Hello, sorry for the weird title.
The issue in question happened to one pullet of a "meat" flock. the girl was about 5 months old. Of the flock we've already taken out all the boys one month ago, now only the girls I have left. Of that flock, two boys got sick with something that very likely looked like marek. Paralysis of the legs, neck. One i managed to kill before it died, the other one died. The one that died, seems to have died of a heart attack. He had one leg muscle much, much smaller the other. The breed is mixed not cornish, not rangers just regular chickens. They are housed in a chicken tractor on pasture, which now is very dry and not very much grass. All disease started in the paddock where they are right now.
On the same paddock, there is another tractor with laying hens (divided by a net panel).
There, one of my 2 years old laying hens died a week ago. Heart failure. I did figure she was just overweight, and died. No abnormalities inside.
Going back to the pullet. She started being sit most of the time about 2 or 3 weeks ago, but when I approach she could limp away, and her legs were responsive, so I just let her be, put her some feed where she could reach it. Yesterday, i saw her being like drowsy, i figured maybe the cooler temp. That day she didnt want to eat anything.
I grabbed a box, put some straw in it and brought her inside. After being inside for a while she opened her eyes and seemed a bit more responsive, altough sleeping most of the time, She kept panting like it was hot. at one point in the evening i heard a bang, the pullet flipped the box and was on the ground, she had like an epileptic seizure and died right there.
All i could do is drain the blood immediately and not let her go to waste. during butchering, I noticed the following.
One leg was significantly smaller than the other, like one of the boys that died, but much more so.
The hearth was very small, and one lung was also very small (probably explaining also the panting).
I am puzzled if that could STILL be Marek. All the chickens that got infected with this , like EVER, were 100% boys.
I did read this muscle distophy can be caused by vitamin E/selenium deficiency, but if that were from the feed, I would have a lot more dead chickens.
Any thoughts?
The issue in question happened to one pullet of a "meat" flock. the girl was about 5 months old. Of the flock we've already taken out all the boys one month ago, now only the girls I have left. Of that flock, two boys got sick with something that very likely looked like marek. Paralysis of the legs, neck. One i managed to kill before it died, the other one died. The one that died, seems to have died of a heart attack. He had one leg muscle much, much smaller the other. The breed is mixed not cornish, not rangers just regular chickens. They are housed in a chicken tractor on pasture, which now is very dry and not very much grass. All disease started in the paddock where they are right now.
On the same paddock, there is another tractor with laying hens (divided by a net panel).
There, one of my 2 years old laying hens died a week ago. Heart failure. I did figure she was just overweight, and died. No abnormalities inside.
Going back to the pullet. She started being sit most of the time about 2 or 3 weeks ago, but when I approach she could limp away, and her legs were responsive, so I just let her be, put her some feed where she could reach it. Yesterday, i saw her being like drowsy, i figured maybe the cooler temp. That day she didnt want to eat anything.
I grabbed a box, put some straw in it and brought her inside. After being inside for a while she opened her eyes and seemed a bit more responsive, altough sleeping most of the time, She kept panting like it was hot. at one point in the evening i heard a bang, the pullet flipped the box and was on the ground, she had like an epileptic seizure and died right there.
All i could do is drain the blood immediately and not let her go to waste. during butchering, I noticed the following.
One leg was significantly smaller than the other, like one of the boys that died, but much more so.
The hearth was very small, and one lung was also very small (probably explaining also the panting).
I am puzzled if that could STILL be Marek. All the chickens that got infected with this , like EVER, were 100% boys.
I did read this muscle distophy can be caused by vitamin E/selenium deficiency, but if that were from the feed, I would have a lot more dead chickens.
Any thoughts?
under mysterious medical circumstances. Sorry for all the losses you're having to deal with. Hopefully someone will reply that can tell you something useful. Not me on this one. Good feed high in protein is definitely important when they're growing & developing, gamebird starter & poultry booster vitamin crumbles & brewer's yeast are a must in my opinion for my young'uns.
