicks, etc. Any birds that you bring it, treat only if any symptoms arise.

Please let us know how they are.