Not an Emergency...Marek's in the Flock

[lalaland]

"...took them together to be necropsied"....that made me tear up.

dang. it is so unfair.

 

[seminolewind]

Quote:
Dribbling I don't think will give her enough food. Casportpony had me buy that Kaytee baby bird food and mix with water (and meds) and pull it up in a syrimge, and I had a short piece of tubing on the end of it (the length of the way to the crop), and my 3 lb Polish took 60 ml three times a day. It's not hard. Eventually after 2 weeks it was sink or swim and I put her out in a private pen next to her flock. She eats and is almost to her regular weight. She had a broken leg.

 

[seminolewind]

Quote: My birds always do better with a friend (as long as they aren't getting picked on). I think that is the reason my first bird lasted so long. I put the second pullet in with her and they would just hang out together all day long. They were very bonded in the end. I took them together to be necropsied.

 

[seminolewind]

Quote:
I have only had a whole hatch die at 6 weeks old and 2 cockerels die at 8-12 months separately. The rest were sporatic, one here, one there. So there's really no rhyme or reason to who will get it. So I do just leave them where they are until they can't stay. People have different thoughts on that. Both sets that died were hatched by an exposed bird and did not get it from eachother.

 

[ochochicas]

Yes, it is unfair!

Seminole - How is your hen that had the broken leg?

 

[seminolewind]

Yes, it is unfair!

Seminole - How is your hen that had the broken leg?

That one, Lucille, I had moved her to a pen next to her flock mates so she could sort of eat and drink with them. The pen is covered. She's put on weight almost back to what it was. She will never walk normal but she hobbles on that leg well enough. So I think she's doing fine. Thanks for asking.

 

[lalaland]

good to hear the good news about lucille.

I know she isn't getting sufficient liquids or food. I wonder what it is about this disease that makes them not want to eat? And why a food is happily eaten one day but the second day rejected? thats pretty consistent.

I also am curious about why she is eating so much dirt - I noticed she was eating a fair amount while scratching. When I was gardening and collecting bugs for her, there was dirt in the pail. I tipped it in with the june bug, bugs and worms into her dish and while she did eat the bugs, she ate almost all the dirt too.

Happy mothers day to all the chicken moms!

 

[saltandpepper2]

I doubt anyone remembers me from this thread, but I have mereks in my flock, and have having a nervous breakdown waiting to see if my new breeder ameraucanas will fail from it... I got 8 last year, and only two lived. The rest succumbed. I also have 18 hatched chicks, that im not worried about, simply because of how amazingly resistant the parents were to this disease... We'll see!

 

[ochochicas]

I doubt anyone remembers me from this thread, but I have mereks in my flock, and have having a nervous breakdown waiting to see if my new breeder ameraucanas will fail from it... I got 8 last year, and only two lived. The rest succumbed. I also have 18 hatched chicks, that im not worried about, simply because of how amazingly resistant the parents were to this disease... We'll see!

Keep us posted on how your chicks do. I'm hatching some eggs from my resistant hens, but I am vaccinating the chicks anyway.

 

[lalaland]

this morning I was preparing myself to lose the little legbar .....had her in a cage inside the coop because it was chilly and rainy. Went and put her outside when the weather cleared a bit this afternoon. A friend brought over half a watermelon, and I plunked her down in front of it and went back to my guests.

Came back to do chicken chores, and found her pecking at an empty feed dish. So I made up some mash and the whole flock came running, of course...to my total surprise, she stood her ground and actually pecked at hens to keep her spot. She was chowing down!!!! I don't know whether to credit the watermelon (just kidding), the dirt she ate (maybe), or the 7th day on sulfa (probably?). Or maybe that fat juicy junebug she ate yesterday has magical properties. Anyway, I'm excited but also totally prepared to find tomorrow is a downswing day.

Plus, I got 19 eggs out of 21 hens, and the legbar is in that 21 group so just one hen didn't lay today. I know my 6 year old jezebel gave me an egg today. And it is spring, the grosbeaks, indigo buntings, orioles and bluebirds were around all day.