Gout/MS/something else in 6 week chick?

[Aswanson]

Hi everyone! I have a 6 week old seabright bantam that yesterday I noticed had swollen legs and feet. No bumble on either foot, has been eating chick starter and living in a brooder with large pine shavings. She is still getting around ok and eating and drinking but it’s obviously painful. Any ideas what’s wrong?

 

[Eggcessive]

Welcome to BYC. Can you post a picture of the whole chick standing? I have never seen such swollen feet in a 6 week old chick before. My guess is that it could be MS or another bacterial or viral joint infection, but I am only guessing. Articular gout is pretty rare in chickens. MS is spread through hatching eggs or by a carrier. Some chickens may be nonsymptomatic carriers.

What do you feed your chicks? Gout can have many causes, such as fungal infection, excess calcium, protein, or sodium in the diet, genetics, and other causes. Have you checked to make sure there is nothing around the chicks’s legs, such as a hair or a string, or a leg band? If this chick does not make it, a necropsy can be done to find a cause. White urate crystals can be seen under the skin of the feet and legs if there is gout. In MS, there would be yellow thick liquid or caseous depeosits.
Here is some reading about both diseases:
https://www.merckvetmanual.com/poultry/mycoplasmosis/mycoplasma-synoviae-infection-in-poultry

http://www.thepoultrysite.com/articles/3509/gout-management-in-poultry/

 

[Aswanson]

Welcome to BYC. Can you post a picture of the whole chick standing? I have never seen such swollen feet in a 6 week old chick before. My guess is that it could be MS or another bacterial or viral joint infection, but I am only guessing. Articular gout is pretty rare in chickens. MS is spread through hatching eggs or by a carrier. Some chickens may be nonsymptomatic carriers.

What do you feed your chicks? Gout can have many causes, such as fungal infection, excess calcium, protein, or sodium in the diet, genetics, and other causes. Have you checked to make sure there is nothing around the chicks’s legs, such as a hair or a string, or a leg band? If this chick does not make it, a necropsy can be done to find a cause. White urate crystals can be seen under the skin of the feet and legs if there is gout. In MS, there would be yellow thick liquid or caseous depeosits.
Here is some reading about both diseases:
https://www.merckvetmanual.com/poultry/mycoplasmosis/mycoplasma-synoviae-infection-in-poultry

http://www.thepoultrysite.com/articles/3509/gout-management-in-poultry/

Hello!! They’ve been eating organic non-medicated chick starter. Recently we added chick grit and have been giving some mealworms. Since about a week old they’ve also gotten egg yolk as a treat, so I’m wondering if they were getting too much protein? I haven’t seen anything around the legs but I will check and also take a picture of the chick standing when I get home from work. Thank you!!

 

[Eggcessive]

The third possibility is a viral arthritis which can affect birds over 3 weeks, and is spread by a carrier. It causes swelling in both the ankle and knee or hock joints. There is no treatment. Here is a link to read about it:
http://www.thepoultrysite.com/diseaseinfo/164/viral-arthritis/

 

[Aswanson]

Welcome to BYC. Can you post a picture of the whole chick standing? I have never seen such swollen feet in a 6 week old chick before. My guess is that it could be MS or another bacterial or viral joint infection, but I am only guessing. Articular gout is pretty rare in chickens. MS is spread through hatching eggs or by a carrier. Some chickens may be nonsymptomatic carriers.

What do you feed your chicks? Gout can have many causes, such as fungal infection, excess calcium, protein, or sodium in the diet, genetics, and other causes. Have you checked to make sure there is nothing around the chicks’s legs, such as a hair or a string, or a leg band? If this chick does not make it, a necropsy can be done to find a cause. White urate crystals can be seen under the skin of the feet and legs if there is gout. In MS, there would be yellow thick liquid or caseous depeosits.
Here is some reading about both diseases:
https://www.merckvetmanual.com/poultry/mycoplasmosis/mycoplasma-synoviae-infection-in-poultry

http://www.thepoultrysite.com/articles/3509/gout-management-in-poultry/

Here are some more pics!

 

[Eggcessive]

@TwoCrows, have you ever seen MS in such a young chick at 6 weeks, where the ankles were swollen?

 

[TwoCrows]

Oh I am so sorry about your bird!

Gosh, that sure does look like MS. One way of transmission is via the egg. Generally it hits the young between 4 to 16 weeks of age. BUT...the toes are also swollen? Generally MS doesn't cause swelling of the toes as Gout might. In my experience with MS and seeing others here on BYC that have had MS, it rarely seems to strike so early in life. My birds were 10 months old before they started showing signs, it didn't kick in fully until 1 year. (MS hits slowly, it's not all that fast).

I am more inclined to think Gout. If for some reason this bird is not digesting its food properly, the kidneys may not be functioning at their best yet or possibly the kidneys are diseased and for some reason is kicking out all kinds of Uric Acid, it's going to manifest into Gout. I would think at this age, it is more likely Gout than MS.

I had a male quail with Gout. I was never able to heal him but I was able to help him out a bit. Definitely lower the protein on your bird. 14% or 15% protein max. Some Hog feeds have 14% (I am currently feeding Hog feed to a 9 year old hen that can't tolerate high protein or high calcium food) Check to make sure it is not a sweet feed. (Walmart sells Hog 14 feed, I have been using it quite a while now, it's the exact same as chicken feed without all the protein and calcium)

Apple cider vinegar helps to flush out Uric Acid and helps with pain and inflammation. 1 Tablespoon ACV to 1 gallon of water. Tart Cherry. You can get Tart Cherry at Walmart too in the vitamin section. It is wonderful for removing Uric Acid and help the kidneys function better. Tart Cherry is recommend for Human Gout. You can sprinkle some over grits or oatmeal mash. I was using about 200mg a day of Tart Cherry.

Make sure you are using pure water, if you water from a well, there may be too much salts and salt will cause the kidneys to fail. Feed lots of watermelon, other melons, lots of greens, offer up the B vitamins and Magnesium. All of these will help the Kidney's function better.

You can always get a vet to do a blood test to check for MS, even possibly a blood work up to see if the kidneys are functioning properly. I would try the above and see how it goes for a while.

 

[Eggcessive]

Thanks for the advice TwoCrows.

 

[TwoCrows]

Thanks for the advice TwoCrows.

Thanks for tagging me!!

I hope my info can help!

 

[TwoCrows]

@Aswanson is she missing her tail? In the first post it appears this way?

The reason I ask is because if she is being bullied, this can lead to all sorts of health issues, along with not eating or drinking properly. Chickens know when others in the flock are sick.