Help Floppy neck Silkie Chick!

[leadwolf1]

When I've had trouble with Wry Neck I saw improvement within 2 - 3 days. I'm sure that it will depend on the bird and the severity. If there is no sign of improvement or, if it worsens I would think that you are then dealing with something more than just wry neck.

 

[chickenzoo]

It can take a few days to a few weeks....... Vitamin E is very important, keep up with that. Also I found giving them something to target at is helpful for some reason. For instance...take a piece of scrambled egg..hold it where she can see it...let her try to focus on it and fiquire out how to straighten to get it.... Just baby steps, not to far away from her...build further and further. ....

 

[sanders2778]

HI HOPEFUL, MY VET SAID IT COULD TAKE A WEEK OR EVEN 2. IF YOU HAVE ANY TUNA AROUND PLEASE TRY IT. MINE LOVED IT AND A COUPLE OF HOURS AFTER SHE ATE IT SHE PULLED HER HEAD UP SOME TO LOOK AROUND. STILL NO WORD FROM STATE I AM STARTING TO THINK THEY ARE NOT GOING TO CALL. STILL THINKING ABOUT YOU GUYS,

 

[sanders2778]

OK ,DO NOT GIVE TUNA SHE LOVED IT BUT I GUESS I GAVE HER TO MUCH BECAUSE IT UPSET HER TUMMY . I TOOK STATE MATERS IN OWN HANDS AND CALLED THEM MY SELF. TALKED TO POULTRY LADY AT STATE AG. DEPT ,SHE SAID SHE DID NOT THINK IT WAS MEREKS ON THE ENFO BUT WAS GOING TO DO MORE RESERCH AND CALL IN MORNING .SHE ALSO MENTIONED A BLOOD SAMPLE MIGHT BE HELPFUL, MY VET SAID ONLY AUTOPSY COULD BRING ANY RESULTS SO I AM WONDERING WHY I CAN CALL AND GET ANSWERS IN A AFTERNOON AND THE VET HAS TO WAIT DAYS? SOMETHING SMELLS FISHY BESIDES THE TUNA!!! NOT HAPPY W/MY VET RIGHT NOW

 

[chickenzoo]

Mareks normally has to be diagnosed by autopsy. Some other illnesses can be done by blood sample. Mareks causes rumors all inside the body and on organs. It can also just be in the eyes...and I think skin. It normally always starts with a limping on one leg.. I think the left. Then they lose control of it and often sit with one leg forward one back. It can progress to the wing then neck on he same side....

 

[leadwolf1]

Sorry, but this is not really true information. Marek's is typically known for its one leg forward, one leg back symptom but, it is not the only one nor do you ever have to see it. It can start as Wry Neck, it can start as Stargazing, Sour Crop, Swollen thighs, lethargy, failure to thrive or, they can show absolutely no symptoms at all. It can start with one wing effected or, one leg and never the other.

It is a multi faceted illness. You never know which Marek's you will be seeing next.

Silkies and Polish are hit hardest by Marek's. I can't keep a Polish alive and I have problems with Silkies. Out of 20, I have 5 left.

As far as I know, there is no readily available blood test for Marek's. No way would I take a diagnosis over the phone. Marek's is just too hard to diagnose to have someone say, Nope, that isn't Marek's. I had a silkie that was out free ranging with everyone. Brought him in for the night. Went out to feed and he looked a little lethargic. Turned around to get a quarantine unit and within literally seconds, he was dead on the floor. He was fat and healthy...wrong, on Necropsy it was Marek's. You just cannot tell without that necropsy.

Mareks normally has to be diagnosed by autopsy. Some other illnesses can be done by blood sample. Mareks causes rumors all inside the body and on organs. It can also just be in the eyes...and I think skin. It normally always starts with a limping on one leg.. I think the left. Then they lose control of it and often sit with one leg forward one back. It can progress to the wing then neck on he same side....

 

[Hopefulloflove]

She isy slightly better and no worse. Eating great and lots of energy still. We will just keep on keeping on...

 

[chickenzoo]

I stated that Mareks NORMALY starts with limping in the leg. All the other symptoms...including the limping can also be.MS etc..not just Mareks. I have had a lot of experience.with Mareks also..and dealing with State vets and regular vets and I also know they can be wrong. Necropsy for tumors is the only positive way. It is also mostly a slow affecting disease...in that onset ia fast but progression to death is rather slow. I have raised a lot of Silkies and Polish and it has always started with limping. I won't.vaccinate an older bird again for it as it seems to give it to those breeds more than help.

To the OP....I'm glad she ia doing better. Wry neck takes time...it can seem like it will never fix and then one say they are upright... Most come out of it as long as they keep being able to feed themselves.

 

[leadwolf1]

The vaccine can not give your birds Marek's. It is impossible as it is made from Turkey Marek's and it can't morph into chicken Marek's. Just as you can not get Small pox from the Small pox vaccine. Your words were that it 'normally ALWAYS starts with limping'...this is incorrect. I also disagree that it is a slow moving disease. For the most part from start to finish, my chickens rarely lasted more than a few days. I've lost 40+ in a year. I've seen more Marek's than I hope anyone else ever has to. I've watched all of them firsthand. One must remember that there are numerous strains of Marek's. You can have one, two or all of the regular strains present in your flock..or, you can get really lucky and have a mutated strain hit your flock where they is NO vaccine available that protects. This is what I've been dealing with. It isn't pretty and it isn't slow.

 

[seminolewind]

Jen -Chickenzoo, I never knew you have dealt with this as well! I hope things have been okay now.. It's interesting to hear what you've experienced. I've had known problems for a year. Leadwolf and I both have gone to heck and back with this. We've both been obsessive about knowing everything there is to know. Which is IMpossible with this disease. But you both have said something I've been wondering about; giving Marek's vaccine to older birds. The vaccine is supposed to be given to day olds so that they can build their "army" before the "enemy" arrives. The vaccine protects only against the tumors that kill the bird.

However, giving vaccine to older birds, I wonder if that could be more of an irritant to a bird who has already been exposed and carries it, and maybe "wake" the virus up?

Or maybe the vaccine does nothing at all for exposed adults , and eventually some get sick anyway.

This Marek's stuff is all so confusing because there's no test for it. Then there's Classic symptoms, Common symptoms, Acute symptoms, Long term symptoms, Uncategorized symptoms, Rare symptoms, Unheard of symptoms, it can be any symptoms- OR no symptoms at all. Any paralysis or No paralysis. Or paralysis that clears up fine. It affects some birds and not others and no one knows why. It makes me crazy!