Henhouse Harlot
Crowing
Is it Marek's?? Is it a vitamin B/E/? deficiency??? Is it (insert neurological disease here)?? What is it!?! Ahhhhhhh!!! This is not a fun game at all, but here I am, so here we go:
I have 3 flocks of chickens, two free-range together, and one has a closed run within the larger area. I had been feeding them Nutrena All-Flock, with a side of oyster shell and a small handful of scratch once a day, but then I switched to Bar Ale 18% layer pellets, mixed 1/2 and 1/2 with Kalmbach non-medicated grower. I also recently added a scoop of Dr. Pol's 28% all-flock feed for extra protein as the fall molt is coming. In the warmer weather, I also provide an extra water source that has Rooster Booster electrolyte and vitamin blend added to it, and watermelon. They do get occasional kitchen scraps, but my standards are pretty strict so not much passes to them. (I won't give them food that has added salt/sugar/etc.) I use pine pellets for bedding, along with chopped straw, and I try hard to keep it clean!
The first bird with lameness issues happened almost two months ago, a year-old barred Rock pullet was hopping around on one leg, holding the other out in front of her with the foot held limply. Examining her, I was confused, I could not find any injury or reason for the lameness. So, I put "Puzzle" in a hospital cage, and gave her some warm mash with extra vitamins mixed in. (Poultry Cell, 3miL)
The next chicken was my son's pet bantam Cochin rooster; he was found lying on his side and unable to get up. I brought him inside and gave him a warm mash, but again, I could not find an obvious physical cause. After about a week of extra love and care, "Cinnamon Toast" was able to rejoin his flock and he hasn't looked back! Puzzle however, suddenly went lame in her other leg, and had to return to her cage. She had been hopping around with the flock, but now she would just spin in a circle. That was about a month ago, today she is able to stand and walk for short periods and also dust bathe/preen. Her cage is in a central location, so she can interact with the others, and she has started to spend some time outside her cage as well. It is my hope that she will be able to rejoin the flock again soon! (Update: The second leg to go lamne has gone lame again, and she is again on one leg.)
Those two birds were in the outside flocks, the next patient came from my somewhat-closed flock of "decorative chickens." (They have a closed run and coop, but it is within the same area as the main flock.)
My pet bantam Cochin rooster, "Cupcake" was the next to go lame. My first clue was when I noticed he wasn't perching at night with his hens, instead he was sleeping in a nest box. The next day, I noticed he was limping, holding his left foot up more often than his right, and trembling. I brought him inside, soaked his feet and legs in warm Epsom salt soaks, and fed him extra vitamins/fresh greens/mealworms. (The greens/live mealworms did not even get close to 10% of his diet!) He soon seemed to recover, and so I put him back outside.
The fourth chicken to have trouble standing, was Cupcakes child who hatched earlier this spring. Half bantam Cochin, and half bantam Easter Egger, "Dos" is the most beautiful, tiny, little bird! One day I noticed she was leaning back on her hocks while standing, and her legs were trembling as well. That night, I found her on the ground outside the coop, trying to hide in a little nook. Apparently, she was not able to walk up the little ramp, or fly up to the coop. In my chicken ICU, she did not get better and soon could not walk at all, then wry neck happened and I almost euthanized her. I'd been giving her extra vitamins in her food, Poultry Cell & vitamin E, but maybe she wasn't getting enough? This little bird is such a sweetie, and she did not seem to be in pain so I decided to keep trying. This was a bit over a week ago, I have upped the dose of Poultry Cell to a full 1mil daily, along with extra B complex mixed into her mash.
My rooster Cupcake has returned to the CICU (Chicken Intensive Care Unit), with worsening symptoms. At first he was just limping, then tremors happened next, and finally he began to have serious balance issues. Scooting backwards/using wings to balance, sitting scooched up against the wall, falling over (usually backwards), and not drinking as much as it seems like he should. He is still eating, and I have been giving him a wet mash of Kalmbach grower mixed with B-complex, and I also upped his Poultry Cell to 2mil per day, given directly down his throat. (Also, some vitamin E and scrambled eggs.) His comb is bright red and perky, his poop has been mostly normal, although there have been some gnarly black tar-like ones, that I think were caused by the extra iron? Also, both birds have curled toes. At this point, theys have been about the same for over a week, and I'm really questioning whether this is vitamin deficiency! I'm also questioning whether or not all these birds have the same problem. The little red rooster was sadly eaten by a predator, but the barred Rock is still about the same. Another of my bantam cochin hens from the decorative coop was hunched over with a floppy comb the night before last, and sadly she died overnight. I have no idea if it is connected!
Interesting point, the rooster and the two bantam hens are related geneticlly, but the barred rock and red roo are not.
I will get some video later today, and hopefully be able to upload it, pictures as well. I've been reading everything I can find on Mareks disease, also botulism and vitamin E and B deficiencies, but I'm still lost. What am I missing?? Could it be something other than vitamin deficiency or Mareks? Any advice would be most welcome, and now I'm going to call on the folks I trust here! @Eggcessive @casportpony @Wyorp Rock and anyone else who has any ideas! Thank you!!!
I have 3 flocks of chickens, two free-range together, and one has a closed run within the larger area. I had been feeding them Nutrena All-Flock, with a side of oyster shell and a small handful of scratch once a day, but then I switched to Bar Ale 18% layer pellets, mixed 1/2 and 1/2 with Kalmbach non-medicated grower. I also recently added a scoop of Dr. Pol's 28% all-flock feed for extra protein as the fall molt is coming. In the warmer weather, I also provide an extra water source that has Rooster Booster electrolyte and vitamin blend added to it, and watermelon. They do get occasional kitchen scraps, but my standards are pretty strict so not much passes to them. (I won't give them food that has added salt/sugar/etc.) I use pine pellets for bedding, along with chopped straw, and I try hard to keep it clean!
The first bird with lameness issues happened almost two months ago, a year-old barred Rock pullet was hopping around on one leg, holding the other out in front of her with the foot held limply. Examining her, I was confused, I could not find any injury or reason for the lameness. So, I put "Puzzle" in a hospital cage, and gave her some warm mash with extra vitamins mixed in. (Poultry Cell, 3miL)
The next chicken was my son's pet bantam Cochin rooster; he was found lying on his side and unable to get up. I brought him inside and gave him a warm mash, but again, I could not find an obvious physical cause. After about a week of extra love and care, "Cinnamon Toast" was able to rejoin his flock and he hasn't looked back! Puzzle however, suddenly went lame in her other leg, and had to return to her cage. She had been hopping around with the flock, but now she would just spin in a circle. That was about a month ago, today she is able to stand and walk for short periods and also dust bathe/preen. Her cage is in a central location, so she can interact with the others, and she has started to spend some time outside her cage as well. It is my hope that she will be able to rejoin the flock again soon! (Update: The second leg to go lamne has gone lame again, and she is again on one leg.)
Those two birds were in the outside flocks, the next patient came from my somewhat-closed flock of "decorative chickens." (They have a closed run and coop, but it is within the same area as the main flock.)
My pet bantam Cochin rooster, "Cupcake" was the next to go lame. My first clue was when I noticed he wasn't perching at night with his hens, instead he was sleeping in a nest box. The next day, I noticed he was limping, holding his left foot up more often than his right, and trembling. I brought him inside, soaked his feet and legs in warm Epsom salt soaks, and fed him extra vitamins/fresh greens/mealworms. (The greens/live mealworms did not even get close to 10% of his diet!) He soon seemed to recover, and so I put him back outside.
The fourth chicken to have trouble standing, was Cupcakes child who hatched earlier this spring. Half bantam Cochin, and half bantam Easter Egger, "Dos" is the most beautiful, tiny, little bird! One day I noticed she was leaning back on her hocks while standing, and her legs were trembling as well. That night, I found her on the ground outside the coop, trying to hide in a little nook. Apparently, she was not able to walk up the little ramp, or fly up to the coop. In my chicken ICU, she did not get better and soon could not walk at all, then wry neck happened and I almost euthanized her. I'd been giving her extra vitamins in her food, Poultry Cell & vitamin E, but maybe she wasn't getting enough? This little bird is such a sweetie, and she did not seem to be in pain so I decided to keep trying. This was a bit over a week ago, I have upped the dose of Poultry Cell to a full 1mil daily, along with extra B complex mixed into her mash.
My rooster Cupcake has returned to the CICU (Chicken Intensive Care Unit), with worsening symptoms. At first he was just limping, then tremors happened next, and finally he began to have serious balance issues. Scooting backwards/using wings to balance, sitting scooched up against the wall, falling over (usually backwards), and not drinking as much as it seems like he should. He is still eating, and I have been giving him a wet mash of Kalmbach grower mixed with B-complex, and I also upped his Poultry Cell to 2mil per day, given directly down his throat. (Also, some vitamin E and scrambled eggs.) His comb is bright red and perky, his poop has been mostly normal, although there have been some gnarly black tar-like ones, that I think were caused by the extra iron? Also, both birds have curled toes. At this point, theys have been about the same for over a week, and I'm really questioning whether this is vitamin deficiency! I'm also questioning whether or not all these birds have the same problem. The little red rooster was sadly eaten by a predator, but the barred Rock is still about the same. Another of my bantam cochin hens from the decorative coop was hunched over with a floppy comb the night before last, and sadly she died overnight. I have no idea if it is connected!
Interesting point, the rooster and the two bantam hens are related geneticlly, but the barred rock and red roo are not.
I will get some video later today, and hopefully be able to upload it, pictures as well. I've been reading everything I can find on Mareks disease, also botulism and vitamin E and B deficiencies, but I'm still lost. What am I missing?? Could it be something other than vitamin deficiency or Mareks? Any advice would be most welcome, and now I'm going to call on the folks I trust here! @Eggcessive @casportpony @Wyorp Rock and anyone else who has any ideas! Thank you!!!
