Lethargic chicken not eating

[azygous]

Every hen is different. I can only generalize. I've had hens with reproductive issues that came out of the blue and never happened again. Others start having issues at a young age, and continue to have them.

Reproductive issues cover a lot of territory, as well. Not all are caused by poor shell quality or a stuck egg or a broken egg. Sometimes it can be a very small obscure bit of tissue that gets stuck. In other cases, bacteria somehow can enter the oviduct from the vent and work its way up, inflaming the oviduct tissue, and causing as much trouble as egg binding.

Sometimes a vet can X-ray the hen and get an idea of what might be going on, whether it's a stuck egg or a "mass". But when we're internet diagnosing, it's pure guess work based on our own experience. I can't tell you with certainty what's going on. I can only read the signs and work from there. I'd say I have a little better than a 50/50 chance of nailing it.

 

[azygous]

Also, if a hen experiences stress, it can cause egg issues, especially shell quality. Anything from a predator attack to disease can affect egg quality.

 

[bhawk-23]

Well I’ll be praying this was a one off issue from stress.

@azygous Thank you, as always, for your wonderful advice and wisdom. Each time I learn a bit more to help me ride out this whole mess of a sick flock. She is puffed up and not doing as well but I just dosed her so hopefully she will perk back up.

I wonder if she survives this then she would be considered Marek's resistant? Three of her (vaccinated) hatch mates died from it and the fourth was killed by a hawk. She is just trucking along at this point. I do not see the typical “Marek’s” poop which is always there at the end.

 

[azygous]

Thank you for the nice comments. Seeing sick or injured chickens get better is reward aplenty for my efforts.

We can only continue to give these chickens all the care we can and hope for the best. It's really up to them whether they can pull through.

As for being Marek's resistant, I suppose it would indicate some resistance to survive these symptomatic episodes, but she could keep having these bouts from time to time. As long as her immune system continues to be strong against these episodes, she can continue to survive them. But I don't know if it indicates true resistance, meaning you could rely on this in a breeding program to produce chicks that would carry the virus but be resistant to becoming symtomatic over their lives.

 

[bhawk-23]

Thank you for the nice comments. Seeing sick or injured chickens get better is reward aplenty for my efforts.

We can only continue to give these chickens all the care we can and hope for the best. It's really up to them whether they can pull through.

As for being Marek's resistant, I suppose it would indicate some resistance to survive these symptomatic episodes, but she could keep having these bouts from time to time. As long as her immune system continues to be strong against these episodes, she can continue to survive them. But I don't know if it indicates true resistance, meaning you could rely on this in a breeding program to produce chicks that would carry the virus but be resistant to becoming symtomatic over their lives.

This is her first, and hopefully only, episode.

No breeding program here! This year has been so stressful and emotionally exhausting. And my 11 yr old son has had to deal with death after death of his pet chickens. I do everything possible to keep these girls happy, healthy and stress free. But in all honesty I do not know how I will proceed after we lose these last girls. I cannot put my son through this again. And I don’t know if I have the heart to. We have literally cried the last 3 days, and continue to, at the thought of losing fluffy. This heartache is too much sometimes. I love my girls to death but we just may not be cut out for a Marek’s positive flock.

 

[bhawk-23]

@azygous

OMG!!!! I overdosed fluffy!!!! She is doing worse so I started more research and her dose is .07mg and I gave her 2 doses of .7mg

I’m freaking out!

 

[azygous]

Fluffy isn't overdosed. It's a coincidence she's doing more poorly at the moment. To suffer from overdose of an antibiotic, it would require more of the drug over a longer period and the side effects would be more benign such as diarrhea, cramps, rashes, etc.

Grief fatigue is what you and your son are experiencing. It can overwhelm you both going through intense focus on helping this hen and worrying you aren't doing the correct thing or not enough. The second guessing isn't working to anyone's benefit. Try to believe you are doing all you can and the rest is out of your hands.

You are up against a disease that confounds even the most dedicated scientists. While quite a bit is understood about this virus, there is still so much they don't understand. This is a very interesting paper on the latest findings in how this virus behaves. It's highly technical but can give you some glimpses into how determined this virus is in spreading. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4030002/ Marek's is a skin disease essentially, and the scientists are still trying to understand it.

One thing we haven't discussed is treatment with an anti-viral med such as acyclovir. Acyclovir can be used to minimize symptoms of Marek's during symptomatic episodes just as it's used in human patients, such as myself, when shingles strikes. If you can wrangle (engage in a little subterfuge) a prescription out of your doctor claiming you have herpes cold sores that won't clear up, you can use the pills to treat Fluffy, possibly getting her through this ordeal. While it's not a cure, it can make the symptoms less devastating.

 

[bhawk-23]

Fluffy isn't overdosed. It's a coincidence she's doing more poorly at the moment. To suffer from overdose of an antibiotic, it would require more of the drug over a longer period and the side effects would be more benign such as diarrhea, cramps, rashes, etc.

Grief fatigue is what you and your son are experiencing. It can overwhelm you both going through intense focus on helping this hen and worrying you aren't doing the correct thing or not enough. The second guessing isn't working to anyone's benefit. Try to believe you are doing all you can and the rest is out of your hands.

You are up against a disease that confounds even the most dedicated scientists. While quite a bit is understood about this virus, there is still so much they don't understand. This is a very interesting paper on the latest findings in how this virus behaves. It's highly technical but can give you some glimpses into how determined this virus is in spreading. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4030002/ Marek's is a skin disease essentially, and the scientists are still trying to understand it.

One thing we haven't discussed is treatment with an anti-viral med such as acyclovir. Acyclovir can be used to minimize symptoms of Marek's during symptomatic episodes just as it's used in human patients, such as myself, when shingles strikes. If you can wrangle (engage in a little subterfuge) a prescription out of your doctor claiming you have herpes cold sores that won't clear up, you can use the pills to treat Fluffy, possibly getting her through this ordeal. While it's not a cure, it can make the symptoms less devastating.

Omg, my heart was pounding. I was going to start a flush but I’m glad I checked back again. Thank you!

I just gave my oldest son (literally, 3 weeks ago) a couple pills left over from when I had shingles. He gets cold sores. What is the dose for that medication? Maybe I can ask for 1 back? I’ll trade him starburst jellybeans, his favorite

This fatigue has continued far too long. We have 8 chickens left out of 22 in total. I have looked at Fauyomi chickens but would have to figure out a way to hand raise them so they are not quite as flighty. Ducks seem a bit messy. A couple of geese sounds like fun! And I have considered paying someone without Mareks on their property to raise vaccinated chicks for about 4-6 weeks and then bring them over. I think my vaccinated chicks didn’t make it because I didn’t isolate them well enough.

But my hands are full with a closed flock for now.

Fluffy is just sleeping. I’ll set her in her crate for a bit with a heating pad and see if some rest helps. I cannot lie though. I’d rather sit in my chair cuddling her all day.

 

[azygous]

I've used a quarter of the acyclovir pill for a chicken. Try that. You can up it to half a pill if you don't see any improvement by the end of tomorrow.

If it works, phone your doc and get the prescription renewed citing both you and your son are having the need. This stress can aggravate both of your resident herpes virus in your own cells. I've had the most recent shingles vaccinations but still get flareups when under stress. So I have my doctor trained to treat acyclovir as one of my regular meds to be refilled regularly. (Our doctors don't need to know our chickens are also their patients. Hee hee.)

 

[bhawk-23]

I’ll see if there is a way to get it. I’m not known to have cold sores and when I had shingles they had to see me. I don’t have a history of it and too young for the vax so they want to confirm what it is. And my oldest lives in Pittsburgh now, which is where my extras are currently residing. Lol
I’ll have to get creative.