Sudden Chick Death Syndrome??

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That.pharm.chick said:
So I got the feed from a local feed mill and it was bagged and then I move it to an air tight container. I thought medicated chick feed was bad for them?
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Any type of mold spores is not good..High Humidity spoils feed too...
 
Medicated feed is to ward off against coccidiosis, not Marek's which is an independent vaccination you can request from the hatchery prior to receiving your chicks. Diarrhea is the key symptom of coccidiosis. Do they have diarrhea? Mareks can develop in chicks as young as 3 weeks old. Could also be Avian Encephalomyelitis. You should send them out for a necropsy to examine their liver.
 
19157_mareksdisease.jpg
That.pharm.chick said:
I have 3 week old chicks that are barnyard mix and I started out with 10 and most of them just up and died tonight! They were all ok this morning when i fed them. When I came home from work, one was slumped in a corner and not with the other chicks. I picked him up and his feet were straight out like he was trying to stand tall. His balance was horrible and kept stumbling... The other one I found, well he wouldn't stand and his head was turned almost upside down... his feet were gripping my fingers like he was fighting, but his pupils had no response to light and his irises were gray... out of ten, 3 are doing ok and well. Any idea of what can this is to do to 3 week old chicks????
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Grey irises; possible Mareks
 
That.pharm.chick said:
So what causes that then? How do I prevent it? How do I treat the symptoms? Where did it come from? I don't know if I'm searching it wrong or I'm just so upset about losing my little chicks but everything I am reading is so vague on the how the infection starts with chicken eggs that came all the away from across the US. :caf:barnie
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Avian Encephalomyleitis is another virus and can be passed on from the mother through the eggs. If it is AE, you had infected chicks hatch, and they spread the virus to others that did not have it. The ones infected before hatch tend to develop some immunity and survive, but pass it to uninfected chicks who then have severe problems. I forget the mortality rate... something like 15%. No cure. Not sure if there is a vaccine.
When you picked up the dying chick, did you feel any tremors? almost like it was vibrating? That is how it is described in the Merck Vet Manual. Tremors are a hallmark of AE.

That.pharm.chick said:
They are too young to have the paralysis from marek's and the remaining chicks are doing ok. I did notice some dark brown droppings from someone but, they are all lively... except one she is just kind of sitting there snoozing while everyone else is just going on about their day.
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It depends on your reference source. According to Merck manual, they can get paralysis at 3 weeks. Like all viruses, Marek's is evolving constantly, and new strains are getting stronger and more lethal. The vaccines given during incubation at the hatcheries allow many to survive infection, but it does not kill the virus, so the surviving infected chickens become walking virus incubators and the Marek's grows stronger. This is a global problem.
I still think Marek's is a strong possibility. I would send the dead chicks in to be tested.
 

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