Marek’s Disease? Or something else?

[KindleTay]

How's she like currently? My worst bird had it happen to both her feet.

Left untreated it can be harder to fix.

She just looks depressed. Still laying on her side/front with her head turned. I syringe feed her electrolytes every so often and offer some egg yolk. She flaps her wings when I pick her up and squawks a bit, but she’s just not her normal self.

I have been giving her the rooster booster poultry cell (3mL) every morning. But I’m not sure if it has enough B2 in it to help if it is curly toe.

 

[KindleTay]

What's the dosage of the B2 you have? Also are they capsules?

I was recommended to the rooster booster poultry cell so I’ve been doing that, but I don’t think it’s enough if it does happen to be curly toe

 

[MysteryChicken]

I was recommended to the rooster booster poultry cell so I’ve been doing that, but I don’t think it’s enough if it does happen to be curly toe

It lacks Vitamin B2, like other poultry vitamin supplements.

 

[KindleTay]

I can understand the worry about it being Mareks. If she has Mareks, the others have already been exposed. But I would treat her at least 2 weeks for a possible B2 riboflavin deficiency. What are you using for the riboflavin? A 1/4 of a human B complex tablet daily would supply enough riboflavin with 5 mg. Riboflavin tablets or capsules would be overkill at 100 mg per capsule, but you could scrape a little off a tablet or a tiny portion of a capsule per day.

Some things that may look like Mareks are dehydration, eating moldy feed or something in the compost bed, infection pressing on nerves in the leg, or an injury. Has there been a rooster around her who might have injured her? The best way to get a diagnosis is testing and a necropsy through your state vet if she dies. There also is a blood test available through a couple of labs that you collect yourself through a trimmed toenail, and send back in.

I hope it doesn’t turn out to be Mareks, but it doesn’t mean that you will lose all of your other chickens. Have you added any new birds to your flock recently? Are there a lot of neighbors or farms nearby that have chickens?

I was referred to rooster booster poultry cell but I don’t think it’s enough. I’ve been giving her the max 3mls daily and no improvement, but she has been getting worse. I honestly will be surprised if she makes it through the night… I’m supporting her the best I can with 40 other chickens and 3 young kids. She’s not in my house but she is comfortable in the “hospital”.

The weather has been beautiful (Phoenix) and she had been normal aside from the slight hobble a few days ago, I don’t let the chicks free range because of all the hawks we have in the area, feed was the first thing I checked and it looks good, and she is with 6 other birds from her clutch and they are the newest additions. There is one rooster in the nursery with her but he is also 15 weeks old and doesn’t really do anything (yet) to the others. They are separated from the other older chickens but it is an open air coop/run with fencing dividing the runs and nursery.

I checked for injury and everything seems to move fine. The one limb that started with the curly toes is definitely thinner than the other. When I first assed her I thought maybe she hurt her hip, but she didn’t respond when I was pressing around.

No one near us has chickens, but my great aunt that lives on the property loves to feed the wild birds () and they often come to the run if she is late feeding them. I wouldn’t be surprised if the pigeons and doves brought some disease with them.

Anyway.. thank you so much for responding. I will change my B2 source and continue caring for her. I will be doing a necropsy on her if she dies, I just need to find someone who will do that!

 

[KindleTay]

It lacks Vitamin B2, like other poultry vitamin supplements.

It shows its percentage in the formula but it is definitely lower than what has been suggested here. I will pick up B2 and give it to her straight

 

[MysteryChicken]

She just looks depressed. Still laying on her side/front with her head turned. I syringe feed her electrolytes every so often and offer some egg yolk. She flaps her wings when I pick her up and squawks a bit, but she’s just not her normal self.

I have been giving her the rooster booster poultry cell (3mL) every morning. But I’m not sure if it has enough B2 in it to help if it is curly toe.

She'd probably do better with the flock, I didn't separate mine. Just kept her in a pen. For awhile I fed my girl a wet mash with 1 raw egg, & a Vitamin B2 capsule mixed in.

But I also did direct doses about 3 times a day.

 

[KindleTay]

I understand that it worked for you, but according to Merck vet Manual, only a little extra riboflavin is required to treat a deficiency. If you notice the dosage in 1 tablet of B complex here, it is over 1500% of a human daily dose. I usually recommend 1/4-1/2 tablet daily.
https://www.naturemade.com/cdn/shop...18SUPERBCOMPLEXTABback_1500x.png?v=1659114968

https://www.merckvetmanual.com/poul...ement-poultry/vitamin-deficiencies-in-poultry

That source is so helpful, thank you. This was the first thing I’ve read about curly toe paralysis that mentioned the late stages mimic Marek’s symptoms. Do you crush the 1/2 tablet and dissolve in water and syringe feed? She is not mobile at this time and I don’t see how I could get her to eat it.

 

[KindleTay]

She'd probably do better with the flock, I didn't separate mine. Just kept her in a pen. For awhile I fed my girl a wet mash with 1 raw egg, & a Vitamin B2 capsule mixed in.

But I also did direct doses about 3 times a day.

I kept her in to keep her in better spirits but a few of the others started pecking her and created a sore

I will try this in the morning, thank you!

 

[MysteryChicken]

I kept her in to keep her in better spirits but a few of the others started pecking her and created a sore

I will try this in the morning, thank you!

Was she in a pen?

You're welcome.

 

[KindleTay]

Was she in a pen?

You're welcome.

She was in the nursery pen with the six others from her clutch. No division between them and it would be hard to segregate her within the nursery. I could probably move one or two other pullets to be with her right now.