Marek's? One of the symptoms is a foul smelling diarrhea

[tcobbs]

I have two chickens that just seem to be wasting away, despite free chouce range AND grower crumbles. My young rooster is a bag of bones, and the young hen is getting that way.

I bought them (a flock of 6 bielefelders) just a week ago, and we did notice the young rooster was thin when we loaded them, but thought the big rooster was keeping him off food. So, I have been hand feeding him for a week, and he is getting worse.

I started them all on Corrid on Saturday,but now the hen is sick too.

 

[crb1487]

My Lil lady is getting very thin now, however that only started within last couple days after her stopping eating anything.
She's happily eating my Greek yogurt/wheat germ/flax slurry but only seems to want it 2real feeding yesterday & today.
The Pedialyte w/prebiotics she drinks ready through out the day.
I only just started with cider vinegar this afternoon.

Could be yours are just stressed and could benefit simply by putting the Pedialyte down instead of water to get them rehydrated.
Simple high protein with healthy stuff for their tummy n intestines is Greek Yogurt (not the non or low fat) make sure you see active live cultures on label. (No matter how they feel, they can't say no to vanilla)
Add Baby Vitamin drops to that and if they'll accept more feed give that too. Even adding some quality feed to the slurry if needed.
Eliminate scratch feed, they need high protein and vitamins and electrolyte s in order to rule out the simple stuff.

Your little lady's tail feathers would indicate she's not happy, sick or stressed etc...

 

[tcobbs]

Thanks. Thats my Junior Boy.

 

[dionneradcon]

I considered Coccidiosis, but my bird exhibited white foul smelling diarrhea and what appeared to be a broken leg, but I now know that it was a paralized leg. She also had a crooked breast bone and her gizzard was very hard. After reading about different diseases, it sounds like it could be Merek's. Do you know of another disease that can have these symptoms? I'm hoping that it is not Merek's, but something that ailed just the one chicken. I will however treat my birds for Coccidiosis as a preventative measure.

 

[Rooslover]

I have a 3 month old pullet that got sick yesterday. I found her having difficulty walking but she was unsteady equally on both legs, not just one as is often described in common symptoms of marek's. Initially I thought she was having a heat stroke because temp was near 100. I ran some cool water over her legs and under her wings. She didn't improve and in fact soon was worse. She got weaker and wasn't trying to walk at all. She was doing nothing but laying down with neck twisted and I noticed a foul smell at her rear. She is still alive a day later but has done nothing but just lay in her box and drain a very foul smelling brownish green diarrhea. I don't see any blood in the drainage. She is aware of what's going on around her but she isn't moving at all. I know it's time to do something and I am planning on having a necropsy done as I have a lot more chickens with most of them 3 months or less in age so I need to know what this is. I have read symptoms of Marek's and diarrhea is mentioned but I have not seen any mention of a foul smelling diarrhea. Anyone else had similar experience? thanks!

Hi, I just lost my beloved rooster. More a pet to us than a farm animal. He was 4 months

I have a 3 month old pullet that got sick yesterday. I found her having difficulty walking but she was unsteady equally on both legs, not just one as is often described in common symptoms of marek's. Initially I thought she was having a heat stroke because temp was near 100. I ran some cool water over her legs and under her wings. She didn't improve and in fact soon was worse. She got weaker and wasn't trying to walk at all. She was doing nothing but laying down with neck twisted and I noticed a foul smell at her rear. She is still alive a day later but has done nothing but just lay in her box and drain a very foul smelling brownish green diarrhea. I don't see any blood in the drainage. She is aware of what's going on around her but she isn't moving at all. I know it's time to do something and I am planning on having a necropsy done as I have a lot more chickens with most of them 3 months or less in age so I need to know what this is. I have read symptoms of Marek's and diarrhea is mentioned but I have not seen any mention of a foul smelling diarrhea. Anyone else had similar experience? thanks!

Hi,
I just lost my beloved rooster. He was 4 months and more a pet to us than a farm animal. I noticed he had a droopy wing and i assumed it was an injury, he caught it agains something. I put a bandage for a support. Then he started having diarhea, very watery, light brown. All his butt got all dirty and it smelled aweful. He became very lethargic and just stoid still all day. He drank a lot of water and was eating, not much but still fighting. Then he lost interest in boiled egg (his favourite) and was getting weaker. I thought the weakess was due to diarhea. Got some medicine for coccidiosis but nothing changed. Diarhea continued. He started losing balance and was wobbly and weaker on his legs. I was losing him. Thought - maybe bacterial infection and gave him antibiotics. He got weaker, couldnt walk at all. One day I found him lying on his side, still alive. With tears in my eyes we ended his suffering.
If it wasnt coccidia or bacteria. My guess would be Marek's. I wonder if the wing was an injury at all or maybe it was all connected. He was the nicest creature you can imagine. The coop is not the same without him.

 

[Eggcessive]

Hi, I just lost my beloved rooster. More a pet to us than a farm animal. He was 4 months

Hi,
I just lost my beloved rooster. He was 4 months and more a pet to us than a farm animal. I noticed he had a droopy wing and i assumed it was an injury, he caught it agains something. I put a bandage for a support. Then he started having diarhea, very watery, light brown. All his butt got all dirty and it smelled aweful. He became very lethargic and just stoid still all day. He drank a lot of water and was eating, not much but still fighting. Then he lost interest in boiled egg (his favourite) and was getting weaker. I thought the weakess was due to diarhea. Got some medicine for coccidiosis but nothing changed. Diarhea continued. He started losing balance and was wobbly and weaker on his legs. I was losing him. Thought - maybe bacterial infection and gave him antibiotics. He got weaker, couldnt walk at all. One day I found him lying on his side, still alive. With tears in my eyes we ended his suffering.
If it wasnt coccidia or bacteria. My guess would be Marek's. I wonder if the wing was an injury at all or maybe it was all connected. He was the nicest creature you can imagine. The coop is not the same without him.

Sorry for your loss. I hope that it was not Mareks. It would be good to get a diagnosis which can be done with a necropsy and pcr testing if you should lose another bird.