Please help....

[casportpony]

as unpleasant as it sounds, do you think you could do a necropsy on the rooster?

 

[casportpony]

None are sick now, even the rooster was fine yesterday. They were all running around the coop yesterday, eating and drinking normally.

Did you say some lost weight? what about the rooster, was he in good flesh or thin?

 

[Nursehev35]

I can almost bet money it's not feed or worms your dealing with..Anyways best of luck with the birds..

What do you think it is? I’m open to any thoughts or opinions. I just want to cover all bases and save my last 4 if I can. TY

 

[Nursehev35]

Did you say some lost weight? what about the rooster, was he in good flesh or thin?

It’s hard for me to tell. He didn’t look like he lost weight, but he was still growing I think. He felt light to me when I picked him up, but again I’m not really sure how heavy he should feel.

 

[Zelda2121]

I'm sorry for your loss

 

[rebrascora]

I'm afraid my money is on Marek's.
Different strains kill at different rates. The fact that you mixed hatchery stock with breeder stock and not long afterwards, the problems occurred, the juvenile age of the birds involved and at least two exhibited possible neurological symptoms....lameness and neck issue.... shortly before death. It may be that some died of coccidiosis as a result of the Marek's virus compromising the immune system, which is another of this horrible disease's facets.

I'm really sorry for your losses. To have two such bad runs of luck with separate flocks must be heart breaking.
I would agree that it is time to have a necropsy either DIY or professional, to try to shed some light on what is going on. You could also get a faecal sample tested on the remaining birds to see if that highlights a coccidia or worm issue. That online laboratory service that someone opened a thread about a few months ago, might be worth a try.... I'll see if I can find the thread.

 

[Nursehev35]

as unpleasant as it sounds, do you think you could do a necropsy on the rooster?

I may have my husband do it when he gets home, but I’m not really sure what we are looking for. I will see if I can find a YouTube video or something on the internet to guide us through the necropsy.

 

[MzGina]

So very sorry

 

[Nursehev35]

I'm afraid my money is on Marek's.
Different strains kill at different rates. The fact that you mixed hatchery stock with breeder stock and not long afterwards, the problems occurred, the juvenile age of the birds involved and at least two exhibited possible neurological symptoms....lameness and neck issue.... shortly before death. It may be that some died of coccidiosis as a result of the Marek's virus compromising the immune system, which is another of this horrible disease's facets.

I'm really sorry for your losses. To have two such bad runs of luck with separate flocks must be heart breaking.
I would agree that it is time to have a necropsy either DIY or professional, to try to shed some light on what is going on. You could also get a faecal sample tested on the remaining birds to see if that highlights a coccidia or worm issue. That online laboratory service that someone opened a thread about a few months ago, might be worth a try.... I'll see if I can find the thread.

Thank you. In the back of my mind I kept wondering if it was Mareks, but I just kept thinking this was so different from my last flock. I guess I will just have to get them vaccinated from now on. I just read such compelling arguments on why to not vaccinate them, but I hate to keep losing them and to see them suffer.

 

[casportpony]

When I have more than one death in a small number of birds I take a step back and look at the symptoms. Sometimes they are related, sometimes they are not. Once I sent two off for necropsy think the worse, but both died for completely unrelated reasons.

If I were you I would get a kitchen scale and weigh all of four of your birds. This will give you a baseline weight. Then weigh every 2-3 days. If one is losing weight, it's almost certainly sick. If you have one losing weight, separate it and monitor poop.

Green/yellow poop will mean it's time to start antibiotics. Will that cure it? Who knows, but if not treated, a bird that is losing weight, and pooping green/yellow, will probably die.