weak, wobbly 5 week chicks -- legs not working?

[ChickensAreSweet]

thank you both!
i picked up sulmet at the feed store...they didn't have corvid. unfortunately, they didn't have any other ideas for what to do, either. the only thing he mentioned that i hadn't thought of was maybe pulled tendons from slipping? while their cage bottom is not particularly slippery -- it has pine shavings -- part of it has cardboard underneath. it could be ??

i also saw botulism mentioned as a possibility. the treatment for that would be epsom salts, it seems. can i treat with sulmet AND epsom salts at the same time?

http://www.thepoultrysite.com/publications/6/diseases-of-poultry/220/slipped-tendon-perosis
this is what perosis looks like...dunno if that is the same as what you were describing- treated with vitamins and repostitioning the tendon as you can see in the next link

here you can scroll down to slipped tendon if desired:
https://sites.google.com/a/poultrypedia.com/poultrypedia/poultry-podiatry

Here is info on botulism:
http://www.merckmanuals.com/vet/pou...sickness/overview_of_botulism_in_poultry.html

Sulmet treats only 2 strains of cocci, and Corid (in the cattle section) treats more strains - I think maybe all 9, but if that is all they had that is better than nothing!!

Sorry I still don't know what the problem with your chickies is so I hope something works for them!!

 

[skaldron]

Hi, I've been experiencing a very similar problem. I started with 26 chicks from McMurray, 13 Dominique and 13 Wyandottes. They are 7 weeks old now and I'm down to 16. Some of the pullets are doing well, growing and acting like chickens. Others grew to a certain size and then just kind of stopped growing. These are the birds that seem to be developing the weak leg problem. They stumble around for a few days, half-flying. Eventually, they become sedentary, unable to support their own weight on their legs, and die. The problem seems to be affecting the Dominiques only. All birds were vaccinated at birth for Marek's and coccidiosis and I have not given any of them medicated feed. I sent a question to author/flockster Henry Ussery at www.themodernhomestead.us, he believes the issue in my case is related to a general decline in the genetic poultry stock from large breeders. It might explain why the problem only seems to be affecting the Dominiques. Anyway, I certainly empathize with your plight. This is my first shot at raising chicks and I was hoping for a much lower mortality rate. All part of the learning process, I guess. From now on I will exclusively source my birds locally, possibly even breed my own. I'm sorry I can't offer a more definitive course of action, I'll let you know if I do find anything out in the future. Good luck!

Mark

 

[thejoyofchicks]

http://www.thepoultrysite.com/publications/6/diseases-of-poultry/220/slipped-tendon-perosis
this is what perosis looks like...dunno if that is the same as what you were describing- treated with vitamins and repostitioning the tendon as you can see in the next link

Sorry I still don't know what the problem with your chickies is so I hope something works for them!!

thank you! that picture helped a lot to clarify. it's not a slipped tendon, then.

i'm still just giving them all electrolytes, probiotics, and ACV. i have three separated now... had DH cull the two weakest, as they seemed to be ending up on their backs and were spending a lot of time distressed.

the three now are wobbly, still, with poor balance and leg/wing coordination. they spend quite a bit of time sitting with their legs tucked up underneath them. they do stand up to eat and drink, though, and seem perkier than before.

i decided not to treat for coccidiosis, as no one has had diarrhea and they've been on medicated feed. still don't know what's going on, after consulting with quite a few 'experts.' i have a chicken inspector coming monday from the ag extension office. i'll keep you posted on any conclusions she offers!

Hi, I've been experiencing a very similar problem. I started with 26 chicks from McMurray, 13 Dominique and 13 Wyandottes. They are 7 weeks old now and I'm down to 16. Some of the pullets are doing well, growing and acting like chickens. Others grew to a certain size and then just kind of stopped growing. These are the birds that seem to be developing the weak leg problem. They stumble around for a few days, half-flying. Eventually, they become sedentary, unable to support their own weight on their legs, and die. The problem seems to be affecting the Dominiques only. All birds were vaccinated at birth for Marek's and coccidiosis and I have not given any of them medicated feed. I sent a question to author/flockster Henry Ussery at www.themodernhomestead.us, he believes the issue in my case is related to a general decline in the genetic poultry stock from large breeders. It might explain why the problem only seems to be affecting the Dominiques. Anyway, I certainly empathize with your plight. This is my first shot at raising chicks and I was hoping for a much lower mortality rate. All part of the learning process, I guess. From now on I will exclusively source my birds locally, possibly even breed my own. I'm sorry I can't offer a more definitive course of action, I'll let you know if I do find anything out in the future. Good luck!

Mark

that is terrible, mark! i wish i had found a good answer to mine, in case it would help yours, too.

mine came from mt. healthy hatchery in two separate batches, via my local feed store. i don't think they were vaccinated, but really don't know. the feed store says they haven't had anybody else coming in with this problem...and i trust them on this.

i am currently leaning towards avian encephalomyelitis OR b2 deficiency as the explanation for my birds' mystery illness. i have not had any die from this, as far as i know. weirdly, they seem to maintain at the same degree of impairment where i find them. does that make sense?

do you think yours are dying from the illness itself or from not wanting to eat/drink? have you given them any treatments in food or water?

 

[thejoyofchicks]

mark -- the chicken inspector lady came today, and while she didn't have a definitive answer for me, she did bring up Vitamin E deficiency...specifically with reference to McMurray hatchery. you might do a little research on it, and if that seems to fit your birds, call the hatchery directly. in many cases, they will replace the birds.

 

[skaldron]

Thank you for the advice, I'm starting to suspect that the issue is related to nutrition as well. I have been feeding the birds an organic mix from Countrywide Organics but I think it's actually sized for laying hens, not pullets. I was grinding the feed by hand for the first few weeks but may have jumped the gun a little by giving the poor birds the regular sized mix too soon. I've been feeding them lots of supplemental produce, I.e. greens, yogurt, veg. I suspect the stronger birds ate all the fresh food faster than the weaker ones and thrived st the expense of the others. I also found tons of uneaten food in the brooder litter. I guess the chicks were just dumping their food out rather than eating it. I've got the remaining lot on chick crumbles now. I can't say for sure whether this accounts for the problem, but it certainly didn't help. Thanks again for all the help, good luck to you all with your own chicken adventures!

Mark

 

[thejoyofchicks]

i have heard that you're not supposed to feed the layer mix at all until they are older because it contains too much calcium. i have no idea if this would cause the problem you're describing, though.
i've decided that mine must have been a vitamin B deficiency. everyone who survived has since recovered, except for the one that got taken by a darn raccoon.

 

[ChickensAreSweet]

i have heard that you're not supposed to feed the layer mix at all until they are older because it contains too much calcium. i have no idea if this would cause the problem you're describing, though.
i've decided that mine must have been a vitamin B deficiency. everyone who survived has since recovered, except for the one that got taken by a darn raccoon.

I am glad that your survivors have recovered!

 

[thejoyofchicks]

Thank you!

 

[Luca1]

Hi all,

Does anyone have any updates on this situation? Did probiving any vitamin supplements work?

I have an 8 week old chick that just started doing the same thing... wobbly on the feet, falling back on hocks but is otherwise normal and healthy. All my other chicks are totally fine. He was quite robust until just a few days ago.

I see so many searches online about this exact same thing with absolutely no indication of what went wrong.

 

[skaldron]

I think in my case the birds were having difficulty getting enough nutrition from their food. I wanted to feed them a mix of grains and legumes because I was still a little wary of factory-produced pellets and crumbles. I inadvertently ended up giving them food that was designed for older birds, so the strongest chicks got most of the nutrition from the grain dust and supplements they could eat. The majority of the feed ended up in the litter and I think the weaker birds just succumbed to malnutrition. I switched to Layena and haven't lost any since. I do intend to go back to the natural feed once the chooks are fully grown.