Off balance wyandotte

[babybird2003]

I have a silver lace Wyandotte that seems like she's drunk. I have read the article about mareks disease. I know mareks disease can have many symptoms. Her legs seem fine. It's more like her head. I have checked her for a ear infection and see no signs. She will turn one year old in April. My question is if it's mareks disease can these symptoms show up over night? Sunday night I was out with my chickens and didn't notice anything unusual and then Monday morning I went out with them and noticed her acting very off balance. She is still eating and drinking normally. She is still acting off balance today. Hang help is appreciated. Thank you

 

[Eggcessive]

Mareks is a little unlikely unless you have added any new birds to the flock who could possibly be a carrier. I would give her some vitamins and electrolytes in her water for the time being, and continue to watch her. There could be some unknown thing going on like a virus, but watch for more symptoms.

 

[babybird2003]

Are there any vitamins you would suggest?

 

[Eggcessive]

A general poultry vitamin with electrolytes--Rooster Booster has Vitamins with Lactobacillus, a vitamin, electrolyte, and probiotic mix that is sold at TSC is good. There are some other brands available at most feed stores, and you can add them to the water. SaveAChick is another brand, but only makes a gallon for each packet.

 

[babybird2003]

She has very liquid diarrhea now. Still eating and drinking normally. How long before vitamins take affect on her? Or does the fact that she has diarrhea change anything? I added new birds to my flock in October. They seem perfectly healthy. I get eggs from them everyday. Could they have brought mareks that my Wyandotte would show symptoms overnight?

 

[rebrascora]

In my experience Marek's does show up overnight although mine have mostly exhibited with lameness. Sometimes it has become rapidly worse and sometimes it has completely disappeared after a couple of days. I've had some that I had to cull as they stopped eating and drinking after a couple of weeks of supportive care and others that bounced back after months in my little infirmary. I currently have one that exhibited with a dropped wing instead of lameness.... she has had about 6 weeks of mild support and has just fully reintegrated back into my free range flock. She is petite in comparison to her hatch mates but holding her own and happy enough and no sign of any problem with the wing at the moment.

The thing with Marek's is that the symptoms are so varied that it's easy to kid yourself that they have something else or it's an injury. Understanding the disease and in particular the strain you have in your flock is helpful in supporting the birds that develop it. I do post mortem examinations (necropsies) on birds that die or I cull, so that I can make the most informed decisions for other birds that I look after.

Keeping them happy, well fed and stress free is a key factor.

Stress triggers an outbreak and my experience has been that that is most often caused by the unwanted attention from juvenile cockerels, change of hormones associated with reaching adolescence and commencement of egg laying and bad weather causing reduced foraging time.... ie being confined to the hen house.... of course a change of environment/home is a highly stressful situation for them too... but my flock is closed, so my birds don't experience that.

Whether it is Marek's or not, there is no harm in supplementing with vitamins and giving high quality treats like scrambled egg and tuna etc. I like to keep them in contact with the flock as much as possible to keep their spirits up, so I have a brooder/infirmary in the hen house. My flock has been exposed to the virus, so I see no point in isolating and if you manage to nurse the sick bird back to health, the stress of trying to re integrate them is likely to trigger a second attack. If they are given supportive care in contact with the flock, it is much easier for them to return to being a full member when they are fit and confident to do so.

I very much hope it's not Marek's but my experience of the disease is that it is not as bad as some of the stuff you read about it. I have broody hens rear chicks within my flock and only a small percentage of them suffer with Mareks.

Good luck with supporting your girl. I would also recommend fermenting feed if she is having digestive problems and.... if the worst should happen.... it is advisable to have a necropsy done, so you know what you are dealing with.

Best wishes

Barbara

 

[babybird2003]

Thank you all for such great advise. I hope it's not mareks either but it's so hard to diagnose. As of tonight she is doing really well. (Hopefully I won't jinx it). She seems to be pretty much back to normal. She really isn't having hardly any balance issues now. She's still eating and drinking like a pig! I lost one of my favorite hens earlier this week but had a necropsy done and it was cancer so no signs of mareks at lest with her. It was a very hard loss. People say it just a chicken but to me they are my family.