International Black Copper Marans Thread - Breeding to the SOP

[KF0002]

Read about Mareks and about many other things it can be. My place is very secure as I have no chicken friends for cross contamination and I don't bring in adult birds. I haven't had any changes in my chickens until this last batch of chicks in a very long time.View attachment 1235807 I will just have to wait and see. Everyone was fine yesterday. She is a big pullet.

I would be worried it's Mareks Disease. It isn't only spread by chickens, it can be spread by wild birds in their dander. It is highly contagious if that is what it is so I would be safe and cull a bird with those symptoms. I'm so sorry Red Banks.

 

[KF0002]

@RedBanks if you don't want to cull yet, you could try to treat her with vitamins and electrolytes to see if the neurological symptoms improve. If you opt for this, keep her far away from your birds as a precaution. If it is Marek's though, the others have already probably been exposed. There is a product called nutra-drench or you can just buy powdered vitamins and electrolytes that are water soluble to put in the drinking water. You can give water with a syringe if she is too ill to drink.

 

[KF0002]

@RedBanks If you feed a balanced and nutritious feed, the likelihood of it being a vitamin or electrolyte deficiency is slim but still a possibility. It could be the result of malabsorption in the gut. It's difficult to speculate. I hope the others remain healthy and this is merely an isolated incident. Losing chickens is always a bummer.

 

[kcrandall]

Read about Mareks and about many other things it can be. My place is very secure as I have no chicken friends for cross contamination and I don't bring in adult birds. I haven't had any changes in my chickens until this last batch of chicks in a very long time.View attachment 1235807 I will just have to wait and see. Everyone was fine yesterday. She is a big pullet.

@RedBanks,

I agree with Kayla’s course of treatment. The problem with chickens is that so many different diseases present with the same or similar symptoms. I’d give her 3cc of a liquid multivitamin (Poultry Cell) orally. In case it’s viral you could give her a 1/4 to 1/2 cc of antibiotic (Tylan 50 or LA 200 - theses are for cattle and pigs but I’ve had success on chickens too). I don’t like using antibiotics too much but I will when I think it’s neccessary. If it’s parasitic give her 1 cc ACV and/or garlic water orally. I wish you the best of luck!

My Otis has not been well for the past 3 days. I’m afraid I may lose him. He’s been walking backwards jerking his head side-to-side and up-and-down. He trembles when he stands and looks like he is just spaced out. There is no obstruction in his throat that I can see. The only reason I haven’t put him down is because he still eats and drinks so his will to survive is still there. I’ve narrowed it down to a neurological problem or gapeworms. I’ve dosed him with liquid vitamins (neurological) and Ivermectin (parasites). Today he has shown some improvement but he’s not out of the woods by a long shot. I’ve also wormed my entire flock as a precaution.

Good Luck and Take Care,
Keith

 

[KF0002]

@RedBanks,

I agree with Kayla’s course of treatment. The problem with chickens is that so many different diseases present with the same or similar symptoms. I’d give her 3cc of a liquid multivitamin (Poultry Cell) orally. In case it’s viral you could give her a 1/4 to 1/2 cc of antibiotic (Tylan 50 or LA 200 - theses are for cattle and pigs but I’ve had success on chickens too). I don’t like using antibiotics too much but I will when I think it’s neccessary. If it’s parasitic give her 1 cc ACV and/or garlic water orally. I wish you the best of luck!

My Otis has not been well for the past 3 days. I’m afraid I may lose him. He’s been walking backwards jerking his head side-to-side and up-and-down. He trembles when he stands and looks like he is just spaced out. There is no obstruction in his throat that I can see. The only reason I haven’t put him down is because he still eats and drinks so his will to survive is still there. I’ve narrowed it down to a neurological problem or gapeworns. I’ve dosed him with liquid vitamins (neurological) and Ivermectin (parasites). Today he has shown some improvement but he’s not out of the woods by a long shot. I’ve also wormed my entire flock as a precaution.

Good Luck and Take Care,
Keith

Could it be a middle or inner ear infection, Keith? If so, dose him with some antibiotics if you have any on hand and maybe flush his ears with hydrogen peroxide if you happen to notice a discharge. The head shaking could indicate discomfort in his ears, and walking backwards make my mind go to an ear infection. I'm sorry to hear Otis isn't feeling well. Hope he starts doing better!

 

[marchick]

@RedBanks If you feed a balanced and nutritious feed, the likelihood of it being a vitamin or electrolyte deficiency is slim but still a possibility. It could be the result of malabsorption in the gut. It's difficult to speculate. I hope the others remain healthy and this is merely an isolated incident. Losing chickens is always a bummer.

Good point about vitamin deficiency. I have dealt with that in my pheasant chicks. They need extra vitamin B and Niacin. It could even be a worm overload. Robbing the system of nutrients.

 

[kcrandall]

Could it be a middle or inner ear infection, Keith? If so, dose him with some antibiotics if you have any on hand and maybe flush his ears with hydrogen peroxide if you happen to notice a discharge. The head shaking could indicate discomfort in his ears, and walking backwards make my mind go to an ear infection. I'm sorry to hear Otis isn't feeling well. Hope he starts doing better!

Hey Kayla,

I gave Otis 1cc of Tylan 50 each of the past 3 days. Not really knowing what was wrong I decided on a broad spectrum treatment plan for viral, bacterial, parasitic and vitamin deficiency. Hopefully he’ll pull through. As long as I don’t think he is in major pain I’ll do all I can for him.

The life of a chookskeeper!

Keith

 

[marchick]

@RedBanks,

I agree with Kayla’s course of treatment. The problem with chickens is that so many different diseases present with the same or similar symptoms. I’d give her 3cc of a liquid multivitamin (Poultry Cell) orally. In case it’s viral you could give her a 1/4 to 1/2 cc of antibiotic (Tylan 50 or LA 200 - theses are for cattle and pigs but I’ve had success on chickens too). I don’t like using antibiotics too much but I will when I think it’s neccessary. If it’s parasitic give her 1 cc ACV and/or garlic water orally. I wish you the best of luck!

My Otis has not been well for the past 3 days. I’m afraid I may lose him. He’s been walking backwards jerking his head side-to-side and up-and-down. He trembles when he stands and looks like he is just spaced out. There is no obstruction in his throat that I can see. The only reason I haven’t put him down is because he still eats and drinks so his will to survive is still there. I’ve narrowed it down to a neurological problem or gapeworms. I’ve dosed him with liquid vitamins (neurological) and Ivermectin (parasites). Today he has shown some improvement but he’s not out of the woods by a long shot. I’ve also wormed my entire flock as a precaution.

Good Luck and Take Care,
Keith

Sorry to hear about Otis. Have you swabbed the back of his throat. To check for gapeworms. The other thought was how is his crop. Does it empty completely at night?

 

[kcrandall]

Sorry to hear about Otis. Have you swabbed the back of his throat. To check for gapeworms. The other thought was how is his crop. Does it empty completely at night?

@marchick,

Good question, his crop does empty every night. He drinks regularly and I have seen him eat but I’m fairly sure he is not eating as much as he would if feeling well.

Take Care,
Keith

 

[KF0002]

Hey Kayla,

I gave Otis 1cc of Tylan 50 each of the past 3 days. Not really knowing what was wrong I decided on a broad spectrum treatment plan for viral, bacterial, parasitic and vitamin deficiency. Hopefully he’ll pull through. As long as I don’t think he is in major pain I’ll do all I can for him.

The life of a chookskeeper!

Keith

Sounds like a good plan. I sure hope he pulls through!