Hen Gone Nuts - Flailing, Disoriented, etc.

[Rozzie]

I'm sorry you lost her.

 

[Yay Chicks!]

I'm sorry.

 

[hookshot]

Thanks guys, at least she isn't suffering anymore I guess.

 

[Resolution]

Your hen died of Mareks. Keep a bottle of cranassure gel caps on hand and the moment you find a hen with these symptoms tuck a gel cap into her gullet- every evening for 3-5 days along with a few raw almonds and grapes. The food insures she's got strength to fight off chicken shingles.

 

[Clay Valley Farmer]

Sorry to hear that it ended this way.

Your hen died of Mareks.

With all due respect, how do you know this with such certainty?

Cranassure gel caps are not a cure for Marek's, maybe there are some isolated cases with spontaneous remission of the symptoms while it was used but there are likely far more cases that appeared recovered where it was not used. Simply it is not scientifically tested and accepted. In general feeding chickens herbal concoctions is not a good idea as their systems and our or other mammalian systems are totally different a cure for one can be poison to the other.

Grapes and almonds are not going do anything about shingles which is related to the reactivation of chickenpox virus. Anyway what would the possible connection be to the symptoms shown in this unfortunate chicken????

Nothing personal, info just looks to be a little in left field.​

 

[Lesa]

Oh, so sorry...

 

[hookshot]

Thanks everyone... I'd ruled out Mareks on the basis that she was too old, and a number of the symptoms didn't fit. I'm relatively sure it was botulism, or some sort of similar infection, but that I got to it too late to save her.

 

[babsbag]

I am sorry you lost your hen. It is hard to watch.

As far as Marek's, I wouldn't rule it out based on her age. I have one that is declining right now and I am fairly certain that is what she has based on flock history. She is 2 years old. I lost others that were "too old" as well, and the lab confirmed Marek's in my case. I am not saying that is what she had, and botulism does seem to fit her symptoms, but just be aware that age is not a good indicator. Also I read on BYC that botulism in chickens is actually very uncommon. Again, I am not making any guesses as to what she had, I am just sharing my own experience. None of mine have had the leg paralysis either.

I have about 30 birds in my flock, some that are as old as my hen that is sick. I started off with 9 chickens and of that 9, 3 of them died from Marek's, one is now sick, and 3 are perfectly fine. It is an insidious disease that manifests itself in many different ways. It is a hard one to deal with. I hope that she did not have Marek's as it is supposedly highly contagious.

I hope the rest of your birds stay happy and healthy.