PLEASE help!! 9 weeks old chick not walking

[Nambroth]

Again, it is my non-expert, personal, crazy-chicken-lady opinion that it is very unlikely Marek's if she showed signs at 2 weeks old, and I think you are doing the right thing in terms of supportive care and supplementation.

Unfortunately I do not think coconut flake will help. If you have any other higher quality nut or plant oil you can try it. Something like food grade almond oil, or if you have a very good olive oil (sadly a lot of the less expensive commercially available olive oils are cut with cheaper oils). Avoid canola, soy, avocado oils (avocado oils may be good for us but avocados are a no-no for birds). I know that these are not necessarily commonly kept though!
Don't go crazy trying to find the coconut oil-- I just wanted to suggest it as something that can sometimes help (I like having it for other reasons, it's the only thing that can help my hair and I cook with it and so on, but you may feel differently and that is totally okay!). I had a completely paralyzed rooster earlier this year and it took me more than a month but he is walking again.

 

[rbaker0345]

What I would say, from personal experience is that most Mareks birds that I have had become paralyzed or show neurological issues usually start losing weight pretty quickly. I don't think its diagostic but it seems pretty consistent with Mareks birds so I would be curious if she is maintaing her normal weight.

 

[rbaker0345]

Coconut oil is pretty available at most supermarkets lately. Flax seed oil too. I've even seen hazelnut oil on the shelf.

 

[sararoni]

I have cold pressed olive oil. That is one of the few things we don't buy cheap
I can mix it up with her scrambled egg in the morning till I find the coconut.
I have canned coconut milk as well.
Getting hopeful about mareks thanks to your amazing research.
Thank you very much rbaker0345 and nambroth

 

[Fancychooklady]

Thank you nambroth , I had hoped you would come in. I was going to suggest a vitamin E capsule because it may help with absorption , just thought we might give the thiamine replacement a little longer. There are studies that suggest thiamine deficiency is carried into the yolk and that thiamine or lack of it does lead to suppressed appetite, resulting in inanition.

These are relevant paragraphs from the study I linked earlier.

 

[mightymax]

I have Marek's in my flock, and I agree with the majority here. That what your chickens have DOES NOT sound like Marek's, but rather a deficiency of some sort, As for as the vitamin B deficiency/depletion, here again I agree with the majority. The only tidbit I was going to add was that sometimes when my chickens are acting lethargic and/or not eating as much as I think they should, I'll give them some brewer's yeast (already mentioned) and then I'll also cut up the darkest, greenest part of some romaine lettuce and float it on top of a little room temperature sugar water. I'm not sure why exactly, but all my chickens just love it and it seems to perk them up quite quickly. They'll even eat it when they're pretty much off all of their other feed. You don't need to drown the lettuce in a bowl of water. Just put some pieces on top of about 1/2 to 1 inch of tepid water mixed with a tablespoon or so of sugar and serve in a pie tin. That's it. Just be sure to supervise them while their eating to insure that they don't get in the pie tin and catch a chill. Good luck to you and your birds and I hope they get better soon!

 

[enola]

Coconut oil is with the rest of the cooking oil at Wal!~Mart.

 

[Nambroth]

I have cold pressed olive oil. That is one of the few things we don't buy cheap

I can mix it up with her scrambled egg in the morning till I find the coconut.
I have canned coconut milk as well.
Getting hopeful about mareks thanks to your amazing research.
Thank you very much rbaker0345 and nambroth

The good olive oil will work until/if you don't want to/ get the coconut oil. If you do get it, like other oils, the cold pressed (mechanical process only, with no heating or refining) stuff is going to have the most benefit.

Just use a small amount since she's still a little thing. Maybe 4-5 drops.
If you are going to use the can of coconut milk anyhow (it's so delicious to cook with! or you can freeze the rest for later) you can scoop some of the fat off the top of the can and offer her a bit each day. Just a bite or two on her part. It can't hurt.

 

[Nambroth]

Thank you nambroth , I had hoped you would come in. I was going to suggest a vitamin E capsule because it may help with absorption , just thought we might give the thiamine replacement a little longer. There are studies that suggest thiamine deficiency is carried into the yolk and that thiamine or lack of it does lead to suppressed appetite, resulting in inanition.

Vitamin E is something to consider, yes-- but care must be taken in dosing, as E is a fat-soluble vitamin and unlike B vitamin, you CAN overdo it and cause damage. I generally advise not to offer E suppliments if one is also offering a multivitamin that contains E. Either one or the other, in general. (There are some exceptions as in most medicine) If this chick does have Encephalomalacia, it seems about a 50/50 tossup on if it responds to E supplements or not. It depends on the extent of damage done.
She seems a bit young to have Encephalomalacia, as I understand it takes a while for the deficiency to build up to ataxia (loss of movement/lameness/paralysis/etc). It also classically presents with neck issues as well, though any of us that have kept chickens for a while know that 'classic symptoms' often aren't!!

More info on E deficiency: http://www.poultrynews.com/New/Diseases/Merks/207020.htm

 

[casportpony]

Be very careful if giving oil with a syringe as aspiration can happen and cause lipoid pneumonia.

-Kathy