Neorological problem in 8 week old Frizzle?

[aoxa]

I wasnt feeding medicated...i have always fed dumor chick grower, never had a problem till now..i dont know what it is..but i dont think its meraks Because my chicks have never been near other birds.

Did you say what breed it is?

 

[Coupe]

Its a lavender Orpington

 

[aoxa]

Its a lavender Orpington

There goes the peck on the head theory.

Crested breeds are more likely than non-crested to develop issues related to injuries from being pecked on the head. They display much the same signs as you are mentioning.

You could have got a bad bag of feed. There has been recalls.

How do you manage your chicks? What are the temps? What type of space do you give them? Are conditions clean? Are they crowded? A lot of things could result in Cocci overload. Weakness can appear as drunken chickens.

I know you don't want to hear this. I would cull this chick if it were my own. If it were the only own exhibiting any signs, I would cull. I wouldn't want to have weak chickens. But if it is food causes, or environment factors - I would fix them and try to undo what has been done. I'm not saying you aren't properly caring for them - but if it isn't related to the environment, it would appear you have a chick that is just not meant to live without assistance.

You know.. Survival of the fittest..?

 

[Coupe]

It is possible to be injury related..she started showing signs right after i put them in a box so i could clean their cage...i keep their cage clean..it has a wire floor so they are not walking in their own poo. They have been with out the light for acouple if days now and seem fine..
I did have alot of problems with this hatch...had 24 eggs and only 6 survived..most i had to help hatch..i believe it was because they got lost in the mail and didnt reach my house for a week!!!!! And it was very cold out..ill give her acouple more days with the vitamins and see how she is..then i guess it would be best to cull her....ugh..i hate lossing an older chick..
Thanks

 

[aoxa]

It is possible to be injury related..she started showing signs right after i put them in a box so i could clean their cage...i keep their cage clean..it has a wire floor so they are not walking in their own poo. They have been with out the light for acouple if days now and seem fine..
I did have alot of problems with this hatch...had 24 eggs and only 6 survived..most i had to help hatch..i believe it was because they got lost in the mail and didnt reach my house for a week!!!!! And it was very cold out..ill give her acouple more days with the vitamins and see how she is..then i guess it would be best to cull her....ugh..i hate lossing an older chick..
Thanks

I know it's hard Coupe. I've just recently come to terms with culling, but in my experience - these things aren't ones they recover from fully. I don't see how she's acting, but what I'm picturing is serious by your description.

I had a terrible hatch where I had a lot of deaths. Just fine one second, dead the next. This was on medicated feed. In a playpen with fresh shavings. It was the oddest thing. The eggs were older, not stored properly and the humidity was terribly low during hatch.

The ones that survived seemed to all be from my BR x EE cross. Only one silkie survived. I culled one. Only one ever showed any signs of weakness (she wasn't growing, and was standing under heat much more than the others). It was hard.

 

[Coupe]

..gotta do what ya gotta do..right?!
HaleyD Good luck with your chick! I hope everything turnz out alright!

 

[myfinefeatheredfriends]

My goose does the same thing, has all the same symptoms, and I don't think Marek's disease is in geese. Plus he has been doing this for a while now and Marek's usually kills right away, as soon as the bird shows symptoms. My vet told me he has a neurological disorder and pretty much said there was nothing to be done about it, its just something he has to live with. I'm a little bummed out by that answer at first but I've learned to accept it. Maybe your chicken was born with the same thing my goose was?

 

[Coupe]

My goose does the same thing, has all the same symptoms, and I don't think Marek's disease is in geese. Plus he has been doing this for a while now and Marek's usually kills right away, as soon as the bird shows symptoms. My vet told me he has a neurological disorder and pretty much said there was nothing to be done about it, its just something he has to live with. I'm a little bummed out by that answer at first but I've learned to accept it. Maybe your chicken was born with the same thing my goose was?

Did your goose just start doing it out of no where? Or was it born like that?

 

[casportpony]

I have a 5 week old doung the same thing..everyone saud its mareks but i dont know how she would have got it, she hasnt been in contact with any other birds or even near another chicken besides her hatch mates....everyone else in the bunch are fine..i went out last night and got poultry vitamin drench which was cheaper than the poly vi sol...i hope it works..i noticed thus morrning she isnt tilting her head back funny anymore and she is eatting better.
Can someone explain how chicks get meraks?

Did your chick look like this?


Source: http://partnersah.vet.cornell.edu/avian-atlas/search/disease/502

 

[casportpony]

This link has some very good photos of Merek's:
http://partnersah.vet.cornell.edu/avian-atlas/search/disease/502