I don’t know what’s going on with my frizzles

[JBradley]

I have a mystery illness that is taking down my young frizzles one at a time with several weeks sometimes a month between. They aren’t laying yet. They are perfectly fine one day and then begin stumbling around and then unable to move and then stop eating and drinking and finally pass away. I have treated for mites and lice, treated with corrid, given electrolytes with the heat, and giving poultry cell when they begin these symptoms thinking it’s vitamin deficiency. They are alert and talking but can’t move. They will eat if I feed them and syringe water into them. I have never seen mareks, but don’t know if this is what it is or something else. If it is, will it only affect my frizzle coop? They don’t mix with my bigger girls due to size. How did it get in my coop? I have lost three so far and have another showing symptoms now. Please if anyone has experienced something similar help me. I love my girls and breaks my heart when I lose one.

 

[LaFleche]

I have a mystery illness that is taking down my young frizzles one at a time with several weeks sometimes a month between. They aren’t laying yet. They are perfectly fine one day and then begin stumbling around and then unable to move and then stop eating and drinking and finally pass away. I have treated for mites and lice, treated with corrid, given electrolytes with the heat, and giving poultry cell when they begin these symptoms thinking it’s vitamin deficiency. They are alert and talking but can’t move. They will eat if I feed them and syringe water into them. I have never seen mareks, but don’t know if this is what it is or something else. If it is, will it only affect my frizzle coop? They don’t mix with my bigger girls due to size. How did it get in my coop? I have lost three so far and have another showing symptoms now. Please if anyone has experienced something similar help me. I love my girls and breaks my heart when I lose one.

I am sorry you lost your birds.

Some individuals and breeds are more susceptible to Marek's disease than others and depending on the different strains of the virus, you could have your own birds that were hatched from your own flock already showing a certain immunity to your local strains, while birds hatched from purchased eggs of different breeders being more susceptible to your local strains as they will not have inherited a certain immunity through the parent stock.

Other than Marek's there is Avian Leucosis (ALV) having the affected birds showing similar symtoms.
To know exactly what you are dealing with, send a dead bird in to your state vet lab for necropsy. Keep the body in a plastic bag and refrigirated, not frozen, and call your state vet lab for further instructions.

 

[LaFleche]

Oh, and welcome to the BYC community!