Multiple chickens displaying symptoms

[azygous]

Multi-vitamins do not have the therapeutic dose of vitamin E that's necessary to overcome a deficiency. You need to buy a bottle of vitamin E 400iu where they sell people vitamins. Give one capsule daily until symptoms go away.

 

[Susan Skylark]

Just a clarification, vitamin E deficiency is not a neurological disease (disease of brain or nerve tissue) but rather a muscle degeneration issue (called white muscle in calves). Affected animals are weak, often unable to rise and sometimes suffering sudden death from heart failure. Injectable selenium/vitamin e is the treatment of choice in mammals but I’m not sure it is a good idea in birds (selenium can be toxic in high doses) so following established protocol of your fellow chicken enthusiasts is a good idea. Sudden onset in multiple young birds is pretty consistent with a nutritional or toxic cause, I would expect something like mareks to be more varied and sporadic as far as both timing and symptoms, making it less likely but still possible. If you get a positive response to treatment then you also have your diagnosis! But also keep in mind these birds have a slight chance of randomly dropping dead in future if the heart was effected, not a guarantee but just something to keep in mind!