UPDATE........Anybody else willing to help? PLEASE! Chicken appears dizzy and falling over

[casportpony]

This link has some very good info on tube feeding.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/...cken-and-give-subcutaneous-fluid#post_9910754

Let me know if it's something you want to try and I'll help you do it step-by-step.

-Kathy

 

[Haunted55]

Sad to say, me too. 5 week old JG chick, wobbly. Shivering at times. I put him in a clean cage on my patio, and gave him food and water with corrid, sulfadimethoxine, vits , and electrolytes in it (yes, overkill). Like try everything even tho you know what's going to happen.

Maybe I was wrong in trying to raise chicks from my Marek's resistant hens.

I'm going out every hour dribbling medicated water, and dunking the tip of his beak in the water.

No Seminolewind...you are not. It's just a bad day is all and I am very sorry. Did you see the thread where another person was talking about the Lysine? It might be something to try. It used to be part of the B Complex vitamins but they've taken it out. I just picked up some 500mg pills at Wally and when the time comes I will be trying it on mine.

http://www.umm.edu/altmed/articles/lysine-000312.htm

 

[Haunted55]

Thanks for all the replies. The reason I give her corn is because that is all she will take. No mealworms, no cucumber which used to be her favorite, no hard boiled egg, no vitamin water NOTHING but the corn. I soak it in the sav-a-chick vitamins. I give her vitamin fluids with a syringe when I'm at home. (Work full time).
I know a bit what mareck's is but thought by this time she should have been more paralyzed. She does not have droopy/paralyzed wings. It's only the one pullet that is like this. I thought the others would have it as well.
How do I tube feed?
And how do I know if it is an inner ear infection.
Thanks all.

Sometimes we have to be hard to be kind to our birds. Just like with kids, you can't let them just do as they please. If you are really truely worried she won't eat, do this. First time you give her the mash, what I mentioned before, put in a teaspoon of creamed corn. The next time, put in 3/4 of a tsp. and so on until she isn't having anything except what she needs. I know it's hard but believe me, if this does turn out to be just one of the respiratory diseases chickens get, she is going to need all of the protien she will get from the feed. What you are giving her now is just going to make her fat and mess with her system. If you had said she no longer could get up at all or wasn't having any time on her feet, then it would be different. She is still able to walk some and should be given the proper diet to help her along.

The reason I said to post back here if the antibiotic is helping is if it is, then chances are it's something else besides Marek's. There are quite a few diseases they get that can mimic Marek's and will respond to an antibiotic. Not Marek's. It will help with any secondary infections but not the main disease. Marek's doesn't always show itself with droopy wings or total paralysis. sometimes it shows itself with lesions on the skin, sometimes with eye color or pupil changes. A lot of times it does show itself with first one leg and then the other paralyzed, sometimes the wings. It depends how and where it decides to take up residence inside the bird. I've had birds who have ended up in the classic pose of one leg forward and one back and then their wings went next and then finally the neck. I've also had birds like yours who had stumbling gait and later got over it and a few are still alive today. It depends on the bird, how their body handles the virus and the strain you might be dealing with.

 

[seminolewind]

Quote:
I'm pretty sure right now that it's not Marek's. 5 weeks, was wobbly this morning, not eating and very Hot and shivering . I've been medicating, and I held him for 2.5 hours thinking he's dying, and he's still alive. I wish he wouldn't get my hopes up. But he is real hot. Where on earth would he get an illness from?

 

[seminolewind]

He's pinked up again! I put him on a pillow in the bathroom and a heat lamp and he's breathing comfortable and he's pink. You KNow I'm crying my eyes out. I gave him some more medicated water. Maybe the little dribbles he drinks are helping. His flock out there got some medicine water too.

It just goes to show that any bird exposed to Marek's will have shaky immune systems and catch odd bugs.
I hate to get my hopes up.

 

[seminolewind]

A few weeks ago

 

[LOLchick]

Seminolewind, me and you both crying our eyes out. Over the weekend I would go out and she looked liked she was never going to get up again. I would say my goodbyes and rub her little head only to see her later up and about with her best friend Nova - a leghorn. I was ready to take her to the vet yesterday to be put down but I figured until she refused to eat anything and stop following Nova around I'll wait. I've started her on the antibiotic tonight and gave her the new protein feed. Thanks you for the suggestion of putting a liiiiittle bit of creamed corn in the feed Haunted55. The first batch ( with water and crumbled boiled egg) she refused. Then I saw your suggestion and put a bit of creamed corn in. She only had about 5 bites and only where she could see bits of the corn sticking out. But I figured it had a little bit of feed stuck to it so it's a start. I am just very anxious because we are going out of the country in 4 weeks and I don't even know where to start looking for someone to take care of a sick chicken. Let alone if they all get sick.

 

[Haunted55]

Seminole I am so happy for you! Who knows where this stuff comes from...I've been seeing some weird things in my own for the past few months. When it happens, I change their feed. Even if it's just a mix of 2 brands, or 1/3 to 2/3 mix, or even taking one out of the picture completely. I've added a 22% to the 15% that I was feeding my 'diet' roos, 1 scoop to 3 and they are no longer under the catagory of diet Marek's anymore. Is it the feed? Could be, I think it has a lot to do with it. It may be as simple as the crop from last year, forcing them to find alternate protein sources that don't readily break down in our birds' systems. Maybe someone near you has a bad sick in their birds and it's coming in on the wind. I think it comes down to just pick the one that makes the most sense to you and go with it. Anything else is gonna drive you nuts!

Seminolewind, you are the one who taught me there is life after Marek's and that it isn't all bad. Don't you be going on about bad ideas now, lol. It wasn't then and it isn't now. Yeah, it hurts a lot of the time, but we deal and go on and pray for the one who beats the odds.

 

[seminolewind]

Thanks, Haunted. I started new feed , opened the bag the night before. I can't say it's the feed, '
He;s still alive, but no fever thiw morning, but iii

 

[marnieschickens]

I had a bird like that -- she was young but had been fine. Since she was not picked on by the others and was eating/drinking ok I started giving her Nutri Drench in a separate feed and she recovered after a week or so.