HELP! SILKIE CHICKS CAN'T WALK!!

[earlybird69]

i have one 2-3 week old and four 6 week old silkies that are acting like their legs are becoming paralyzed. i have already had a couple of the younger ones dye from this, and i dont know what it is. my best guess is vitamin deficiantcy, but i dont know what to give them to fix it. also it is just my silkie chicks that are doing this, i have a couple other breeds in the same brooder box and they are fine. what is this and what can i do to get them healthy again.

 

[Wyandottes7]

My first guess would be a vitamin deficiency, too. Silkies in particular tend to be prone to neurological problems and vitamin deficiencies. I'd get some Poly Vi Sol infant vitamins from a supermarket, and give each bird 1-2 drops a day, and see if that helps.

 

[Eggcessive]

Some things to look at would be vitamin deficiency, avian encephalomyelitis (AE,) and Mareks disease, although Mareks usually shows up later than 2 weeks. A good poultry vitamin added to the water such as Avian Super Pack 1/4 tsp to 5 gallons of water, (or 1/4 tsp to 5 oz of water, then add 1 ounce of mixture to 1 gallon.) Rooster Booster sells a poultry vitamin at most TSC's. Here are some links to read:
http://www.merckmanuals.com/vet/pou..._poultry/vitamin_deficiencies_in_poultry.html
http://www.thepoultrysite.com/diseaseinfo/9/avian-encephalomyelitis-epidemic-tremors