Neurological chicken?

[quinaldey]

thanks, I don't see mites, but maybe ill apply frontline anyways, im a tech and have plenty laying around! Its so confusing! I need to go find the super B pills too. Wonder what tractor supply has?

 

[schnebbles]

Janet - do you know if TSC has that omega egg? I can give it to my chickens, wondering if I have to order online.

My silkie is worse, I know i's mareks. I go out and watch her limp and just cry like a baby. This is just horrible. I brought her in b/c I think she is more comfortable sitting with me vs wobbling all around.

I am wondering if I need to put her down or keep trying. I feel like this just exactly the same as my bantam cochin a month ago.

I didn't see any mites on my girl.

sorry, I'm invading your thread!

 

[Eggcessive]

For neurological problems I would always try a multivitamin treatment just in case a vitamin deficiency is the cause.. The 'super B' is just a high potency multiple B supplement, but I would also add E, so I think a multivitamin for chickens would be best.

 

[Janet Pesaturo]

Schnebbles - I don't know, I order it online. I what area do you live? Have you contacted a vet that has chicken experience? They might give you general info over the phone. I was told that Marek's is uncommon here (Massachusetts). I would treat for mites anyway. It can't hurt, it's easy to treat, and sometimes hard to see them.

I agree with Eggcessive on the vits. Omega Ultra Egg has E and B vitamins....and some other good stuff..I forget exactly what.

 

[schnebbles]

I'm in Ohio. I just know it's mareks. I have no idea where it came from. I'm putting the SuperB in the water, think I'll quit the duramycin for now, it's been 15 days. I'll keep probiotics and ACV in the water. I should ordr some of that Omega Egg. Even though I am sure what it is, I can try and keep the others super healthy and maybe they will be ok.

ETA: how do I treat for mites? Being a silkie, they would be hard to see. I can check my d'uccles, they are probably the easiest. I put her back in the coop with her friends for now. She was sitting on the couch for a couple hours.

I took the last chicken to the vet - he gave her steroids and clavamox bc he wasn't sure. Said she didn't look like mareks necessarily but she died.

 

[Janet Pesaturo]

People on BYC have mentioned several different ways to treat for mites. I used Frontline for cats, because it's really easy, lasts a long time, and works by being distributed in the skin, rather than going internally. It's not approved for chickens, but a lot of people use it - if you google, you'll find posts and videos about using it on chickens. I draw up some frontline into a syringe, then put it on the back of the bird's neck. For my big bird I used 5 drops, but for a little bantam, I'd probably use just 1. Some people also put a drop under each wing and near the vent, but I think it's totally unnecessary because it gets distributed in the skin no matter where you put it. Same as when you use it on a cat.

 

[schnebbles]

I have advantage II I use for my dog and cat. I looked at other chickens and don't think they have mites.

 

[Janet Pesaturo]

I would not use Advantage on a chicken. The active ingredient is imidacloprid, which is known to be "highly toxic to upland game birds": http://www.ehow.com/facts_7369712_safety-imidacloprid.html. And it's harmful to the chicken's immune system: http://www.farmlandbirds.net/de/content/imidacloprid-targets-humoral-immune-responses-chickens. And, I don't know if it would kill the mites that chickens get anyway.

The active ingredient in Frontline is fipronil. A lot of people have used it successfully. I was just suggesting that you go ahead and treat whatever is easy to treat. If it's Marek's there isn't much you can do anyway. So, I would treat whatever is easily treatable that could possibly be the cause.

I had not seen mites on my chickens either, when I received the necropsy report on my chicken (however, my eyesight is not so great). If you feel really confident that she does not have mites, then don't treat.

 

[schnebbles]

I wouldn't put the advanage on unless I knew it was safe, so I wouldn't ever do that without tons of research. Thank you for that info. I could pick up some. I just don't think it's mites, I had my other one who died in to the vet and he didn't say anything about mites and if she had them, I would have thought he'd have said. She didn't have cocci either.

 

[quinaldey]

Sorry I hadn't update. Oddly enough something broke into her enclosure and ate only her Looked like probably Marek's, but no way to know for sure. All other birds still seem just fine. Thank you all for all the great advice!
Andrea