Burbgardener
In the Brooder
- Apr 4, 2023
- 29
- 20
- 26
The chicken in question is a starlight green egger pullet, hatched 1st week of March 2023. All of my flock eats a 20% starter/grower free fed, with free choice access to oyster shells, grit and their 5 gal water buckets are changed daily. They live in an outside pen with a coop to sleep/nest in and have additional roosts if they want. I can’t free range but they do have at least a couple hours of yard access a day, usually in the evenings unless it’s my day off then it’s most of the day.
First context… earlier this year I took in a lavender Orpington pullet who passed away with similar symptoms. On Sunday, my husband humanely dispatched another SGE (same hatch/batch I purchased topic SGE) with similar symptoms at my request because I just didn’t want a drawn out slow death like my lavender did. I assumed it was just going to be something I can’t fix since the lavender took me through it for 3 weeks before she finally gave up.
Sunday Brownie had no symptoms that I could see. She was bright, alert, her normal self. She never was a “flock” bird, always preferred to stand with me over being with the others. She has always been a calm bird, comes when called, jumps in your lap kind of bird.
Monday I turned everyone out and I noticed she seemed “off” in the way she walked. Just barely and I mean you really had to look. Had I not just had to dispatch her sister I wouldn’t have noticed. Still seemed bright, talked to me as usual, cuddly as usual. I fed her separately.
Tuesday, markedly worse gait. Still wanting to eat and drink but easy to trip. I began vitamin supplements that evening. Separating to feed her. She is still allowed free access to food but I specifically sit with her AM/PM to ensure she eats.
Wednesday, increase in tripping. Still eating, drinking, taking vitamins.
Today she is holding her right foot/leg out, forward & up weird and “skipping” to run. Easy to trip herself, and mostly lays weird. Like her right foot sticks to the front of her chest. She has control of it. As in she is trying to step with it, marked limp as if she won’t put full weight on it, lifts it up and down. Grasps my finger with her toes. Still going for food and water. Taking vitamins like a champ.
I can’t tell the different of what her issue is. No obvious injury. Nothing else on her. Eyes are normal, breathing normal, normal chicken sounds for her. And of course a google search says a vitamin deficiency or mareks disease (death).
If it is Marek’s how do I tell and what do I do? I have 15 other chicks she has lived with and around. My property is only so big and they can’t be moved. This is a death sentence they don’t deserve from what I’m reading.
First context… earlier this year I took in a lavender Orpington pullet who passed away with similar symptoms. On Sunday, my husband humanely dispatched another SGE (same hatch/batch I purchased topic SGE) with similar symptoms at my request because I just didn’t want a drawn out slow death like my lavender did. I assumed it was just going to be something I can’t fix since the lavender took me through it for 3 weeks before she finally gave up.
Sunday Brownie had no symptoms that I could see. She was bright, alert, her normal self. She never was a “flock” bird, always preferred to stand with me over being with the others. She has always been a calm bird, comes when called, jumps in your lap kind of bird.
Monday I turned everyone out and I noticed she seemed “off” in the way she walked. Just barely and I mean you really had to look. Had I not just had to dispatch her sister I wouldn’t have noticed. Still seemed bright, talked to me as usual, cuddly as usual. I fed her separately.
Tuesday, markedly worse gait. Still wanting to eat and drink but easy to trip. I began vitamin supplements that evening. Separating to feed her. She is still allowed free access to food but I specifically sit with her AM/PM to ensure she eats.
Wednesday, increase in tripping. Still eating, drinking, taking vitamins.
Today she is holding her right foot/leg out, forward & up weird and “skipping” to run. Easy to trip herself, and mostly lays weird. Like her right foot sticks to the front of her chest. She has control of it. As in she is trying to step with it, marked limp as if she won’t put full weight on it, lifts it up and down. Grasps my finger with her toes. Still going for food and water. Taking vitamins like a champ.
I can’t tell the different of what her issue is. No obvious injury. Nothing else on her. Eyes are normal, breathing normal, normal chicken sounds for her. And of course a google search says a vitamin deficiency or mareks disease (death).
If it is Marek’s how do I tell and what do I do? I have 15 other chicks she has lived with and around. My property is only so big and they can’t be moved. This is a death sentence they don’t deserve from what I’m reading.
I checked on her this morning. Same as yesterday. I guess she seems happy enough. She took her vitamin E and B complex, she’s eating this morning’s breakfast. Same gait as before, no changes there. Do I just wait it out? Unfortunately there aren’t any chicken vets here… would a regular vet do a necropsy? I wouldn’t even know where to take her body for that.
