Help with sick chickens please.

[Sc00bs]

Hi

We have a number of African Venda Chickens keep our mothers and their chicks seperately.

We currently have one mother with 4 chicks +- 8 weeks old.

This morning at around 9 we noticed one of the chicks was having problems walking, she was looking dizzy and gradually got worse (+- 4 hrs) to the point where it can no longer stand and is just lying on it's side obviously in distress with it's head pulled back and kicking it's legs.

Then this afternoon we noticed another one of the chicks also not walking properly and falling over.

Has anyone got any idea what could be causing this problem and how to treat it?

I was thinking perhaps Marek's disease or perhaps a thiamine deficiency but have no idea how to treat the chicks.

I took some video of the chicks.

The brown chick in the first video has subsequently got worse.

Thanks

JohnB

 

[azygous]

Yes, you may be on the right track with Marek's. All the right symptoms for it. It could also be a similar avain virus called lymphoid leucosis. Both cause lymphoma infecting the brain and nervous system and muscles. It also goes from mild to worse in swift fashion.

Do you have an agricultural lab near you? A necropsy would be able to tell you if this is a simple vitamin deficiency or a serious avian virus.

I just recently went through this myself. Very similar symptoms. I took a pullet that was near death to my farm lab and they euthanized her and took her apart. She had avian leucosis.

 

[turkey girl 0964]

@aart @Kiki

 

[Sc00bs]

Thank you for the advice azygous will see if I can find someone to do a necropsy on the one chicken

 

[Sc00bs]

Hi Folks,

Just thought I would let you know what happened with my chicks.

I dosed both of the chicks with a multivitamin and put them together in a coolerbox in a warm site overnight. They were not looking great and I was looking for a place to do a necropsy on them to try and figure out what was going on.

I put them out in the sun in the morning as they were looking a whole load better and I thought I should give them a chance, when I looked out the windows they were both sitting on the edge of the coolerbox.

They are both now roaring around the garden eating bugs with no issues, quite amazed at the recovery.

Thank you all for the advice.

JohnB