Sick and dying chickens

[Mon27]

1. Hi there. I am a first time chicken owner. I purchased 3 Dominiques that were 8 weeks old and one Silver Laced Wyandotte that was 5 weeks old. 2 months ago I bought 4 more day old Doms. A week ago, at 8 weeks, I found one of the babies dead on 2 separate occasions. I went out of town a few days ago and my neighbor found one of my big girls, just about to start laying, dead. When I got home another was laying in the pen paralyzed. Her legs stuck out to one side and her toes were curled up. Her comb was dark purple and she was burning up. I put her on a cloth over some ice packs and she perked up in a few hours. Even walked a bit. I gave her mash with electrolytes and a shot of Penicillin. She began to decline and couldn't even hold her head up. I found her flat out and drooling so we put her down. Yesterday, my last big laying age Dom girl was running but looked drunk. This morning she was stuck on her back behind a nesting box. She is eating and drinking but is slowly declining / staying the same. Legs stuck out to one side but no neck paralysis. Am I going to loose my remaining chickens??? I do have a pond that they eat baby frogs out of but the two little ones that died were not allowed to go outside and lived in a separate cage. I thought the little ones were vaccinated at a day old but I dont know about the big girls. Any advice? I have spent a fortune and a lot of time to be losing my whole flock.

 

[realsis]

I'm so sorry
These symptoms sound like Mareks disease. Especially the paralysis and un natural position of the legs. Please look up Mareks disease and see if the pictures are similar to your situation. Marek's is a highly contagious air born disease. Over 60% of in vaccinated birds will acquire Marek's. Sadly over 6% of vaccinated birds will STILL acquire this disease. Your best weapon against Marek's is knowledge. Read and study about this disease and it will be very helpful to you. This does NOT mean all your birds will become sick. But it DOES mean if its Marek's all the birds are considered carriers. Again it does not mean they will all become ill. I hope this is helpful and take a look at Marek's online and see if you agree that this is what the symptoms sound like.if it is Marek's there is still life with this disease and you can move forward from this point on. many people are dealing with Marek's on this forum.it does NOT mean your whole flock will become sick. Do some research on this and see if you agree its Marek's. I wish you the best and I'm so very sorry about the loss of your birds! I hope in some small way this post helps you out. Good luck to you and God bless.

 

[Mon27]

Thank you so much for your response!! I keep going back and forth. Her neck isn't paralyzed at all and she is still eating and drinking....and fighting me... like a champ. It is pretty exhausting to take care of her. Right now she is in a basket under a fan in the living room laying on a cool pack of alcohol LOL. I just cant put her down unless she gets worse. For now... same ole same old. No change. My boyfriend has told me he put out some ant poison on one little mound. He said it does resemble chicken food....do you have any experience with what the symptoms of ingestion would be?

 

[Mon27]

I have researched Botulism and Mareks till blue in the face... its just so hard to know for sure! I so feel for everyone else with a sick flock. This site is so comforting knowing I am not alone.

 

[seminolewind]

Although it sounds like it could be Marek's, none of mine had ever die that quickly. Usually it goes on for weeks or longer. I've read that botulism has the same symptoms, but they die pretty quickly. I would be searching their surroundings for something poisonous or toxic.

Could they have gotten heat stroke? If they are doing this in a pen and not wandering, it has to be something in their area or their food.

 

[Mon27]

Did you see my post about the ant poison?

 

[Mon27]

That wouldn't explain the babies though. I guess the deaths could be unrelated. My neighbor fed the little ones scratch on accident while I was gone and they were way too small for it and didn't have grit... maybe the answer for them. I just got done with chicken phys therapy and she isn't really paralyzed. she can move each leg very well. She cannot balance though or stand. She kicks them straight out then falls over. If I support her under a wing and push her forward her feet will fall one in front of the other. Without my help she just flails around. She is on minerals and penicillin just in case it is a deficiency or botulism but they have great food and lots of free range time. Someone needs to start a chicken detective travel team. )

 

[seminolewind]

Did you see my post about the ant poison?

No. Did they eat ant poison?

 

[Mon27]

I don't know. My boyfriend put some out so it is a possibility. She is still doing the same today. Eating a lot. Hardly drinking so I had to syringe some water in her mouth. Have her in a sling for about half the day now. Legs are pretty strong, just no balance. Still cant stand on her own.

 

[Mon27]

Well.... she made it!!! At first it was just being able to lay with her feet under her instead of flailing out to one side. Then it was hovering over her feet... now she is still a bit unstable but out with the others and got up on her perch tonight that is about 5 feet off the ground. I think a huge thing that helped was forcing about 15 cc of 1/4 whole milk, 3/4 water, and a heavy handed dash of poultry vitamins/electrolytes/probiotics every other day as well as at least 8 hrs a day in her sling. I put her in the sun every morning for 15 mins to help her get vit D. Prayer was probably the biggest factor! Hope this can help someone else. Thanks for all the suggestions.