uh oh....... I have a problem in my flock that I could use some true experts weighing in on
, not just wild guesses by newbies
.
About 3 days ago, I noticed one of my adolescent Ameraucanas stumbling and having serious difficulty walking or standing. I figured it got stung by a scorpion and would recover soon enough, so I separated it from the rest of the flock because it was getting trampled on. The next day I had two more birds exhibiting the same symptoms, and then today yet another two, for a total of five birds! 3 of the 5 are pure Ameraucana, the other two are a cross of Ameraucana & bantam Cochin. To me, it seems highly unlikely all 5 of these birds were stung by scorpions within days of each other, so I'm at a loss for how to explain this. They are acting semi paralyzed, but are eating and drinking and seem to be otherwise healthy except for the fact that they cant walk or even stand up very well! BTW, if it matters, none of these birds are adults, they are aged between 3 and 5 months. What's going on here?????
ALL of the affected birds have at least some Ameraucana in them, however there are 3 different roos involved and at least 4 different hens. Separate coops, bloodlines & all. These birds were bred here on my property.
Percentage of total flock affected = 5 birds out of 2 hundred or so. I have coops of Bantam Cochins mere feet away, and those birds arent exhibiting any issues.
Please advise. I've had chickens for many years, and never had to deal with anything like this before.
About 3 days ago, I noticed one of my adolescent Ameraucanas stumbling and having serious difficulty walking or standing. I figured it got stung by a scorpion and would recover soon enough, so I separated it from the rest of the flock because it was getting trampled on. The next day I had two more birds exhibiting the same symptoms, and then today yet another two, for a total of five birds! 3 of the 5 are pure Ameraucana, the other two are a cross of Ameraucana & bantam Cochin. To me, it seems highly unlikely all 5 of these birds were stung by scorpions within days of each other, so I'm at a loss for how to explain this. They are acting semi paralyzed, but are eating and drinking and seem to be otherwise healthy except for the fact that they cant walk or even stand up very well! BTW, if it matters, none of these birds are adults, they are aged between 3 and 5 months. What's going on here?????
ALL of the affected birds have at least some Ameraucana in them, however there are 3 different roos involved and at least 4 different hens. Separate coops, bloodlines & all. These birds were bred here on my property.
Percentage of total flock affected = 5 birds out of 2 hundred or so. I have coops of Bantam Cochins mere feet away, and those birds arent exhibiting any issues.
Please advise. I've had chickens for many years, and never had to deal with anything like this before.
