Chicks cant walk

[bantyman]

Hey all

Hoping someone on here can help I have some chix that I hatched about 6 weeks ago They have been doing really good until a few days ago One of the hens legs kept going out from under her and she couldnt walk as time went the other started it until she cant walk at all She kind of flaps and crawls Couple days after her another one started doing the same thing As of now I have 3 doing this I dont like it but dont know what to do or what it is or what caused it Other chix that have been in this brooder have had no problems at all Their appetite is good they drink good their color is good Everything about them is great except their legs go walking somewhere else and they fall down and cant get up Any ideas on what this might be?

Mike

 

[KellyHM]

It kind of sounds like Marek's, but I'd have to look it up to see if it can be transferred through the egg.

 

[bantyman]

Can they get over it and be normal again?

 

[KellyHM]

If it's really Marek's it's not likely. Some people say they have had chickens get over it, but it's a virus that causes tumors in/around the nerves, compressing them, and making the chickens lose motor control, essentially paralyzing them. I'm hoping someone else can offer some other insight into what else it might be though. I don't remember it being spread through the egg though, so if you hatched them yourself they really shouldn't have it, unless you have others that are carriers.

 

[bantyman]

It dont sound to promising I guess it is possible some of mine could be carriers But wouldnt they have shown it also ? This is the first time I have evr had anything like this around Can this be spread from one home to another without any contact Like being spread by the wind? Is it airborne?

 

[KellyHM]

It's mostly spread via chicken dander, which can get on your clothes, etc. The other chickens inhale it and that's how they contract it. The carriers don't always show signs of the disease unfortunately, so there's really no way of knowing unless you went to the extent of having them all tested. If you think you have carriers the best thing to do would be to vaccinate any new chicks you hatch. They are supposed to be vaccinated in the first day of life.

 

[bantyman]

where do you get the vaccine and how is it administered? I have several 12 week olds here Do they stand a chance of getting this? And is it possible to vaccinate them or is it only effective given during the first day?

 

[Bandana]

Quote:
Good questions. I wanna know, too. Sorry you have to deal with this, bantyman.