Symptoms of Merricks?

[missalyshaann]

Hi there, can anyone tell me what the symptoms of Merricks are?
I had six 2 week old chicks and recently lost 2 of them with no idea why?! Poops looked normal.. and their behavior was good as well. I check on them every morning and as soon as i get home after work. I came home to find one dead and the following day the next one was laying down eyes closed but still breathing.. she wouldnt eat or drink and would move her head around awkwardly. She would also try and stand up or kick around but she was very weak and uncoordinated, she didnt last long after i found her.

My remaining 4 chicks seem fine with possibly more aggressive behavior towards eachother (pecking whatever the other chick is pecking.. fighting over food and even water)
Can anyone tell me if Merricks could have taken my chicks?
The breeder told me they were vaccinated and also told me they may have died if they were too warm in the brooder (as they may sweat and catch a cold) But i think it is something else!

Have been thinking it may be cocci, although the food is medicated and havent seen any blood in the poos...(at least im not sure) I have posted a picture on my other account under Emergencies if you want to have a look at the poop. (missalysha - Blood in poop!)
I have been giving them yoghurt mash as of yesterday and ACV water too!

Help! What else can i do? I dont know if i should treat them for something im not sure they have..

Thank-you!

 

[threehorses]

Mareks sounds unlikely as the incubation period is longer

Can you link your other post? I can't seem to find it. And I'm confused - your chicks are or aren't showing any blood in any of their poop including the two you lost?

What feed (exactly -brand, type, texture) are you feeding them? What temperature is their brooder? Where is it located - in other words is it inside where temps don't fluctuate, or outside where they do? Anything in their water? What's the substrate of the brooder (flooring)?

Have you picked them all up to make sure they're all eating and not getting pushed away from the feeder? Can you completely describe their usual poops?

In the brooder, where do they stand in relationship to their heat source - near but not clustered, near but clustered, under but clustered, far away from it?

Incidentally chickens don't sweat and catch a cold. They will get too hot and die, or get too cool and die.

have you seen all the rest of the chicks for sure eat and drink a lot? Is your starter crumble very very fresh smelling? Are you keeping it in a closed dark container? Or bag?

Do you feed them anything other than the crumbles with some yogurt? The ACV water - at what rate? Are you doing it to treat something? Is the food for sure only medicated with amprolium? Not bacitracin?

And yes, for the most part you should not treat unless it's likely they ahve something. In other words, I wouldn't give them a random antibiotic right now even if the feedstore guys says to. Or that breeder who said chickens sweat and catch colds.

If you can please answer each of the above questions, it'll help us all help you more accurately so that we are less likely to make mistakes.

thanks! I'm so sorry for your losses.

By the way, here's a good site on Mareks - simple with a pretty textbook picture of what mareks looks like.
http://animalscience.ucdavis.edu/Avian/mareks2.pdf

 

[missalyshaann]

Well, I dont think the chicks have blood in their poop... the two i lost had no symptoms and there seemed to be no reason for their death. I am trying to find a reason and thats why i posted a picture of poop from yesterday that i though MAY be blood but im thinking it is just dried dark brown. The reason i dont think they have cocci is because i would of thought it would be quite clear... but i have watched them all drink plenty of water and eat plenty of food each and watch out for whos poop is whos, and have found that it comes out a slightly runny orangey color. I will post a pic as soon as i get home of that poop. Then other poops are a brown/grey more solid color.

What do chicks act like when they get too hot and die? Because i wouldnt imagine them acting as if they have a disease, but i am no expert!

The starter crumble smells fresh to me and i keep it in the original bag it came in and just seal the opening with a clip.
I have been only feeding them starter crumbles until yesterday when i gave them yohurt + starter crumble mash (which they LOVED!) I also put 1 tsp of ACV in their drinking water to help with digestion (and buy me time) to figure out what is wrong and how i can fix it.. i thought if it was cocci this would help until i could get the medication today.

The brooder is inside, its a box with paper towel flooring (was using shredded paper) but i am switching to pine shavings today. They would normally be away from the heat source but seemed happy enough to stand under as well... i then lowered the temp and now they cluster comfortably under the heat source at night but stroll around during the day. (its winter here in australia so its quite cold inside and out!)

As for the food i will have to check on that more in detail as the bags i buy are from a bulk farming shop and they only sell massive bags with the ingredients on the packaging.. they also sell the same feed in 5kg bags that they have rationed for public to buy. I rang the other day and asked them to rattle off the ingredients on the main package but i am going to go in myself and check and write them down.
Is Bacitracin harmful?

I dont want to treat them for something but i am worried i will loose them all if i dont act quickly and figure out what is wrong!

Im hoping the youghurt does the trick. When i go home today im thinking of giving them mulitvitamins, would you reccomend that? or should i give them sugar water?

thanks for your help! and i will be sure to get back with the rest of the facts..

Picture of poop from yesterday.. only seen 2 poops like this one.

 

[missalyshaann]

Does it look like blood to anyone? Is it possible one of my chicks had cocci and to treat that one seperatley?

 

[threehorses]

For some reason I missed the second post with the picture until now. What are the chicks currently doing? Are just a couple of poops like the one you attached, or are they like that more than occassionally? Have you lost any more?

Did the yogurt help with anything yet?

I'm waiting to answer on the vitamins, etc, for this post. I'm so sorry I missed your reply. I guess my "subscribe" didn't catch.

 

[missalyshaann]

They loved the yoghurt and the acv water and i think they are doing great! Growing everyday with more and more feathers!

I have only seen a few of these poops and i am now sure there is no blood.. i think i would of lost at least another one if they were sick. But i am still confused why my other too died... im thinking it might have been something genetic as the two i lost were of the same breed and my other 3 breeds are doing great!

Thanks for your help.

 

[threehorses]

It could be genetic, it could be that particular line of breeding - their parents coming from weaker parents, etc. Or it could be nutritional. There are SO many nutritional things that happen to young chicks that would look like Mareks but aren't. It's really usually nearly impossible for a non-vet to tell, or to tell without a necropsy/histo.

I'm glad to hear that they're doing very well! Keep up the great work, and let us know if you need anything else, please.