Uncoordinated, falling over, unable to walk.....botulism?!

[cackleberrylinda]

Thank you Mama...Hmmm, haven't called anyone that but good old Ma... It sure gets to you when your little feathered friends are ailing. I so much want to keep working with chickens and to have this crud happen sure is the poops, and I do mean the bloody kind. I worry now that my whole five acres is contaminated and I have a lot of wild life living in my beaver pond. Well, I can only do so much. do you think putting their bedding (Pine Shavings) in a compost bed and covering it with black plastic for a year will kill it? Or should I send it to the dump?

 

[MotherJean]

I got the impression from your post that you're going to treat for Coccidiosis. If that's your flock's only problem, you needn't be overly concerned about disposal of soild litter and droppings beyond your normal way of managing such things. Is there something else going on with your birds aside from Cocci?

 

[cackleberrylinda]

No, all my older girls are fine aside from the fact that they like to eat their eggs. It's a race every day for me to get to them before they do. but as far as disease goes, I think that's it. And hey, that is quite enough for me. I'm not entirely sure it is cocci. Just from all the descriptions that seems the most likely. I haven't had to deal with chicken diseases in the past. Except for maybe a retained egg or two. This is very disheartening. But I will pluck on. Cluck on???

 

[cindersga]

Since my 2 month old Silkie is experiencing Wry Neck I am now adding the Poly Vi Sol children's vitamins, Vitamins & Electrolytes, Vitamin E, and Selinium to all their water supply. If he/she has a vitamin deficiency then the rest of them may. I don't think it would hurt them to give it to them. Hope yours gets better.

 

[HerFlock]

Mine have done the same thing! It is so weird! For a few days my hens are not able to stand or walk, they act fine otherwise, and out of nowhere, they are fine again! Does Marek's make them permanently paralyzed or only temporary?

Only difference is that a "sneezing fit" and diarrhea has been spreading through the flock as well. It seems to only affect one chicken at a time (we have over 40). What could this be!? Am I dealing with one thing or several?

 

[keesie]

Has anyone come to any conclusions about the lack of coordination, mysterious falling over, not able to walk symptoms. I had a Rhode Island Red who was no more than three years old who started presenting these symptoms. I would find her in different locations at feeding times so she somehow could get from point A to Point B. But then that minimal movement stopped and she died a week later, which was just last week. Now I have a white hen (don't know the breed) who is uncoordinated, lying on her side and falling over. I have a very small portable coop that I've moved her to but it's where the RIR first started hanging out and it's where she died. Any ideas? Should I take her to a vet? I would appreciate any help!!

 

[darrelljudy]

one of my monthold chicks can't hold it's head up and falls backwards. we put it to sleep but I would really like to know what it was, and cause and prevention. anyone got any ideas??

 

[keesie]

one of my monthold chicks can't hold it's head up and falls backwards. we put it to sleep but I would really like to know what it was, and cause and prevention. anyone got any ideas??

I'm not sure if this reply is going to post bc I'm not sure how to do this. In any event, after I posted my post above, the white hen had to be put down. The I had a small chick in a brooder with 20 other chicks who started falling over and couldn't get up. We put her down right away bc I had been doing lots of research into the cause of these symptoms. I couldn't figure out what was going on and worried that it was Mareks. About a week later, another chick started showing the same symptoms. I removed her from the brooder and, based on all of my research and talking to other chicken owners (none of whom knew what could be causing this). I started feeding her oatmeal, scrambled eggs, cooked using coconut oil, and mixed into it electrolytes, vitamins, vitamin B, Drench, and Tumeric. She got better in about a week and was doing so well, I put her back in the brooder with her sisters. About a week after that, she relapsed with the same symptoms. Since then, I have separated her again and have been feeding her the oatmeal mixture with chicken cien feed crumbles. I have also been giving her "hydrotherapy" in the bathtub. For the last three days, this chick (now a pullet) has been showing signs of improvement. She is able to balance and stand as well as taking a few steps at a time. (I have her in a dog kennel in the house and clean up after her several times a day.) I keep wondering if whatever is causing this is a permanent disability. I've thought several times of putting her down but, I swear, every time I start thinking seriously about putting her down, she shows more improvement. This whole time, she has shown improvement, then her recovery levels out or relapses some. I've been watching her carefully for the past two days bc she has shown more recovery. But I do wonder if I have a permanently disabled chicken and I wonder how long I should keep treating her bc I just can't have a disabled chicken in my house who needs such special care forever. I haven't had any other chickens come down with this, and I'm fairly certain this isn't Marek's. I'll keep checking this thread and will post whatever the eventual outcome is.