Chick with Paralyzed Legs?

[kukupecpec]

I thought it was just a fluke the first time, but now this is the second chick to "get" this. I've got some silkie X serama chicks, both were doing just fine, they are about 3 weeks old now. One day the gray chick started walking funny, instead of up on his feet he would walk with the whole bottom half of his leg parallel to the ground. Next he could only walk backwards. Then it was like his legs were completely limp. Then both legs stuck straight out in front of him and and he would flap to scoot to where he wanted to go (food, water, snuggle with the other chicks). Finally he died. He never had any other issues. He seemed bright and actively ate and drank, didn't chirp out in pain or anything, no pasty butt, just this weird leg thing! And now my other cross chick has the same thing, but it's like it jumped straight to the paralyzed leg thing. I swear she was completely fine yesterday. I've hatched these eggs before and nothing like this has happened.



My last couple hatches have had weird things happening though - two with what looked like wry neck, and two more with splayed legs, and another two with pasty butt that I just couldn't seem to keep clean no matter what. I've been hatching almost constantly for a year and this is the VERY first time I've had ANY of these things happen! The cross chicks with the weird paralyzed legs came from my own birds, and one of the pasty butt and one of the splayed leg chicks also came from my serama flock. The other two were from ordered eggs and the two other chicks that hatched from that order died seemingly without reason.
I haven't changed the way I do anything, I'm feeding the same thing, I just have no idea what's going on. Can anyone help figure this out?

 

[Eggcessive]

This seems pretty early for Mareks disease, but I think it occasionally will show up this early. I would start poultry vitamins plus selenium daily. I'm not an expert on Mareks, but I will give you some links that I think are good:
http://partnersah.vet.cornell.edu/avian-atlas/search/disease/502
http://extension.unh.edu/resources/files/Resource000791_Rep813.pdf
https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/the-great-big-giant-mareks-disease-faq
https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/741957/not-an-emergency-mareks-in-the-flock

 

[kukupecpec]

This seems pretty early for Mareks disease, but I think it occasionally will show up this early. I would start poultry vitamins plus selenium daily. I'm not an expert on Mareks, but I will give you some links that I think are good:
http://partnersah.vet.cornell.edu/avian-atlas/search/disease/502
http://extension.unh.edu/resources/files/Resource000791_Rep813.pdf
https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/the-great-big-giant-mareks-disease-faq
https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/741957/not-an-emergency-mareks-in-the-flock

Any idea how quickly this would be noticed in my other chicks? It was just these two that showed the paralysis, all my other chicks seem fine. But it looks like it isn't supposed to show up this early anyway?
I can't imagine where this would have come from, once chicks go outside, they don't ever come back in the house, and these guys have all been in the house since they hatched.

 

[Eggcessive]

Many on the "Not and emergency..." thread can answer questions, and most of them probably would not mind it if you PM'd them. Maybe one of them will see this thread and respond. I also wnted to include 2 good links on wry neck. http://www.browneggblueegg.com/Article/Crookneck/Crookneck.html
http://oureggbasket.blogspot.com/2013/04/wry-neck-or-crook-neck-understanding-it.html

 

[kukupecpec]

Many on the "Not and emergency..." thread can answer questions, and most of them probably would not mind it if you PM'd them. Maybe one of them will see this thread and respond. I also wnted to include 2 good links on wry neck. http://www.browneggblueegg.com/Article/Crookneck/Crookneck.html
http://oureggbasket.blogspot.com/2013/04/wry-neck-or-crook-neck-understanding-it.html

Can wry neck affect the legs too? Considering two had symptoms of wry neck that could be it too.

 

[Eggcessive]

Wry neck can make them walk in circles, back up, and flip over. Paralysis, I would think is more a sign of Mareks.

 

[kukupecpec]

Well that really stinks! I definitely don't want to have to deal with that =(

 

[chicken momma 1]

I had an. Avian vet tell me that rye neck can effect the legs. I have a 6 week old mille de fleur bantam that was walking fine then became wobbly now can't walk. We are feeding it with a spoon and adding a vitamin regimen. Hoping it improves. It is gaining weight and spunky and scoots around but can't use legs?? Not sure what to do long term. My 9 yr old son is pleading with me not to have it out down.

 

[chicken momma 1]

 

[Eggcessive]

I had an. Avian vet tell me that rye neck can effect the legs. I have a 6 week old mille de fleur bantam that was walking fine then became wobbly now can't walk. We are feeding it with a spoon and adding a vitamin regimen. Hoping it improves. It is gaining weight and spunky and scoots around but can't use legs?? Not sure what to do long term. My 9 yr old son is pleading with me not to have it out down.

Are you treating this chick with vitamins? It may have encephalomalacia which is related to wry neck. It is a vitamin E and selenium deficiency. Selenium can be purchased, and there is some in Poultry Nutridrench and Poultry Cell (Rooster Boosterbrand.) Eggs, sunflower seeds, and canned tuna(low sodium) contain selenium. I would also make sure the chick is on a non-slip surface for footing, and avoid newspaper. Here are some links:
http://www.thepoultrysite.com/disea...alacia-exudative-diathesis-muscular-dystrophy
http://partnersah.vet.cornell.edu/avian-atlas/node/600
http://www.merckmanuals.com/vet/pou..._poultry/vitamin_deficiencies_in_poultry.html
http://www.browneggblueegg.com/Article/Crookneck/Crookneck.html