Starving chicken: a true mystery

[theoldchick]

These ADR patients will rip your guts out with trying so hard to get them well. Years ago, I had hen named Morse Code. She fell ill-loose stools, lack of appetite but willing to socialize with the flock. Basic medical care was performed and her radiographs revealed metal bits in her crop and intestines. Once removed, she was given chelation therapy followed by toxiban treatment. She was then given Bene-bac and allowed to resume her normal diet. She recovered but for some reason she liked metal. She was always pecking at the metal siding-as a chick she pecked at the cardboard wall hence her name, Morse Code.

Heavy metal toxicity poisoning is rather common in pet parrots as they are eating anything that will fit in their beaks. I'm not saying your bird has this problem but getting radiographs and bloodwork can tell you a lot and save you money in the long run.

My favorite way to help a chicken recover from possible yeast overload is to feed hand feeding formula for baby parrots (chickens love this stuff!) followed with Benebact.

I hope this helps.

 

[Candace Martini]

Unfortunately I just got news back from my very best pet hens necropsy who had the EXACT same symptoms yours had. I took her to the vet for the fecal float test on Thursday although that was no fun obtaining since her bowel movement was nothing but clear slightly bubbly liquid resembling water with what appeared to be green foragings. That took creativity since they told me I could not absorb it back up with cotton balls and it was mostly liquid. So I put her in an old parrot cage for the night and lined it with saran wrap, bunched it up and placed in a ziplock bag. It tested negative for coccidia and parasites (which includes worms) He said it had to be bacterial and put her on Baytril .01 ml (she's a 1 pound ematiated silkie since she has not been keeping anything down for long) I stayed up with her all night on Thursday making sure she was drinking plenty of fluids through the night because her level of diarrhea had quickly progressed. She was drinking a LOT but it was going through her twice as fast. So Friday morning I was back at the vets as soon as he opened. He upped the Baytril to 0.3 ml every day and said there was no chicken IV unfortunately and we just had to keep her hydrated long enough for the medication to work. On Friday night I stayed up yet another night (at this point I had not slept in 2 days) to make sure she'd drink but by midnight she was just holding her mouth open when I'd dip her beak in her dish so I quickly initiated tube feeding which I have done as a nurse on humans and as a chicken breeder for years. (Priscilla again was more like a chicken daughter than a regular chicken to me) After that feeding I fed her again throughout the next couple hours every 30 minutes with nutridrench and water. She passed in my arms at 2:18am Saturday morning. I held my baby in my arms and just told her I loved her. The hardest thing ever. Today I took her in for a necropsy. Now for a quick back story. 3 months ago my hen Lola had a big wound come up on her leg joint (where our knee would be) it looked necrotic (like dead black tissue) and since she was broody at the time, I noticed it when she stood up and walked over to eat one morning. I brought her in and after soaking it in epsom salt, debrided the tissue as well as I could with what I had, applied a load of triple antibiotic ointment on it, placed a nonstick telfa pad over that and wrapped with gauze roll and secured with vet wrap. I'd do this every other day. Well she lived about 2 months and then she passed last month before Christmas and so I also had a necropsy done on her because I want to know for sure why a bird dies so that I can prevent deaths in the future where possible and it's only $10 for private owners. So now back to Priscilla, I brought her in today to be tested and the vet came out to get her and saw who I was she said did you get the report I sent you Friday? (it was emailed and I had been busy with Priscilla) I said I had not because I had been dealing with the care of Priscilla and then grieving for her. She said that Lola had mareks. That had been a mareks tumor on her leg. Now before you say well my bird did not have that, neither did Priscilla. And before you say well my bird was immunized, Priscilla was also and I paid extra for it when we got her from cackle hatchery although Lola was not. We bought hatching eggs for Lola and didn't realize that it was necessary for a backyard flock. So today the necropsy was done. We do not have confirmation until the pathology comes back but it seems that Priscillas organs were enlarged and having multiple enlarged organs on necropsy is indicative of mareks. I asked how could this happen to her since she was vaccinated and she said that less than 1% can still get it while vaccinated. I asked what to do. She said to vaccinate ALL of my birds. From the youngest to the oldest regardless of age. So I have watched videos and ordered vaccine and from now on I will do just that. I never want to see another bird I love or that anyone else loves for that matter go through this. Once they have it, there is nothing that can be done. You can't cull it away. So my suggestion is to order vaccine and vaccinate ALL of your birds because your birds are worth it. It may be too late for the one who is sick but it may save lives of the others. I hope I am wrong but the symptoms are identical. My feed store don't carry it but many do. You can order it online and they'll ship in on ice. Very easy to do. Good luck and God bless.

Edited to add: Priscilla quit laying about 6 weeks before she passed.

 

[menotti]

Thanks folks. Going to administer the second dose of Miconazole now and put her to bed. She's not looking great. Hasn't drank today. Hoping it turns around.

 

[junebuggena]

Most people just don't realize that vaccines do not work the same way in poultry the way they do in mammals. The Marek's vaccine does not prevent contracting the illness. It just masks the symptoms and reduces the chances of a bird dying from it. Even worse, vaccinations have led to super strains that are even more deadly than the original.

 

[azygous]

Marek's is but one of many avian viruses, and most have no vaccine and no cure. I would say these viruses are the dreaded equivalent of cancer in humans, and many of them also cause tumors that can kill our chickens.

It's only been in the last couple of years that I've had the courage to participate on this forum, because the threads can be so terribly heartbreaking. However, I've learned that many times what appears to be a hopeless case will turn out to have a happy resolution.

I've had my share of serious illness in my own flock, and currently I'm dealing with one of the dreaded avian viruses that has infected every single one of my 23 chickens. No vaccine. No treatment. No way to get rid of it without killing every chicken.

But the happy reality is that chickens can develop resistance to many of these viruses and lead long, normal lives. The crucial factor is to know what you are dealing with, and the best way to do that is when a chicken gets sick and dies mysteriously, get a necropsy.

Many folks on this forum will claim they are too overwhelmed by grief to go through the process, but if you can muster up the courage to do it, it may make a huge difference in how healthy and happy your flock will be and it may mean less illness going into the future in spite of knowing your flock carries a deadly disease.

 

[Little Coop on Salt Creek]

Ok, here’s a question.. asking because I don’t know the answer. If we find one of our flock having something that is deadly to them, are the eggs they produce safe to eat?

 

[Little Coop on Salt Creek]

Marek's is but one of many avian viruses, and most have no vaccine and no cure. I would say these viruses are the dreaded equivalent of cancer in humans, and many of them also cause tumors that can kill our chickens.

It's only been in the last couple of years that I've had the courage to participate on this forum, because the threads can be so terribly heartbreaking. However, I've learned that many times what appears to be a hopeless case will turn out to have a happy resolution.

I've had my share of serious illness in my own flock, and currently I'm dealing with one of the dreaded avian viruses that has infected every single one of my 23 chickens. No vaccine. No treatment. No way to get rid of it without killing every chicken.

But the happy reality is that chickens can develop resistance to many of these viruses and lead long, normal lives. The crucial factor is to know what you are dealing with, and the best way to do that is when a chicken gets sick and dies mysteriously, get a necropsy.

Many folks on this forum will claim they are too overwhelmed by grief to go through the process, but if you can muster up the courage to do it, it may make a huge difference in how healthy and happy your flock will be and it may mean less illness going into the future in spite of knowing your flock carries a deadly disease.

Happy that you did start participating in this forum @azygous! I have learned so much from you and others who have been doing this so much longer than myself

 

[junebuggena]

Do you mean some sort of illness. Most deadly poultry illnesses are viral and not transferable to humans. Honestly, if a bird is seriously ill, they won't be laying.

 

[Little Coop on Salt Creek]

Do you mean some sort of illness. Most deadly poultry illnesses are viral and not transferable to humans. Honestly, if a bird is seriously ill, they won't be laying.

I know that some get cancers, some get viruses, some get other things.. for instance.. right now, I’m watching 2 hens closely. 1 of our EE’rs seems to be breathing loudly for at least a week now. Nothing else off with her except the breathing and some days not as bad as others. 1 of our Salmon Faverolle seems to have a pretty decent sized bald spot on her belly. Like the feathers all rubbed off. So, I just didn’t know if there was concern about eating eggs from our hens if we know they are ill. Knowing that they will not lay if in a truly bad way, is good to know.

 

[azygous]

Ok, here’s a question.. asking because I don’t know the answer. If we find one of our flock having something that is deadly to them, are the eggs they produce safe to eat?

If I understand what you're asking, the answer is it's perfectly okay to eat the eggs from a chicken that is carrying an avian virus. These viruses attach themselves to the cells of chickens only, and have no affinity to the cells of humans.

My chickens are healthy in every respect other than they all are carriers of the virus lymphotic leucosis. The hens not enjoying retirement, all lay eggs that I sell to customers who are aware of the virus but understand there is no danger from eating them.

By the way, some of my retired hens are happy, healthy hens in their seventh, eighth, ninth, and tenth year, living evidence that carrying an avian virus doesn't need to be a death sentence.