My babies are dropping weeks apart with the same symptoms, Help me identify the disease!!

[mandymcg05]

It does look like Mareks unfortunately. I don’t see why you cannot try vitamins, but I would probably use 1/2 tablet daily of vitamin B complex in food instead of NutriDrench or something in the water, since electrolytes can give them diarrhea if used more than a day or two.

Have you tried using a chicken sling, chair or nest with him? It is a good way to get them upright and out of their droppings, as well as in front of food and water. Here are 4 pages of various homemade chicken slings:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/versions-of-chick-chairs-please.1166308/

I will definetely look into the slings. He seems very head strong, like he just wants to get up and walk... I just don't want him to hurt his wings by trying to move around. I let him hang out on the grass a bit this evening while I was out in the run tending to the others, and he's back in his safe little cubby in the garage now. Just to think that it's in my whole flock is just devastating... These are my babies and losing them is hard enough but knowing they're all carrying this disease is just disheartening... *sigh*

 

[Sonya9]

He is the only avian vet around here. I trust his judgement and I don't think I see him giving me a hard time about it. I'm not sure what the cost of office call and labs would be. I'll chat with him and see.. Thanks again for the advice. I do appreciate it.

If your budget is tight then try get the meds now and figure out the testing/necropsy later (I paid like $10 for 10 pills at a regular pharmacy -- Walmart is likely the cheapest place to fill it).

Your state may also offer free necropsies. I live in Georgia where poultry is a big industry and our state AG department offers free necropsies for backyard flocks. Takes a few weeks but they test for *everything* and it doesn't cost a dime. Course the downside is if the birds test positive for avian influenza antibodies they will kill the entire backyard flock so I won't use the state vet, however your flock is young so you may not have much of a concern in that regard.

But starting meds asap would be my biggest priority as a necropsy may not be all that helpful treatment wise. Maybe someone else here will come up with another possible disease/cause for the paralysis but I doubt it.

 

[mandymcg05]

If your budget is tight then try get the meds now and figure out the testing/necropsy later (I paid like $10 for 10 pills at a regular pharmacy -- Walmart is likely the cheapest place to fill it).

Your state may also offer free necropsies. I live in Georgia where poultry is a big industry and our state AG department offers free necropsies for backyard flocks. Takes a few weeks but they test for *everything* and it doesn't cost a dime. Course the downside is if the birds test positive for avian influenza antibodies they will kill the entire backyard flock so I won't use the state vet, however your flock is young so you may not have much of a concern in that regard.

But starting meds asap would be my biggest priority as a necropsy may not be all that helpful treatment wise. Maybe someone else here will come up with another possible disease/cause for the paralysis but I doubt it.

Ok, I'm messaging him now to get the herpes meds. I'm also going to start rooster booster and probiotics Tomorrow... He seemed to really enjoy the yard time this evening. Plus he could see the whole flock. I just don't want to lose my whole flock man...

 

[mandymcg05]

And if I do lose one, I'll pay the $80 for the necropsy for our state vet to do. It's worth it to me to know and have some answers.

 

[Sonya9]

And if I do lose one, I'll pay the $80 for the necropsy for our state vet to do. It's worth it to me to know and have some answers.

Sounds like a good plan. Just remember if you get the state involved you cannot control what they may do.

 

[Sonya9]

Just to think that it's in my whole flock is just devastating... These are my babies and losing them is hard enough but knowing they're all carrying this disease is just disheartening... *sigh*

Don't panic. It honestly may not be that bad. Even with a bad strain it usually only affects a minority of birds. The state vet in my area said most all the flocks around here have it and just don't know it, your flock isn't ruined and may be just fine.

My flock got it 6 years ago and I haven't lost a bird to it in 5 years (I have a very mixed flock with 7-8 yr olds, chicks etc...). THe only time I even think about it is if a bird gets very stressed.

 

[mandymcg05]

Don't panic. It honestly may not be that bad. Even with a bad strain it usually only affects a minority of birds. The state vet in my area said most all the flocks around here have it and just don't know it, your flock isn't ruined and may be just fine.

My flock got it 6 years ago and I haven't lost a bird to it in 5 years (I have a very mixed flock with 7-8 yr olds, chicks etc...). THe only time I even think about it is if a bird gets very stressed.

Thank you again

 

[Eggcessive]

I highly doubt that you would have something like AI (avian influenza) show up in your necropsy, so don’t let that stop you from getting a necropsy to look for Mareks. AI is pretty rare and I haven’t seen any reports of an outbreak for a long time. Kentucky can be a bit picky if you get testing and a reportable respiratory disease shows up, at least that is what one person recently went through. The link (in post 23) I earlier posted from Vetdna is another way to get testing privately on a live bird, from blood serum.

 

[mandymcg05]

@Eggcessive @Sonya9 yall. He’s walking several feet at a time today. I have no idea how or why. I did not start the vitamins because I was going to pick up rooster booster today!!!!! What the heck!!! I took him out with me this morning and obviously he fought me like crazy to get out of my hands. I laid him by the run while the others where out and he just kept getting up and walking the perimeter of it. Pecking the grass. Laying down a hit. And getting up again.

 

[Eggcessive]

That is good news. Let us know how he does today or tomorrow. Is he eating well? I would get B complex to give him since it doesn’t have electrolytes which can give diarrhea if used mire than a couple of days.