Ok, about a month ago I thought a chicken got hurt and was limping...

[casportpony]

So I call and send the bodies to those places?

I think you can just send them, but call and ask if you can use their FedEx account number, that what I do when I ship one to UC Davis.

Neither is dead, or sickly seeming...they just can't move right...but they are breaking my heart...not so much the one that was doing better but the one that more recently started having issues...it really can't get around very well at all.

They might get better, but they'll probably just get worse and start to starve to death.

I am more worried about trying to get new chicks...if all new chicks are vaccinated then everything should be alright, right?

I bought some vaccinated chicks and I could have sworn that she had a funny looking eye about a year before she died, so I don't know...

I'm not sure I have the heart to kill baby chickens...but I also don't have the heart to watch something suffer...

I kept several alive for months with tube feeding, but I know now that it was the wrong thing to do.

and can you get a necropsy on a chicken you killed, or do I have to wait for one of them to die...?

They'll do it on either.

Is this something that chickens recover from? So perhaps I should just leave these 2 to either make it or not...or should I go ahead and cull them since they obviously are having some issues?

They *might* recover, as for culling, I can't say as I am one that tends to prolong the inevitable.

I'm not saying that you should cull them, and I would probably try to keep them going, but that's just one of my personality defects.

 

[casportpony]

RE: Necropsy: They need the whole bird, refrigerated, not frozen.

If you decide to do it, I would suggest shipping on Monday for Tuesday delivery. You'll need to find a box, line it with styrofoam (I use the 4'x8'x1" stuff from Home Depot, but you can use anything, I guess... you can also get smaller pieces at an art store like Michael's, but is way more expensive). Click here to see foam options. You'll also need at least one ice pack. Here are some pictures that I took of the last bird that I sent:

Box lined with foam on four sides and bottom. Seams of foam taped sealed.


Box, sides, bottom and and top.


Frozen ice pack in ziplock baggie.


Brown paper on top of ice pack.


Hen in ziplock baggie on top of brown paper.


Brown paper on top of hen.


Ice pack on top of brown paper.


Lid on top of brown paper.


Inside the box you should also include a submission form in a ziplock baggie.
http://www.ncagr.gov/vet/ncvdl/SubForm_AvianPoultry.pdf

Do not tell anyone at FedEx that you're shipping a dead animal... that seems to really worry them. Just make sure that nothing will leak.

 

[Haunted55]

Can someone help me figure this out that this place has Marek's blood tests. Is this something new?
http://tvmdl.tamu.edu/tests_service...sease-(PCR)&unit_id=1349&unit_effdt=02-JUN-10

Seminolewind, I had heard about this last year after I went through my little experience. Yes it's a blood test for Marek's. The trouble is the blood has to be to the lab in a very short time. Another reason we don't hear about this is most Vets look on chickens as just another farm animal and a lot of them are not exclusive Avian Vets.. The test is there and in fact I have heard of them being able to draw fluid from the spine to prove Marek's in cases where it doesn't show the classic symptoms.

I should have said from live animals.

 

[missnu01]

Thank you guys so much. I think I will cull the one that can't move...rather it can move but instead of walking it just flop flutters everywhere, and I'll keep a super close eye on the one that is still doing basically alright other than the limp. I just can't seem to give up on him...But if he gets worse, he too will have to get the chop...he's just so sweet...he comes up and makes this cute little chirpy sound and sits on my shoes...Both chickens have no issue making a mad dash for food and treats...but I also find myself feeding these 2 more just to make sure they are getting enough. As I said they are both still steadily gaining...Of the 7 chicks one was really big (a really big white rooster, already 2x the size of mama hen) and one chick was very small, and she still is very small like a teacup chicken...but all the rest are about the same size, and these 2 were in the middle and still are...It's pretty funny about the tiny one because there is a midsized chick that has exactly the same coloring as the tiny one...no difference in them at all except one is normal sized and one is super small...
Should I wait til they start losing weight if they do? I don't want to kill these 2 if there is a chance that they can be happy chickens...and I feel like there is still a chance for the one, but the other just seems so miserable just sitting around all the time. half the time she tries to walk she ends up rolling over on her side, and then she flaps to get right again, and she moves from place to place like that...She can't hold herself up so when she tries to stand up she falls over on her head and it just looks so awful. I am so torn. I also want to get a necropsy of at least her for my own piece of mind...I mean what if it is something simple and preventable, or curable...perhaps if I send her off and it is something simple I can then fix the rooster similarly afflicted...Then again both chickens started out having the same issue, but one got better while the other got worse...

When I pick up the one that is doing bad she kicks her feet all around and flaps her mings and such, so she can move, just not right...I want it to be not fatal and serious so bad...but the prognosis doesn't look too good.

 

[casportpony]

I had one that lost the ability to walk, eat, drink, so I tube fed him for a few weeks. He did get better, but several months later started showing the same symptoms. Of course I couldn't do the deed, instead I tube fed him, but he just got worse and died.

 

[cowcreekgeek]

Can someone help me figure this out that this place has Marek's blood tests. Is this something new?
http://tvmdl.tamu.edu/tests_service...sease-(PCR)&unit_id=1349&unit_effdt=02-JUN-10

This Q was answered via PM, but figured other folks might wanna know ... also, that casportpony might check my response for accuracy:

Indeed, there are tests that can determine/differentiate the presence/activities of Marek's Disease.

Feel free to share this as well ...

Since there is no truly pathognomonic gross lesions of MD and because MD lesions can closely resemble those of lymphoid leucosis (LL), the clinical diagnosis of MD has been considered difficult in practice. Infection of MDV, not necessarily accompanied by the clinical disease, can be detected by virus isolation or agar gel precipitation tests of viral antigen in feather tips or antibody in serum. These are useful features to differentiate Marek's disease from lymphoid leucosis.
source: https://www.addl.purdue.edu/newsletters/2005/spring/mareks.htm

Also, to actually see this done? See the following presentation:
Diagnosis of Marek’s disease by real time PCR from samples collected on FTA

cards
URL: http://www.cvm.ncsu.edu/dphp/phm/documents/AAAP08Cortes.pdf

And, with apology for most probably ruinin' everybody's day ...

Marek’s Disease is a viral tumor-causing disease of chickens. Marek’s is distributed worldwide and is so common that if you have birds, they have been exposed to Marek’s, regardless of whether they show symptoms or not. There are 4 different forms of Marek’s:

• Cutaneous (skin form)
• Neural (nerve form)
• Ocular (eye form)
• Visceral (internal-organ form)

Marek’s Disease is caused by 6 different herpes viruses that primarily affect young birds. The virus concentrates in feather follicles and is shed in dander. Marek’s disease-causing virus particles can survive for months in chicken-house dust and litter.

Marek’s is highly contagious and spreads by bird-to-bird contact, by contact with infected dust and dander, and by darkling beetles and mealworms that live in the chicken house, although the virus has no affect on the beetles or mealworms.

source: http://extension.unh.edu/resources/files/Resource000791_Rep813.pdf

NOTE: Due to the manner BYC chooses to edit these forums, posts that do not violate their TOS are removed along w/ any that they feel do ... it's sorta like pullin' a loose thread 'til it unravels completely free, rather than trimming it's end most carefully. Therefore, I suggest you follow the links provided, and bookmark those off-site URLs, as this post may be removed.

 

[Haunted55]

Something else that should be added, Marek's survivors carry this herpes virus forever in their spinal fluid. The affected birds can recover and seem to get well only to have them die at a later date because something caused it to rear it's ugly head again. Stress, another sickness, anything can bring it back out.

There are so many other things that can cause this as well. Botulism, aflatoxin poisoning, the riboflavin as already discussed, genetics and management of the bird's housing or brooder. CowCreekGeek can help with the aflatoxin poisoning. If it were me, and it isn't, I would try a few more things before you do the deed. Change their food to another brand, give them some canned fish cat food [please make sure it has no chicken or chicken by-products in it!] vitamins in the water or the Bird Powder sprinkled on their food. Fresh water as many times a day as possible. If you still get no positive results after this then you'll know what to do. I have 2 in the house, my house, right now with feet problems. I am doing the vitamins and the different feed. Another thing is I am working the affected foot. It seems to be working for me. I hope you can also find something to help you and your birds.

 

[missnu01]

we have changed the food, that gave no result...the vitamins I am still adding to their food and water, what is aflatoxin poisoning?

 

[missnu01]

we have changed the food, that gave no result...the vitamins I am still adding to their food and water, what is aflatoxin poisoning?

 

[missnu01]

the chickens have a 5 gallon waterer that is kept filled but I also have a seperate dish of water that I refill or change 2x a day at least...