Quote:
There are many articles giving advice that fly in the face of the of the poultry science/veterinary info literature (including the milk thing for cocci). Here are a few concerning botulism and maggots/rotting vegetation (compost pile):
http://www.merckvetmanual.com/mvm/index.jsp?cfile=htm/bc/205400.htm
(MERCK veterinary manual)
"....Maggots acquire toxin from carcass tissues and, when eaten by scavenging poultry, serve as a source of neurotoxin.....Other feed sources have been implicated in outbreaks in backyard poultry flocks...dead invertebrates found in water that contains
decaying vegetation.....Toxico-infectious botulism is reported to occur in intensively reared broiler flocks
housed on litter...."
http://www.cfsph.iastate.edu/Factsheets/pdfs/botulism.pdf
"....C. botulinum and its spores are widely distributed in soils, sediments in fresh and coastal waters, the intestinal tracts of fish and mammals, and the gills and viscera of shellfish....Wound botulism occurs when an anaerobic wound is contaminated with C. botulinum, usually from the soil....Preformed toxins in a variety of sources, including decaying vegetable matter (grass, hay, grain, spoiled silage) .....Birds can ingest the toxins in maggots that have fed on contaminated carcasses or in dead invertebrates from water with decaying vegetation.,...."
http://www.vetstoria.co.uk/templates/poultry_botulism-9-336-familyfarm.html
"....This poison is produced by Clostridium botulinum which is a bacterium living on decaying animal and vegetable matter. Its spores can remain dormant in contaminated soil for years, and germinate into toxin - producing bacteria when a suitable nutrient source and an anaerobic environment are available....sources:
Decaying carcasses
Decaying plant and animal matter
Stagnant pools contaminated by rotting material
Maggots and litter beetles..."
http://www.nwhc.usgs.gov/publications/field_manual/chapter_38.pdf
"....As with other bacteria, temperature plays a critical role inthe multiplication of C. botulinum, with optimal growth inthe laboratory occurring between 25 °and 40 °C. Most botu-lism outbreaks take place during the summer and fall when ambient temperatures are high (Fig. 38.1). Winter botulism outbreaks have been documented in some locations, but these are generally thought to be due to residual toxin produced during the previous summer. Conditions that elevate wet-
land sediment temperatures and decrease dissolved oxygen, including the presence of decaying organic matter and shallow water, may increase the risk of botulism outbreaks (Fig. 38.2). However, these conditions are not prerequisite to an outbreak
because botulism has occurred in large river systems and in deep, well-oxygenated wetlands, which suggests that other environmental conditions may be more critical. In studies conducted by the National Wildlife Health Center, several environmental factors, including pH, salinity (Fig. 38.3), temperature, and
oxidation-reduction potential ..."
(compost is a low oxygen environment!)
I could go on and on however I think you get the idea... Your bird will either recover or not dependent on the amount of toxin involved. General support measures (as little stress/strain on his system as possible> keep in a quiet draft free and temp stable environment) . vit E/selenium is known to be helpful somewhat and you can purchase the (human) combo
tabs which you can p r i c k open with a pin and give the contents in the beak (ensure the selenium content of the tab does NOT exceed 50 MICROgrams!) You must ensure against dehydration and help the bird drink sufficiently by dribbling water along the beak if necessary or giving subcutaneous (under the skin) ringers solution.
