Well, it's been over 5 weeks since my first chicks showed symptoms of AE. I thought it was time for an update.
One month ago this forum was buzzing with stories of AE and the horrible problems that we were all going through, but now...it's almost like it never happened. I even see new people say "What's AE"...I wish I didn't know.
Anyway, I had 10 out of 18 surviving chicks that had the symptoms in varying degrees. I also added 12 more chicks to the brooder (from a local feed store) before I knew my others had AE.
Here it is nearly 6 weeks later and I am happy to say that all but two of my sick chicks are, or have, recovered!!!
Chick Jr., who was the first to show symptoms, is unfortunately still very badly affected. He has barely grown and does not get around well at all. One other one, a speckled sussex, still has head tremors and has horrible AE induced splayed leg which I have tried to treat but have been unsuccessful in correcting.
As for the others...wow! Phoebe, my little BO, has almost no head tremors, has gained weight, and I have been 98% successful in correcting her AE induced splayed leg! All the others have started to grow and catch up to their unaffected brooder-mates and head tremors are rarely seen. They are walking normally and even running and flapping their wings. Even little Penny, my Golden Campine with the broken toe, who had not grown AT ALL for the first 6 weeks of her life has started to get bigger and is almost completely feathered out. And her gimpy toe does not seem to bother her (I tried, unsuccesfully to splint it, but she always manages to get it off).
I hope that there are others out there who have had success in recoveries as well. I really did not think that I would be telling any success stories. I was sure my chicks would eventually die or I would have to keep them in isolation for the rest of their lives, however long that turned out to be.
My hope is that when the chicks all go out to the new coop in a few weeks that ALL the AE chicks get to go with them. My chickens will be allowed to free range on my 10 acres as well, so I also hope that the AE chicks are able to survive and escape any would-be predators. They've been fighters so far, so I'm hoping that carries over in the "outside" world.
One month ago this forum was buzzing with stories of AE and the horrible problems that we were all going through, but now...it's almost like it never happened. I even see new people say "What's AE"...I wish I didn't know.
Anyway, I had 10 out of 18 surviving chicks that had the symptoms in varying degrees. I also added 12 more chicks to the brooder (from a local feed store) before I knew my others had AE.
Here it is nearly 6 weeks later and I am happy to say that all but two of my sick chicks are, or have, recovered!!!
Chick Jr., who was the first to show symptoms, is unfortunately still very badly affected. He has barely grown and does not get around well at all. One other one, a speckled sussex, still has head tremors and has horrible AE induced splayed leg which I have tried to treat but have been unsuccessful in correcting.
As for the others...wow! Phoebe, my little BO, has almost no head tremors, has gained weight, and I have been 98% successful in correcting her AE induced splayed leg! All the others have started to grow and catch up to their unaffected brooder-mates and head tremors are rarely seen. They are walking normally and even running and flapping their wings. Even little Penny, my Golden Campine with the broken toe, who had not grown AT ALL for the first 6 weeks of her life has started to get bigger and is almost completely feathered out. And her gimpy toe does not seem to bother her (I tried, unsuccesfully to splint it, but she always manages to get it off).
I hope that there are others out there who have had success in recoveries as well. I really did not think that I would be telling any success stories. I was sure my chicks would eventually die or I would have to keep them in isolation for the rest of their lives, however long that turned out to be.
My hope is that when the chicks all go out to the new coop in a few weeks that ALL the AE chicks get to go with them. My chickens will be allowed to free range on my 10 acres as well, so I also hope that the AE chicks are able to survive and escape any would-be predators. They've been fighters so far, so I'm hoping that carries over in the "outside" world.
