Need help with my Salmon Fav. Seizures? Nother one last night!!

[jeaucamom]

They are only about 3 weeks old and one of them started screaming and hopping/flying around the pool, into the walls and just all crazy and eradict. (sp). It let me pick it up and is resting on my chest and barely moving. It did have what looked like a very small seizure in my hands. I gave it some polyvisol. Has anyone ever seen this or have any suggestions?

 

[ChicknThief]

Whaaat!?

 

[dlhunicorn]

Did you hatch this bird yourself? What are you feeding it? What is the environment it is in?

 

[jeaucamom]

I hatched this bird myself. It is on Purina start and grow and it is in an 8 foot kiddie pool in my living room with 30 other chicks. They have plenty of fresh water and food and they have two heat lamps hung over the sides with plenty of room to get out from under it. They have pine shavings in the bottom of it.

 

[jeaucamom]

He had another one last night. A VERY BAD one!! I was up from 4 to 6 with it's body convulsing literally every second on the second for hours. It was horrible. When it finally stopped he just collapsed in my arms totally week and not able to hold his head up. He slept like that for at least an hour and then finally stood up slowly. He is fine now and hopping around the broode.

Has anyone seen or heard of this before????


When I woke up, a light brahma was standing rigid over him. I am not sure if it was a peck on the head that causes this or was the brahma protecting him???

 

[okiechick57]

WOW girl..sorry ......sure hope you can find out what is causing that............ poor chicky !

 

[CritterHill]

I can't give any advice, just an anecdote.

I had a Peach Faced Lovebird that would go into seizures periodically. It was diagnosed with epilepsy and started on phenobarbitol.

The phenobarb kept the seizures in control for years. Many years later, it started getting worse - head tremors, etc.

We took it to a new vet (we had moved) who pronounced that it didn't have epilepsy, it had lead poisoning! It was eating the lead weight out of one of its toys! (I had no idea)

So we took it off the phenobarb and started injections of a chelating agent. That seemed to do the trick.

I have no idea if any of this is applicable to chickens. Especially since only one of them is affected, but have you had your water tested for lead? Do you live in an old house that could have lead or lead soldered water pipes?

Again, I have no idea if this could apply at all to chickens. Just telling you what happened with our Love Bird.

 

[dlhunicorn]

yes it is equally applicable to chickens...one of the signs is a bright green poo (which will also occur if they are not eating btw)... I remember a memeber who had problems for months and they finally found that an ingested staple was causing the problems.
the bird should be separated from the rest...you can follow the suggestions for the crook neck>head injury (polyvisol enfamil for the B vitamins and vit E plus aviacharge if you have it)...
keep sperate (perhaps a buddy for company ) and warm in a temp stable draft free environment. Does it have any other symptoms such as gurgling or strange poos?

 

[jeaucamom]

Totally normal poop... I know this first hand cuz he pooped on me when he was sleeping last night. Eating and drinking okay as he is the same size as his two brothers. I don't think it is the water, althought that was a brilliant suggestion because we just moved into this house and the landlord had the water tested before we moved in and it was perfect. No gurgling. And it was been at least a week if not more since the last one so they are periodic and random although I am noticing they happen in the middle of the night most often.

I am TERRIFIED to put him outside tomorrow with the rest when we move them outside to the new coop. What will happen to him if I'm not there for him????

I will try the Polyvisol.
How much Vit E and aviacharge??

 

[dlhunicorn]

Keep this bird separate and away from the others... (dogcrate>porch or garage>is this possible?)
The (human) vit E /Selenium combo tabs (the ones I have seen in the combo tabs have the correct form of selenium though some have 100 MICROgrams of selenium instead of 50 >do NOT exceed 50 MICROgrams) have usually around 200 or 400 IU of vitE (I have seen that walmart and agway have this...have also seen at places you can purchase from online)... give once a day in beak one tab for two days then every other day 3 times and then reassess the situation. I say reassess because selenium is retained in the body, however with some conditions involving malabsorption where neurological symptoms occur giving vitE/selenium can sometimes prove crucial to control of the symptoms>I had a roo which I had to supplement for a half year... gave it to him when the symptoms reoccured.
Follow the directions for use on the AviaCharge... you can give this to all your birds as it is formulated for regular use (so not in therapeutic quantities)