sick EE-cant walk properly, lost another last week PLEASE HELP

[Allieharmon]

I have a very sick EE 8 week old. I don't know what is wrong. I suspect Josephine is a rooster, but don't know for sure. She has been holding her tail crooked for about a week but was fine otherwise. My dog was super sick yesterday with a chicken bone stuck in her intestine and I didn't make it out to check on the chickens. When I went first thing this morning J was walking around like she was drunk. She couldn't walk a straight line if she had to. Her neck was crooked too. She eats and drinks like a champ. I gave her poly-vi-sol. This afternoon she had a lot of trouble getting up to walk, but could. I took her from the coop and put her in the garage. Has diarrhea. Have been treating the flock for coccidia-had one die last week and thought it was from cocci. Stood up all the time, feathers puffed out. Also had thick skin area under vent that would not feather in. Was scabby and very thick. Don't know if the two illnesses are related. They both had pasty butt as chicks and had the worst cases of cocci. Please help!! I don't have anyone nearby to give me advice or help. All my friends with chickens have had zero illness in flocks. I've researched everything I can think of and Marek's and worms stand out the most, but I'm new to this and NEED HELP PLEASE!

 

[Lacrystol]

Sounds like possibly Mareks but lets get more information before we determine, does she have flaky skin? When did you get her as a chick or just recently? If just recently, did you already have a flock? if so did you combine these news one with your current flock or did you keep them separated for at least a Month? If a chicken has a disease, moving them from one place to another will put the disease into overdrive, sort of speaking.. How long have you had her? Feel underneath her, you said she's eating but is she gaining weight? does she feel boney? Watch her legs, do they look like they are starting to split? Does it look like one is going out towards the front of her? You can tell this better once the chicken is laying down.. When she's laying down does she kind of lean to one side?

If worms they will drain and make the chicken very weak. I use Durvet Ivermectin Pour-On for Cattle, you give them two drops directly on the skin. It's blue and comes in a yellow container.

With the first one dying and this one staggering, I would say very possible it could be Mereks. the only way to be absolutely for sure is to take her and have her tested for it. I don't think a vet can do it themselves, I believe they usually take it to a lab to have it done. I know here we can take the chickens to the lab ourselves. Our place prefers the chickens alive and they will do the culling, however, you may want to check, your area because they may want them already culled. If it's merek's chances are you could end up with more chickens getting sick. Best bet is to keep the sick ones, that is as soon as they show signs, away from the rest. Of course this is NOT a guarantee protection. Once exposed, it's there for any and all to get... Your older chickens may never get sick because they could be carriers..

Hopefully you can get some worm medication, worm her and she'll be OK and not a case of Mereks. Praying for the best for you....

 

[Lazarus718]

How are your chicks kept? In what conditions do you raise them and in what condition were they raised? What do you feed them, how is their access to water? I believe these are all necessary questions before anyone can begin to determine what is taking place.

 

[Allieharmon]

Answers:
She does not have flaky skin.
I raised all 7 from chicks and haven't added anyone to the flock. I have had them all 8 weeks of their lives.
She does feel bony. Breast bone protrudes.
She does lay to one side but I have several that do that on occasion. Is that bad?
She does not seem to have split legs.

I raised 7 chicks in a brooder pen my husband and I built. It is 3 ft. wide, 6 ft. long and 2 ft. tall.
We used pine shaving bedding. (I'm very allergic to hay.)
I change their water every single day.
In the run they are now in (brand new) 6 8 wk old chicks have 2 1 gallon waterers. Still changed every single day.
They are still on Purina's Start and Grow medicated chick feed.
I keep them in clean conditions and they sleep in the coop at night.
While they were in the brooder pen and were 5 weeks old they got coccidia. The one who died and the one who is sick had it the worst. They were also the only ones with pasty butt as chicks.
Sick chick still has bad looking poop. She is in a large Rubbermaid container and is on towels that I am changing every day. Some poop is normal, some looks like this:








Thanks for your questions. I will happily answer many more to help my chicken!
allie

 

[Lacrystol]

Answers:
She does not have flaky skin. THAT'S GOOD ALTHOUGH IT COULD STILL BE EARLY..
I raised all 7 from chicks and haven't added anyone to the flock. I have had them all 8 weeks of their lives. GOOD...
She does feel bony. Breast bone protrudes. NOT A GOOD SIGN....
She does lay to one side but I have several that do that on occasion. Is that bad? DEPENDS, SOME DO IT TO COOL DOWN SOME DO IT TO TAKE DIRT BATHS SOME DO IT BECAUSE OF AN INJURY COULD BE SEVERAL ISSUES TO CAUSE THAT..
She does not seem to have split legs. GOOD HOWEVER IT COULD STILL BE EARLY..

I raised 7 chicks in a brooder pen my husband and I built. It is 3 ft. wide, 6 ft. long and 2 ft. tall.
We used pine shaving bedding. (I'm very allergic to hay.) I USE STRAW.
I change their water every single day. GOOD, DO YOU THROUGHLY CLEAN IT?
In the run they are now in (brand new) 6 8 wk old chicks have 2 1 gallon waterers. Still changed every single day. COOL...
They are still on Purina's Start and Grow medicated chick feed. OK
I keep them in clean conditions and they sleep in the coop at night. OK
While they were in the brooder pen and were 5 weeks old they got coccidia. The one who died and the one who is sick had it the worst. They were also the only ones with pasty butt as chicks. YOU COULD TRY USING OATS TO SOLID UP THE PASTY BUTTS.
Sick chick still has bad looking poop. She is in a large Rubbermaid container and is on towels that I am changing every day. Some poop is normal, some looks like this:







Thanks for your questions. I will happily answer many more to help my chicken!
allie

http://chat.allotment.org.uk/index.php?topic=17568.0 CHECK OUT THIS SITE FOR DIFFERENT TYPES OF POOPS. THE ONE PICTURE LOOKS THE SAME AS YOU AND IT SAY'S POSSIBLE KIDNEY PROBLEMS.

 

[Lacrystol]

crooked neck could be a sign of ear infection, west niles or she got pecked really hard in the head. I would give some Vitamin E on top the of the Polyvisol as well... Infections I use tylan the injectable kind..

 

[Allieharmon]

I rinse the waterers every day and clean them with my fingers. I wash them with soap and water once a week. Is this enough?
I wonder if straw and hay would do the same thing to me. I'm pretty sure it does. Any other suggestions for bedding?
I am giving vitamin E with the poly-vi-sol. Do you know correct amount of each to give?
Today she is walking in a straight line but it takes more effort and her feet come down heavy. Her eyes are bright and she is chirpy. I'm going to take away her food tonight to make sure her crop empties. The last chick that died had sour crop *I think* as well as whatever killed her. I want to make sure that doesn't happen to Josie.

 

[Lacrystol]

I rinse the waterers every day and clean them with my fingers. I wash them with soap and water once a week. Is this enough?
I wonder if straw and hay would do the same thing to me. I'm pretty sure it does. Any other suggestions for bedding?
I am giving vitamin E with the poly-vi-sol. Do you know correct amount of each to give?
Today she is walking in a straight line but it takes more effort and her feet come down heavy. Her eyes are bright and she is chirpy. I'm going to take away her food tonight to make sure her crop empties. The last chick that died had sour crop *I think* as well as whatever killed her. I want to make sure that doesn't happen to Josie.

Well I can tell you hay is REALLY bad, I was doing the hay thing and my chickens would eat anything green out of it. Of course, I had lost a chicken because of it, they can't digest hay, very valueable lesson for me.. The Vitamin E give a whole pill and polyvisol depending on how old, baby chicks get a couple of drops but older ones I would do a 1/2 of a dropper. Add some original oat meal oats to her food see if that don't help solid things up.

 

[Suzierd]

Lacrystol what do you use in your coop instead of hay?

 

[Lacrystol]

Lacrystol what do you use in your coop instead of hay?

I use straw now, it doesn't have the attractive green color in it, I think my chickens thought they were getting grass when I put the hay in there neating boxes. Very bad lesson for me... He was my only lavender that eat it and died. Horrible experience for me because it was tottally something that could have been avoided..