My sweet baby is staggering around acting drunk. HELP!

[MKingsolver]

Quote:
Someone else told me it could be a delayed heat exhaustion issue. Though we had some hot days the coop actually stayed relatively cool. And while most people didnt have any rain, we did get occasional rain. I have started them back on electrolytes and vitamins and frequently give them tomatoes and watermelon, etc. This is day 8 so far....only time will tell.. Thanks for the feedback!

Best of luck to you and your Patricia, keeping my fingers crossed for her. I had to put another one down yesterday that was showing the same Marek's symptoms and also had a fairly large external tumor on her back. She was out foraging with the other, too, but then would get exhausted and lie down wherever they were. It was heartbreaking to cull her BUT I'm trying to spare some of my other birds if I can.

 

[seminolewind]

Mkingsolver, sorry you have another victim. Do you really think taking them out right away will help?
I have a silkie (out of the resistant/exposed 2 years ago pack), who is leaving green fluid spots. I've been hand feeding her, but it seems the digestive nerves are attacked, and there's probably no paristalsis. She walks unsteadily and slow.

My #8/10 Polish cockerel is wasting, again with the lime green stool.

I guess I should move them in together, and away from the others (?).
Hubby and I are really tired of culling. I'ts very upsetting. I've been sacrificing my own feelings to humanly cull these chickens, but I need a break-I'm just too down right now.

I think this evening I'll go disinfect some stuff and move them in together.

 

[MKingsolver]

Quote:
Thanks. I honestly don't know if it will help, probably not since they have been shedding the virus since only God knows when. But, my thought is that if I can catch it early on since I know what to look for, at least I can spare them the suffering. There is nothing more that I hate then seeing an animal in pain and knowing there isn't a thing I can do about it but allow them peace at rest.

Today I scrubbed everything down and disinfected everything. Will it help? Probably not but at least I feel like I can do something instead of sitting here absolutely helpless. It has made me feel a bit better to do something and well, I completely clean and disinfect everything once a month anyway so it was time.

I know culling is positively awful. With Gracie we took her to WSU and had her euthanized and tested, unfortunately we were on our own yesterday with Blondie and it was heartbreaking. My poor husband is kinda traumatized by the whole thing and said he won't do it again. Being so new at owning chickens we're not really "up" on the best/safest/most humane way to cull a chicken. Just makes me gag even thinking about having to do it again...

 

[seminolewind]

I think cleaning everything is a good idea. I scrubbed down a small coop I have and removed the 2 Polish hens and put them where it's clean. Chances are looking up that they might make it.

I'll clean up the pen with the symptomatic roo, then I guess I'll put the silkie that's symptomatic in with him.

Like someone here said (Nonsuch?), cleaning and disinfecting can lessen the amount of exposure to the virus, and a chicken may be able to grow some resistance instead of die.

French toast for everyone tomorrow morning!!!

Kingsolver, the most humane way for the chicken is to chop their head off quickly. It's just gotten too upsetting to me and hubby, and we need a break.

 

[Oobhakeb]

Quote:
Someone else told me it could be a delayed heat exhaustion issue. Though we had some hot days the coop actually stayed relatively cool. And while most people didnt have any rain, we did get occasional rain. I have started them back on electrolytes and vitamins and frequently give them tomatoes and watermelon, etc. This is day 8 so far....only time will tell.. Thanks for the feedback!

Best of luck to you and your Patricia, keeping my fingers crossed for her. I had to put another one down yesterday that was showing the same Marek's symptoms and also had a fairly large external tumor on her back. She was out foraging with the other, too, but then would get exhausted and lie down wherever they were. It was heartbreaking to cull her BUT I'm trying to spare some of my other birds if I can.

oh no! Im so sorry to hear that! :-(

 

[MKingsolver]

Quote:
Yeah, it really made me feel better to scrub everything down although I was a little disappointed with my local Del's since they didn't carry Oxine. I ordered it online and hopefully the sooner it gets here the better. I used bleach and water in a spray bottle, thinking it might help.

I will say prayers for your birds, too, seminole. I'm watching mine like hawks and am scared to death for them since I've had them since they were chicks and I've become so attached. Everyone got a treat of yogurt yesterday, I really enjoyed watching them eat it!

Thanks for letting me know about the most humane way, even though it does sound kind of barbaric. I guess there really is no easy way...

 

[MKingsolver]

Quote:
Best of luck to you and your Patricia, keeping my fingers crossed for her. I had to put another one down yesterday that was showing the same Marek's symptoms and also had a fairly large external tumor on her back. She was out foraging with the other, too, but then would get exhausted and lie down wherever they were. It was heartbreaking to cull her BUT I'm trying to spare some of my other birds if I can.

oh no! Im so sorry to hear that! :-(

Thanks

How is Patricia doing? Hopefully she is on the mend???

 

[Oobhakeb]

Quote:
oh no! Im so sorry to hear that! :-(

Thanks

How is Patricia doing? Hopefully she is on the mend???

Yesterday she was with the other girls, pecking and scratching right along with them. she still highsteps but not enough to catch under her wing. And the best part is when I try to catch her she runs from me and though its unbalanced at times...its NOTHING like how she was and I actually cant get a hold of her. She still is usually the first to bed and the last to leave and once all the girls have evacuated the coop and gone to free range, she calls after them saying "HEY!where is everyone? Wait Up!" So, hopefully (fingers crossed) shes on the mend!

 

[Mama duck 8]

Im very sorry, but they must be sick chickens and I expect that they are going to die soon.

 

[luvinrunnin]

Quote:
Thanks. I honestly don't know if it will help, probably not since they have been shedding the virus since only God knows when. But, my thought is that if I can catch it early on since I know what to look for, at least I can spare them the suffering. There is nothing more that I hate then seeing an animal in pain and knowing there isn't a thing I can do about it but allow them peace at rest.

Today I scrubbed everything down and disinfected everything. Will it help? Probably not but at least I feel like I can do something instead of sitting here absolutely helpless. It has made me feel a bit better to do something and well, I completely clean and disinfect everything once a month anyway so it was time.

I know culling is positively awful. With Gracie we took her to WSU and had her euthanized and tested, unfortunately we were on our own yesterday with Blondie and it was heartbreaking. My poor husband is kinda traumatized by the whole thing and said he won't do it again. Being so new at owning chickens we're not really "up" on the best/safest/most humane way to cull a chicken. Just makes me gag even thinking about having to do it again...

I'm so so sorry. I certainly understand how your husband feels. I have been inwardly freaking out the last 2 months because I was told my young pullet probably had Mareks. She was only about 4 months old at the time, but had gray eyes and small pupils. I asked a couple other folks who also agreed it was probably Mareks.

I just didn't have the heart to cull her. I have never killed anything on purpose and just couldn't bear the thought. So I just knew the others that were in with her were also infected. I did have 2 of the roosters die, one that came in my original shipment, and one that was given to me with a "summer" cold, from which he never recovered.

Anyway, I went out today and caught up the young pullet in question, and guess what??? Her eyes are PERFECTLY normal!!!! Nice large pupil, and orangish iris. I am SO happy that I didn't cull her and that it is NOT Mareks.

My heart goes out to you. I don't know how I'll ever make it raising chickens if I can't develop the kajunas to do the job when it's necessary.