- Jun 4, 2013
- 7
- 0
- 9
Hi - I've been reading BYC for a while now, and finally have joined. Thanks to so many of you who has spent your time to help educate the bigger chicken-loving community.
I had 13 chickens in Bozeman from a hatchery and didn't lose one.
Then I moved to Los Angeles (after I re-homed my initial flock since I couldn't cross the CA boarder with the girls). Last April ('12) we got 7 baby girls from a home-hatchery, and now I am (as of yesterday) down to 2, with one of those two despondent in a corner as of today. I had to reach out to you guys.
With the SLW we just euthanized yesterday, originally I had ruled out Marek's because she was (albeit only slighty) older than a year. However, over the past 5 days she became more unable to walk on her legs, and I noticed the greying of her irises. So we took her in to be euthanized because that apparently is a tell-tale sign. Now I am thinking the other girls before her might have passed from this....
The BIG heartbreaker and a half was Cuckoo, a Cuckoo Maran and my absolute pet. Two months ago I saw her with diarrhea, and so she started getting daily baths and electrolytes and probiotics. Then one day in the bath I noticed a dark pink fleshy hard nodule that was the size of a walnut protruding from her vent. We took her to the vet who treats chickens, and he hadn't a clue. So $150 later we had some ointment and would lube it up and stick the "walnut" back in after a bath. Then after some hand feeding of special treats she'd go back on her way after our time together (which it seems she liked!). No paralysis. Just sort of on slow-mo.
She then she stopped eating and I called the vet, he said to crop feed her. So I mixed up the best stuff possible and did it, with the help of my husband.
That night, after 9 days of daily baths etc, I heard her gasping for air. Loudly. It was quite horrible. I don't know if the crop feeding pushed her over the edge, but either way she was probably not going to make it. However, I wouldn't do it again (crop feeding).
The other chickens that passed were very young (6-9 weeks) and they were silkies (which I have a hunch are weaker as a breed in general), but they seemed to get paralysis - and one had a convulsion and died in my arms as I was trying to get water in her beak via an eye dropper.
Sounds like they were all exposed to Marek's, right? It's been brutal.
I don't understand why ALL chickens aren't vaccinated for Marek's.
QUESTIONS:
1) I have two girls left - so they are at risk of developing symtoms, and clearly they are carriers. Is there anything I can do to prevent the disease from really manifesting (if too late)?
2) I can safely get new chicks that have had the immunization shot and add them to the my small flock of 2, right?
3) Possibly unrelated, but today, my Welsummer laid an egg in the middle of the run (strange) and there was fluid around it. She is the despondent one now. She is either depressed that her friend "disappeared" yesterday, or she has a broken egg maybe inside of her and she is uncomfortable, or she is manifesting her own Marek symptoms. I made her a breakfast of oatmeal, scrambled eggs,meal worms, and yogurt. She wasn't interested. I don't get it because yesterday she was so strong and vital.
Sorry for dumping so much into my intro.. I just really needed to put it out there because I've read all of the related posts here, yet I still feel a bit in the dark, and I must learn from this. I am a true animal lover, and so if I can do anything better, I've got to figure this out.
Thank you so much, in advance for your time, BYC Community!
I had 13 chickens in Bozeman from a hatchery and didn't lose one.
Then I moved to Los Angeles (after I re-homed my initial flock since I couldn't cross the CA boarder with the girls). Last April ('12) we got 7 baby girls from a home-hatchery, and now I am (as of yesterday) down to 2, with one of those two despondent in a corner as of today. I had to reach out to you guys.
With the SLW we just euthanized yesterday, originally I had ruled out Marek's because she was (albeit only slighty) older than a year. However, over the past 5 days she became more unable to walk on her legs, and I noticed the greying of her irises. So we took her in to be euthanized because that apparently is a tell-tale sign. Now I am thinking the other girls before her might have passed from this....
The BIG heartbreaker and a half was Cuckoo, a Cuckoo Maran and my absolute pet. Two months ago I saw her with diarrhea, and so she started getting daily baths and electrolytes and probiotics. Then one day in the bath I noticed a dark pink fleshy hard nodule that was the size of a walnut protruding from her vent. We took her to the vet who treats chickens, and he hadn't a clue. So $150 later we had some ointment and would lube it up and stick the "walnut" back in after a bath. Then after some hand feeding of special treats she'd go back on her way after our time together (which it seems she liked!). No paralysis. Just sort of on slow-mo.
She then she stopped eating and I called the vet, he said to crop feed her. So I mixed up the best stuff possible and did it, with the help of my husband.
That night, after 9 days of daily baths etc, I heard her gasping for air. Loudly. It was quite horrible. I don't know if the crop feeding pushed her over the edge, but either way she was probably not going to make it. However, I wouldn't do it again (crop feeding).
The other chickens that passed were very young (6-9 weeks) and they were silkies (which I have a hunch are weaker as a breed in general), but they seemed to get paralysis - and one had a convulsion and died in my arms as I was trying to get water in her beak via an eye dropper.
Sounds like they were all exposed to Marek's, right? It's been brutal.
I don't understand why ALL chickens aren't vaccinated for Marek's.
QUESTIONS:
1) I have two girls left - so they are at risk of developing symtoms, and clearly they are carriers. Is there anything I can do to prevent the disease from really manifesting (if too late)?
2) I can safely get new chicks that have had the immunization shot and add them to the my small flock of 2, right?
3) Possibly unrelated, but today, my Welsummer laid an egg in the middle of the run (strange) and there was fluid around it. She is the despondent one now. She is either depressed that her friend "disappeared" yesterday, or she has a broken egg maybe inside of her and she is uncomfortable, or she is manifesting her own Marek symptoms. I made her a breakfast of oatmeal, scrambled eggs,meal worms, and yogurt. She wasn't interested. I don't get it because yesterday she was so strong and vital.
Sorry for dumping so much into my intro.. I just really needed to put it out there because I've read all of the related posts here, yet I still feel a bit in the dark, and I must learn from this. I am a true animal lover, and so if I can do anything better, I've got to figure this out.
Thank you so much, in advance for your time, BYC Community!
