Help! Is this Merecks?

[peaceluvnchicks]

Hi Everyone...Im new to the forum and SO EXCITED to have found this site. My chickens have owned me for 6 years now. I adore them which is why I am freaking out right now with some baby chicks. The only chicks I ever bought from a feed store/breeder were my first 3 hens & 1 rooster (which was suppose to be a hen also. Since then all the 22 chickens I now have were hatched at my home the natural way. Rarely lost any chicks and the ones I did loose were not due to illness. Im not very knowlegable about illness's in chickens/chicks so I hope someone can help figure out what may be going on with a chick I bought from a breeded. Ive wanted a Cochin for a long time and found a place to buy them from. They were 1 week old when I bought them. The first time I bought 3 chicks. Two Cochins and another breed (coco mooran?). One cochin and the other breed died after 4 days and I thought that it may have been due to me and the way I was heating them. I have never used artificial heat because I always had the momma hens keeping babies warm. Ok, went back to breeder and bought 3 more cochins. Brought in one of my silkies to take care of them (they r in my house). I have become neurotic with them since loosing the other babies so Im checking on them constantly. Yesterday mornng I noticed one of the cochins seemed a bit sluggish and just not right. Looked like it was sleeping while standing up. Checked all their behinds and none of them have pasty butt. These chicks are now 2 weeks old. I put save a chick electrolytes in their water. It was/is eating (hand fed it a few times). Late yesterday afternoon I went to check on the babies and one of the cochins was DEAD! Have no idea what happened as it was not the sick looking one. I was totally shocked..Today I have been checking the babies every 10 min. The 2 week old sickly chick looks to be unsteady on its feet, still sluggish, looks like its sleeping while standing, and now it is doing this weird thing with its head where while its eyes are closed her head does these tiny jerks to one side constantly. I am FREAKING OUT that it has merecks disease and that all the other chicks/silkie are going to die. I dont know what to do and I have no idea what may be wrong with this baby. I have given it sub q lactated ringers (under skin..do wildlife rehabbing and have lots of medical experience), fed it some of the electrolyte water a couple times, made a yogurt mixture with the chick starter (non medicated) and fed with syringe a few times. I have seen it eat and drink on its own. Does anyone know what may be wrong with this baby? Any suggestions of what I should do for treatment? Does Merecks affect chicks at 2 weeks old? I really really dont want to loose any more chicks and I REALLY want this little one to make it..I just need to know what may be wrong with it and what to do for it. Thank you so much for any info. I really hope someone has some for me.
***Just went in to check on chicks. The sickly chick was collapsed underneath momma and hadnt even died yet..I basically held it until it went completely unconcious and now it is in a little box away from the others. I would still like to know if this seemed like merecks or what may have been wrong with it. 4 (I think) of the cochins from the same breeder have now died. Am I doing something wrong???Im so sad

 

[sonew123]

Hi Everyone...Im new to the forum and SO EXCITED to have found this site. My chickens have owned me for 6 years now. I adore them which is why I am freaking out right now with some baby chicks. The only chicks I ever bought from a feed store/breeder were my first 3 hens & 1 rooster (which was suppose to be a hen also. Since then all the 22 chickens I now have were hatched at my home the natural way. Rarely lost any chicks and the ones I did loose were not due to illness. Im not very knowlegable about illness's in chickens/chicks so I hope someone can help figure out what may be going on with a chick I bought from a breeded. Ive wanted a Cochin for a long time and found a place to buy them from. They were 1 week old when I bought them. The first time I bought 3 chicks. Two Cochins and another breed (coco mooran?). One cochin and the other breed died after 4 days and I thought that it may have been due to me and the way I was heating them. I have never used artificial heat because I always had the momma hens keeping babies warm. Ok, went back to breeder and bought 3 more cochins. Brought in one of my silkies to take care of them (they r in my house). I have become neurotic with them since loosing the other babies so Im checking on them constantly. Yesterday mornng I noticed one of the cochins seemed a bit sluggish and just not right. Looked like it was sleeping while standing up. Checked all their behinds and none of them have pasty butt. These chicks are now 2 weeks old. I put save a chick electrolytes in their water. It was/is eating (hand fed it a few times). Late yesterday afternoon I went to check on the babies and one of the cochins was DEAD! Have no idea what happened as it was not the sick looking one. I was totally shocked..Today I have been checking the babies every 10 min. The 2 week old sickly chick looks to be unsteady on its feet, still sluggish, looks like its sleeping while standing, and now it is doing this weird thing with its head where while its eyes are closed her head does these tiny jerks to one side constantly. I am FREAKING OUT that it has merecks disease and that all the other chicks/silkie are going to die. I dont know what to do and I have no idea what may be wrong with this baby. I have given it sub q lactated ringers (under skin..do wildlife rehabbing and have lots of medical experience), fed it some of the electrolyte water a couple times, made a yogurt mixture with the chick starter (non medicated) and fed with syringe a few times. I have seen it eat and drink on its own. Does anyone know what may be wrong with this baby? Any suggestions of what I should do for treatment? Does Merecks affect chicks at 2 weeks old? I really really dont want to loose any more chicks and I REALLY want this little one to make it..I just need to know what may be wrong with it and what to do for it. Thank you so much for any info. I really hope someone has some for me.
***Just went in to check on chicks. The sickly chick was collapsed underneath momma and hadnt even died yet..I basically held it until it went completely unconcious and now it is in a little box away from the others. I would still like to know if this seemed like merecks or what may have been wrong with it. 4 (I think) of the cochins from the same breeder have now died. Am I doing something wrong???Im so sad

Im so sorry! This will be tough as it could be several things...The breeder may have "something" in their coops and I certainly would not get more from them until you figure out whats going on...If it were mareks it would not start to show until much later on in the chicks life;( Is the silkie mom allowing them to cuddle under her to keep warm? I would try your hand at artificial light next time to see if it makes a difference. It might be the chicks got a hold of something that made them ill...spoiled food? Botulism? Im grabbing at straws here....

 

[peaceluvnchicks]

Thanks so much for clarifying when they can get mericks disease. They havent been able to get into anything toxic and the only thing I have been giving them is the electrolyte water made for chicks (started this after the first 2 died). Now, it seems another one that I got from the same breeder may have something wrong with it and Im starting to think it is something from the breeder. Out of 7 chicks I bough, I only have 3 left. The momma is sitting on the chicks and i put the light on when she isnt with them. This other chick is eating and drinking but laying most of the day under the momma or on the floor of the cage. Not acting at all like the other chicks and it keeps lifting one of its legs up today. Cant find anything at all wrong with it and I have looked really good. This has been so stressful for me! Its usually so easy when my chicks arrive (the natural way). Any idea what could be causing this little chick to be sluggish AND have a foot/leg that seems hurt? Thanks for any info!

 

[leadwolf1]

Since you don't know much about where they came from, I would immediately treat for coccidia. Corrid in their water for 5 - 7 days. Unfortunately, Marek's can kill chicks under 6 weeks old. There is a thread on here documenting it. I do agree that I wouldn't purchase any more chicks from that source.

 

[sonew123]

Since you don't know much about where they came from, I would immediately treat for coccidia. Corrid in their water for 5 - 7 days. Unfortunately, Marek's can kill chicks under 6 weeks old. There is a thread on here documenting it. I do agree that I wouldn't purchase any more chicks from that source.

Hmmm....Interesting...I dont recall mareks being able to kill chicks that young...i know they can be affected by the disease but the signs and symptoms dont appear until later...Ill have to check that out! Can you post that thread here for reference? please...Ive read tons of them and Im not sure sure which one your talking about?..Everything I have read says it take 4-12 weeks to see signs after exposure to Mareks...

 

[leadwolf1]

I was shocked to but I know that the lady said she had the chick necropsied at 5 weeks and it was Marek's positive. It's been about 6 months ago. I will see if I can find the thread and post it here if I find it...hopefully, I commented on it!

 

[flgardengirl]

Since you don't know much about where they came from, I would immediately treat for coccidia. Corrid in their water for 5 - 7 days. Unfortunately, Marek's can kill chicks under 6 weeks old. There is a thread on here documenting it. I do agree that I wouldn't purchase any more chicks from that source.

x2 this is the time of year late spring/early summer that coccidia usually occurs. If there is any water spillage in the warm brooder the cocci can grow like wildfire. Definitely try the Corid it won't hurt them any if they don't have it and may save some chicks if they do have it. Often times when they have cocci, they will stand stooped over kinda a vulture like stance and not eat or drink as much. Bloody poop is a late sign so can't always go by that. If a chick becomes very dehydrated they can develop neurological symptoms.

 

[sonew123]

I was shocked to but I know that the lady said she had the chick necropsied at 5 weeks and it was Marek's positive. It's been about 6 months ago. I will see if I can find the thread and post it here if I find it...hopefully, I commented on it!

Oh I have no doubt upon necropsy, Mareks can be shown ...but the physicalities of the disease cannot be seen in a two weekmold chick;( Thats why the disease stinks!

 

[leadwolf1]

That is true...most times, they just die and people think it is failure to thrive or some other benign illness. I still can't find that thread, sorry.

 

[peaceluvnchicks]

HELP...What is Corrid???? Baby still alive and eating but sitting. I was researching about what could be wrong with it and I found some that sounds like it may be the problem. Its called Infectious Stunting disease...I gave the baby a little dose of baytril injectible orally. Now, I have another problem though. I cant believe I didnt think of this before hand because it doesnt take a rocket science to figure out that if a turkey is sitting on eggs they can break them or suffocate the baby chicks. Found a dead hatched baby under the turkey and a baby hatching out of shell. Had to remove all eggs (9) and relocate them hoping that the enclosure I put them in with another hen will sit on them. Now, I have the egg which is hatching in my bathroom with the heatlamp over it. I am freaking out as to how hot it should be so Im going in every 2 min to check on it. I tried to put the half way hatching one with another hen and it tried to EAT IT !!! This is not the joyous part of having chickens ...... Am I hatching the egg properly? Never have had to do this before.....Thanks for the info on mereks and coccidia..Please let me know what that corrid is so I can buy some at the feed store.