Sudden sick bird--neurological?

[jajeanpierre]

Last night when I went to put my young birds away (15 or 16 week old LF Ameraucanas), I found one flattened out and trampled. I thought he was dead. I brought him in the house and noticed he had yellow urates stuck to his fluff indicating liver issues and I don't know what else. I tubed water and electrolytes into him, put him in a covered crate and expected to wake up to a dead bird.

Surprisingly, he was much better. I tubed him with electrolytess throughout the day (it was in the 90s today) and put him in a small show cage on grass in the shade. I also gave him some live meal worms which he ate, but not with any gusto.

When I had him on my office floor feeding him the meal worms, I noticed he was having a lot of trouble balancing. If he rocks back on his heels, his toes would come up. He's having a heck of a time maintaining his balance walking. His wings are dragging on the ground.

He was in a covered pen, and none of the other chicks are affected so far.

These chicks were vaccinated for Mareks before I put them outside, but it was the first time I've vaccinated and I might have missed one or two.

The strange thing is that I have a year old hen who is walking the same way. She has an excuse in that she is being treated for bumblefoot and is wearing thick foam shoes with cut outs to relievve any pressure on her foot with lots of vet wrap. I still think she is having issues walking. I think she should be able to balance on the hooves I made her but she and this chick move so similarly, it is surprising. She has never been vaccinated for Mareks.

The feed is the same bag they have been getting for a few weeks.

I'll bring the chick in the house again and support him with fluids and electrolytes. I'll also feed him love meal worms. I'm not sure he has eaten any of the feed.

Thoughts? Thanks.

 

[seminolewind]

Marek's is a possibility. Especially since 2 may be showing the same symptoms.
Vaccinating seems easy, but I think it's kindof hard to know if they got a dose, and whether the vaccine had been able to get warm from when it was manufactured. See if they'll eat a wet mash made with the feed.

 

[chickengeorgeto]

I agree with the above poster.

 

[jajeanpierre]

I really expected the young cockerel to die, but he is on the mend. He is on his feet and appears normal. He was eating on his own today. I did tube some fluids to him in the morning before I put him out in the cage on top of grass. I'll band him tomorrow to make sure I can identify him and put him back with his group of eleven others.

The bumble foot hen is a bit steadier on her feet. Her feet are a MESS. I have put little platform foam shoes on her with the center cut out so there is no pressure on her foot. I've consulted with an avian vet and I think she is on the mend. I have been feeding her wet mash with boiled egg and shell, plus live meal worms. She's on grass in the day. I don't know if her shoes are what are making her unsteady on her feet or if there is some illness going on.

Could Mareks cause some balance problems that resolve in a few days?

Thanks for any advice.

 

[seminolewind]

Marek's has no rules. I've had one get paralysis, recover and get it again a week later. I've had one that was vaccinated twice have paralysis and I felt so bad, I had her in my bedroom for 6 weeks, but she learned to walk again and is 2 years old now.

There are illnesses that can cause paralysis or transient paralysis, such as botulism, other bad food or mold, and a B vitamin deficiency. So it would be possible . I would still go thru all the possibilities before I get more positive it's Marek's. There's also injury.

 

[jajeanpierre]

The bird seems to have recovered. I've put bands on his legs so I can identify him and will keep monitoring him. I have put him in with the other same-age chicks and he is doing well. I really have no idea what his problem was, but supporting him with fluids, electrolytes and added warmth seemed to work. I'm surprised he survived. I'll keep an eye on him. Thanks for all your suggestions.

 

[seminolewind]

I'm really happy for you and him!

 

[LoneStarHen]

I have a three year old rooster who had similar symptoms. He was always bottom of the pecking order. I had him in a coop with two hens separate from the flock.

One day another rooster got out while I had him free ranging and attacked him. A few days later he started having trouble walking. I figured he was injured from being attacked. Over the next few days he kept looking like he had a neurologic problem. Droopy wings, unable to walk or stand, odd breathing.

I put him in isolation, expecting to cull him. He was eating and drinking enthusiastically, so he kept getting one more day. Then I started putting him out in a temporary pen. He started getting better. A month later he's walking, standing, crowing... He is almost normal. He still has some weakness in his legs and wings, but the improvement is amazing.

When he got sick I grabbed all the eggs I could for a few days from his hens. I hatched 15 healthy chicks.

I was worried he had Marek's, but I'm not sure. No one else has had any issues or illness.

 

[jajeanpierre]

I have a three year old rooster who had similar symptoms. He was always bottom of the pecking order. I had him in a coop with two hens separate from the flock.

One day another rooster got out while I had him free ranging and attacked him. A few days later he started having trouble walking. I figured he was injured from being attacked. Over the next few days he kept looking like he had a neurologic problem. Droopy wings, unable to walk or stand, odd breathing.

I put him in isolation, expecting to cull him. He was eating and drinking enthusiastically, so he kept getting one more day. Then I started putting him out in a temporary pen. He started getting better. A month later he's walking, standing, crowing... He is almost normal. He still has some weakness in his legs and wings, but the improvement is amazing.

When he got sick I grabbed all the eggs I could for a few days from his hens. I hatched 15 healthy chicks.

I was worried he had Marek's, but I'm not sure. No one else has had any issues or illness.

Thanks, LoneStarHen. You must be in Texas--so am I. I'm just north of San Antonio.

I put the chick (3.5 months old) out of the pen on the grass to see how his coordination was and he was fine, although I could walk right up to him and pick him up, which is NOT normal. My chicks are wild things.

I haven't noticed any greenish yellow urates, but it might be that because it isn't stuck on the fluff of his bottom so I don't notice it.

The hen I suspected of having the same sort of issues is also walking better although she just lies around on the grass, with her wings out. She uses her wings to help her move around, both for lift by flapping and as two more legs. Her problems might be simply that I have put on thick foam shoes on both her feet that are about two inches in diameter with the centers cut out to keep the pressure off the sole of her foot because of her really bad bumble foot. Then I wrapped the whole thing, foot and shoe, in vet wrap to keep it clean. However, I don't think she should be so crippled. It is funny you mention that your rooster had breathing issues because I thought she did, too. I attributed her panting to the heat and perhaps the stress from pain to her feet, but I still thought it excessive. I had noticed some greenish/yellow urates some time before before, so I am not so sure she doesn't have the same thing.

I, too, collected all her eggs and put them under a couple of broody hens. I'll candle them in a few days and see if they are viable.

Thanks for sharing your experiences.

 

[LoneStarHen]

I am south of Houston.

My roo continues to improve. He has lost some weight during all of this. His keel bone is very prominent right now. I have him on some starter crumbles and he has been getting some boiled eggs.

He is walking now, his wings are less droopy and he doesn't seem to need to use his wings to support himself. That being said, he is still fairly unsteady on his feet. I put him in back in his coop today with his hens - everyone was happy to see each other. He went right back to acting like their rooster - cackling to them over the feeder and crowing. Geesh - he was crowing at 2 AM from his crate that was right outside our room.

I don't know what he had - I worry about Marek's and that he could potentially be a carrier, but I'm not sure. The only symptoms he had were lameness, ataxia, and weight loss. He never had true paralysis, iris changes, poop problems, etc. He only really went "off his feed" for a few days. Once I put him into an isolation crate where he couldn't really try to walk around and he had to have cage rest - he started eating and drinking very well. I did give him some sulmet when I was treating some chicks for coccidia. I was worried about his kidney function with the sulmet - but I figured it was like my hail mary at the time - I was sure he wasn't going to make it.