Silkie thread!

I just remembered, I read that Mareks incubation period is 4-12 weeks, so if my friend's chickens just came 3 weeks ago, that wouldn't be enough time for mareks to incubate. correct? and the silkies started showing symptoms only about 1 1/2 weeks after the new silkies.
 
Don't have all the options but I made this
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Wow, forget the border, what a dolly this one is..what is this beauty? Such a sweet face!
 
I just remembered, I read that Mareks incubation period is 4-12 weeks, so if my friend's chickens just came 3 weeks ago, that wouldn't be enough time for mareks to incubate. correct? and the silkies started showing symptoms only about 1 1/2 weeks after the new silkies.
I have lost a few of my birds with no sign of illness, started with ruffled feathers, lethargic, then not able to walk and then just passed on, a couple quicker then others, the only thing I could come up with was something that they had eaten like algae poisoning, mold, I never gave it a thought but after I gave it some research all the symptoms came back to poisoning and we had so much rain, I had tires sitting out to go on my truck with water in them when I noticed a couple chickens drinking out of them. I started looking around outside only to realize that my grandaughters outside toys had water setting in them and several other things that had small amounts , so now I have been extra carefull watching for sitting water or anything that they may have gotten into.
 
get some electrolytes in them and probiotics. If their poop is normal looking I wouldn't go deworming them because it will mess with their digestive tract. Give them some sugar or unpasteurized apple cider vinegar in their water, and as soon as possible go get some electrolytes at the feed store. This is only for the meantime until you can get someone out to check on them. It is usually free to have them tested.
 
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I am new to chickens. I hatched my first group the first week of August. Two of mine are sick too. I found my roo laying on the ground with not much life in him this morning. He was still alive tonight. I separated him, but he did not look any better tonight. I only have one silkie and he usually snuggles with her on the floor as all the rest are LF and roost. I went out to check on her tonight and bring her in because temp will be in the teens tonight...and she has lost her snuggle buddy. Well, she was laying in an odd spot for her. When I pick her up, she seemed fairly lethargic too.

It just seems like it came out of no where. Mine are in the coop pretty much all the time. I am worried about what I Am going to find tomorrow....will the rest get sick... And will these two pull out of it?

Ugh.

I am sorry about your sick chickens. It seems similar to mine. I will take all the advice that I can get!
 
I am new to chickens. I hatched my first group the first week of August. Two of mine are sick too. I found my roo laying on the ground with not much life in him this morning. He was still alive tonight. I separated him, but he did not look any better tonight. I only have one silkie and he usually snuggles with her on the floor as all the rest are LF and roost. I went out to check on her tonight and bring her in because temp will be in the teens tonight...and she has lost her snuggle buddy. Well, she was laying in an odd spot for her. When I pick her up, she seemed fairly lethargic too.
It just seems like it came out of no where. Mine are in the coop pretty much all the time. I am worried about what I Am going to find tomorrow....will the rest get sick... And will these two pull out of it?
Ugh.
I am sorry about your sick chickens. It seems similar to mine. I will take all the advice that I can get!
Post a new thread on the emergency forum with all their symptoms and you may get better help.
 
should I give worming a try anyways?

If your worried about worming you could always take a poop sample in to a vet and have it checked. Worms certainly can make chickens waste away I think it's worth checking. I really feel bad that your going thru this, I just can't imagine. Sending hugs and prayers your way.
 
Guys, my silkie passed in the night :( I dont' know what is going on. I have a sick LF too. you might remember some of the story about it, here is what I posted in emergencys/diseases forum bc I dont' feel like typing it out again. I just don't know what was actually wrong wtih my silkie. I'm thinking it wasn't cocci, but what?? he lost weight but didn't have any other symptoms and his crop was empty last time I lifted him.


I have 2 coops, one with silkies, one with large fowl.

I took my friends chickens a few weeks back, I know the chickens well and I've observed them over the months and they were healthy so I didn't quarantine them. One of the silkies started with cocci after about a week. I've battled with it myself with the silkies since getting them. The same one kept getting it. Well, I figured the new silkies had to get used to different strains of the cocci because it was a different soil they were on. I treated them and separated them and they are fine. Meanwhile, one of my current silkies started acting funny. She/he was just puffing up and acting lethargic. So I thougth maybe he/she had cocci also and I started just treating them all. He/she felt really light and didn't seem to have a full crop ever. I don't know what the deal was. I thought everything was fine since they were all acting ok until I just went out to get their water to change it and he is dead. :(

Meanwhile, in my LF coop last week one of my dominiques jumped down from the eaves and broke her leg. She's been hopping around. Everyone else is doing great. Until this morning, I just went out there and my other dominique is laying on the floor twitching like. barely moving at all. I have no idea what is going on. I've never had any issues in the 3 1/2 years that I've owned chickens. I didn't think anything was wrong with her, but now that I think back, her comb wasn't bright red, but I just choked that up to her not laying eggs right now or something. I guess she wasn't feeling good.

Is there anything I should/can do? I honestly have no idea what is going on. And I haven't noticed any general symptoms either. She was acting fine, I didn't see her puffing up or anything.

I really just want to cry right now. Melon was my favorite chicken. SHe was SO sweet. She was hatched in March I think.

ETA: the dominique, Melon, when I locked them up last night she was roosting with the others in the eaves. I need to figure out a way to block that off, but haven't had the chance yet.
A bird that can sort-of fly such as a dominique should not break her leg ju,ping down from the roost. It is too high. Or else there is some other problem. The broken leg needs to have been set. Probably too late at this point.

Melon may have had a similar fall and not faired as well, or it could be something else.

Puffing up and acting lethargic could be cocci, or it could be another ailment. Birds do not normally have continued bouts of cocci. Sounds like either it was something else, or the original case was never adequately treated. If one course of meds is insufficient, you need to change to a different med.

At this point, I HIGHLY recommend that you take your ill birds to a vet.
 
Sheeshshe- have you tried a broad spectrum antibiotic? There are viruses out there that can do the dangdest things to chickens. Wild birds will carry who knows what in and all it takes is that one with the funny mutation of whatever to completely stump everyone. Or one or two birds in your flock who are particularly vulnerable for whatever reason. Had that happen to my polish. She refused to eat and got this neurotic tic where she'd rub her face on the floor for hours. He comb started bleeding she was rubbing so much. She couldn't walk either. We treated her and hand fed her baby bird food for a week and she improved but the brain damage was permanent and we ended up having to put her down. Vet never did figure out what it was. And it was an avian specialist too, so...
Antibiotics do NOTHING for virus caused illnesses; they are effective ONLY against bacteria!
 

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