Cornish X seizures?

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Our feed source has been the same through multiple flocks, so I wonder about a disease. It is about 85 here everyday. They are co-habitating with two ducks and we only feed them in the morning. Their food is gone by the end of the day.

 

[Tracydr]

If the feed recently went moldy, it could be just an area of the feed, one moldy bag or even a wet area of the feed bin. Doesn't mean the entire batch was bad the whole time you were feeding it. Aspergillus and aflatoxins would be my two biggest concerns.

 

[Erica]

I too would suspect a feed toxin. Sometimes mould right at the bottom of the bin can spread toxins all through the whole batch even though everything above the bottom seems fine. Or if feed is left out and gets damp, late in the day it might be quite high in mould.

Aside from that the obvious things are tumour diseases affecting the nerves; and perhaps a contaminant like lead in the soil.

It does seem you're losing well above the usual number of these birds.

 

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We buy feed from a local elevator. We keep it in a waterproof plastic bin. It is emptied to the very bottom every two or three days and re-filled with new feed. I highly doubt it is moldy feed. I was thinking Marek's or Avian encephalomyelitis. Any tips on how we can clean out the brooder to avoid the next batch getting this? They have plywood walls and cardboard over cement covered in pine shavings. Typically we just shovel all of the old litter out and lay down new. However, I am thinking some degree of disinfecting should be in order. How do you disinfect your brooding area? What chemicals do you use?

 

[myhubbycallsmechickeemama]

I've heard that CX don't live long enough to get Marek's so that's why I don't pay to have mine vaccinated.

You can spray on a 10 to 1 bleach solution but make sure it dries completely before adding more birds.

 

[Tracydr]

I think Marek's is extremely low likelihood because it's not usually seen until the bird is nearly sixteen weeks of age. Avian encephalomyelitis is usually noticed because of weakness and muscle tremors, not seizures. You would be able to easily see the difference between muscle weakness and seizures.
Toxins are the most likely cause of seizures in multiple birds, not disease.