Necropsy experience?

[Little One]

First off, I hope I'm posting this in the right section...
My 8 month old EE pullet had started developing lameness a little over one month ago. We have her in a coop separated from the rest of the flock, and has been unable to walk at all for about 3 weeks. A few days ago, she has started to have trouble breathing. Her beak open, gulping forward and pulling back to breathe in. Still eats and drinks, but feels boney and thin. I am scared that it is marek's, and I have decided that it would be best to end what seems like her suffering. (Which is going to be so hard.

) I saw others on here talk about getting necropsies, and wondering what her disease/illness is is killing me... especially wondering if the others are at risk. I found online the VA Dept of Agriculture has a lab very close to us. But, I am afraid that if it turns out to be a contagious disease, that they will have the authority to come in and take or destroy the rest of our chickens. Call me paranoid, or is it possible? Has anybody here had necropsies done? And what your experience was like. Thank you... this whole experience has been so stressful and I'm not ready to give up my healthy chicks.

ETA: For more background info, I posted last month when she first got sick, but I didn't get much response. https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=583735

 

[ThePamperedPullet]

It doesn't sound like you have Mareks. Mareks is classically represented by leg paralysis with one leg out front and one out back. Balance issues can be a lot of different things such as vitamin deficiencies, cerebral hemorage, ear mites, ear infection and so on. There are not many diseases that would cause the Ag Dept to come in and wipe out your flock. And if you did have one of the diseases then believe me you would be happy for them to wipe them out because you could be responsible for a huge outbreak. If your bird breathes then it has been exposed to Mareks. The ones they watch for are Typhoid, Pullorum, LT and Avian Influenza. Your birds aren't just dropping dead so I don't think you have anything to worry about that way.

 

[Little One]

Thank you for the quick response. I am hoping it's not infectious.

It's bad enough having this happen to one of my first chickens. I didn't think it would be this stressful to own them.

 

[Little One]

Update this morning. She somehow pushed herself out of the nest I made for her of hay that was keeping her upright. She was found an hour ago laying on her side, with her head submerged in her waterer, the kind with red plastic screw on base. She was dead, apparently not able to hold her head out of an inch of water. I am saddened, yet very slightly relieved that I didn't have to kill her myself which I was planning to do this afternoon... actually, I was going to have my dad do it for me. I hope it wasn't painful or scary for her to die that way. I am going to call the local state lab to find out how much a necropsy costs. I'm sitting on the fence with even bothering now.

 

[jerseygirl1]

Marek's is generally on the rare side, but what kind of treatment were you giving her?

 

[scratch'n'peck]

Poor pullet, I'm sorry. I don't think they could mandate you to cull your other birds. I haven't heard anything like that when I have read about necropsies on the forum. If you are concerned just ask them if they have any kind of authority to do that before you request the necropsy.

 

[riane'smimi]

Quote:
I don't think they charge anything . I would have it done just for peace of mind.

 

[Little One]

I just called the nearest state ag lab, and it's $75 for a chicken necropsy!?

That is a lot more expensive than i was expecting. I am just going to bury her later today and hope for the best with my other chickens.
@Jerseygirl1- We were trying to supplement with some vit E & B, that I read about in some other posts. Thinking it could be some kind of neurological problem. Another possibility i went through was being egg bound, as she never laid an egg. I checked her vent size, and it was small, meaning what I assumed was she was not sexually mature enough to lay eggs yet?

 

[riane'smimi]

Wow that is alot. A friend of mine had three done and they didn't charge her but I think she took live ones up there and they killed them for the necropsy.She used the one in Harrisonburg.

 

[liz allen]

It just cost me about £160 to have one done in the UK
and we can't buy over medication over the counter