Accepting what might be and pushing forward.....need advice on multiple concerns.

[TropicalChickies]

It will cost money to get a correct diagnosis, whatever route you choose. You can check with your state lab to find out if a necropsy cost less than the live test for Marek's disease. If so, you can wait until you lose another bird, then submit the body then. Identifying the invisible, unknown monsters (avian diseases) afflicting a flock is in my book, priceless.

Agree. If I had access to such resources as vets and necropsies, I'd scrimp and save to use them.

@Chopper923 identifying the disease present in your flock is worthwhile for other reasons not yet mentioned:

You have a fairly large number of birds for a backyard flock. If the disease identified is treatable, you have a much better chance at saving more of them.

Some avian respiratory diseases are a virus, like IBV (infectious bronchitis virus). They simply have to run their course. But just like a person with a virus, fortifying the immune system with nutrients, clean water, fresh air, sunshine, and rest will help. And keeping them parasite-free.

Other diseases like MG (mycoplasma) are bacterial. This is essentially "chicken pneumonia" and can be helped with antibiotics.

Some diseases impart immunity but the birds are carriers for life. (However some studies show that the viral load drops over time). So depending on that factor, you may wish to "close" your flock (not bring in any new birds) for a period of time.

I waited more than two years before introducing new birds. All of my original flock have passed on, sadly, although a few made it to four years old and had good vigorous lives after recovering from their original disease.

Now I have roosters and hens who love to go broody, so they can hatch their own offspring here on our farm. Which reduces the chances of "importing" disease considerably. It does get better!

So you see, knowing what your birds have would really help in many ways.

 

[Chopper923]

I definitely agree that spending the money would be worth it to be able to get some answers and treat accurately. I keep looking at the testing sites...how do I know what test to request? Is there a test that would cover multiple issues? @azygous sent me the lab info for mareks along with the cost and instructions...I don't think I can convince my husband to spend that kind of money on MULTIPLE tests to rule things out.

No need to worry about us bringing any more birds to our little farm. I will give my flock the best life I can, but I think when they are gone (hopefully peacefully of old age, lol), I will be done with raising chickens.

Our little Leghorn who was 9 weeks old when she lost use of her legs on June 27 is still not improving. (The leghorns are the ones we treated with Corid the week of June 11. We had also moved them to their new coop a day or two prior to her leg issue, and my husband wonders if she was injured due to them getting used to their new roosts...maybe fell?) She gets nonmedicated chick grower, Vitamin B Complex, and Poultry Cell daily. She is in our homemade chair two times a day, which she seems to do well in. She eats and drinks well...just has no use of her legs. My husband is thinking since there's no improvement yet, we may have to have a hard conversation about the quality of her life.

 

[azygous]

Unfortunately, most tests are not open-ended. You supply a blood sample and specify which pathogen you want that blood tested for. On top of the substantial cost, the blood sample will degrade quickly in under 48 hours, so if you happen to have a USPS snafu (common these days) that delays delivery, the blood won't be useful for testing.

 

[Chopper923]

Oh, wow....thank you for letting me know, @azygous .

 

[TropicalChickies]

I definitely agree that spending the money would be worth it to be able to get some answers and treat accurately. I keep looking at the testing sites...how do I know what test to request? Is there a test that would cover multiple issues? @azygous sent me the lab info for mareks along with the cost and instructions...I don't think I can convince my husband to spend that kind of money on MULTIPLE tests to rule things out.

No need to worry about us bringing any more birds to our little farm. I will give my flock the best life I can, but I think when they are gone (hopefully peacefully of old age, lol), I will be done with raising chickens.

Our little Leghorn who was 9 weeks old when she lost use of her legs on June 27 is still not improving. (The leghorns are the ones we treated with Corid the week of June 11. We had also moved them to their new coop a day or two prior to her leg issue, and my husband wonders if she was injured due to them getting used to their new roosts...maybe fell?) She gets nonmedicated chick grower, Vitamin B Complex, and Poultry Cell daily. She is in our homemade chair two times a day, which she seems to do well in. She eats and drinks well...just has no use of her legs. My husband is thinking since theirs no improvement yet, we may have to have a hard conversation about the quality of her life.

Ahh... Poor little thing. Glad to see you have her in a sling. Give her a little physiotherapy twice a day, just for a few minutes, very very gently massage the legs with your fingertips.

Do her toes have any grabbing action?

 

[Chopper923]

Well, just found another from our group of young lavenders dead outside her coop. And she was one who I had NO concerns with. My husband has agreed to send in for testing, but I haven't told him the cost yet. Should I start with Mareks? Or one of the ones for respiratory diseases? I still lean towards mareks based on opinions on here, but I may only get one shot at this point....

 

[Chopper923]

Ahh... Poor little thing. Glad to see you have her in a sling. Give her a little physiotherapy twice a day, just for a few minutes, very very gently massage the legs with your fingertips.

Do her toes have any grabbing action?

No grabbing at all. She can stand if i keep her balanced, but I'm not sure that's strength or just that she can lock her legs like we do our knees...if that is such a thing.

 

[TropicalChickies]

Well, just found another from our group of young lavenders dead outside her coop. And she was one who I had NO concerns with. My husband has agreed to send in for testing, but I haven't told him the cost yet. Should I start with Mareks? Or one of the ones for respiratory diseases? I still lean towards mareks based on opinions on here, but I may only get one shot at this point....

Geez. I am so sorry. I don't have these testing options so I'm probably not the best one to advise.

So just my gut feeling here, that's all it is: Birds with respiratory disease usually show some fairly symptoms. Lots of sneezing, raspy breathing, gurgling sounds, runny noses, purple or blue tinged combs, etc. Your rooster sneezing occasionally probably isn't an issue. Birds also sneeze when they eat too quickly or breathe in dust.

Your situation sounds more like you are experiencing sudden deaths and paralysis, which are more classic symptoms of Marek's. I personally have no experience with Marek's, only with respiratory disease. I only know what I've read about Marek's. So again, this is not a very educated opinion. But if I had to choose in this case, I'd test for Marek's.

Worms can also cause sudden death -- so I've read. But whenever I've treated for worms, there were symptoms like pale color and diarrhea. So I don't know how often birds just drop dead from nowhere from worms.

All three of these issues can be present. But since Marek's is the only one with no successful treatment options and highest mortality, I'd want to either rule it out or know it was present if at all possible.

 

[TropicalChickies]

No grabbing at all. She can stand if i keep her balanced, but I'm not sure that's strength or just that she can lock her legs like we do our knees...if that is such a thing.

June 27 was ten days ago. If she's eating and drinking, personally I'd give her a bit more time. Try very gently manipulating the legs and try to feel if there is any resistance in the muscles or if they are just hanging there limply.

 

[azygous]

On the other hand, a bird sent in after it dies to a lab for a necropsy can be tested for multiple pathogens, and the organs can also be examined for obvious signs of different avian viruses. This is the best use of your money as it can pretty much tell you what caused the death.

Refrigerate, do not freeze the dead body. Call your state lab for instructions how to get the body to them. Wisconsin Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory