What else could it be but Mareks?

[Chickspa]

Hi all,

I hatched five eggs in mid-march. Knowing that I wasn't going to keep any roosters around, I added four more from Tractor Supply. Two starlight eggers and two straight-run silkies. They all live together in a coop. My big girls live with their rooster pals about 100 yards away in their own coop. When the babies got big enough, I was going to join them with the big girls and boys.

Yesterday, my daughter found the male silkie under the coop not moving. I finally was able to coax him forward with a stick so she could grab him. He seemed to have a broken leg or something that was preventing him from standing. He must have been under the coop all day, and was definitely hungry and dehydrated. We put some food and water in front of him and he happily ate and drank and seemed to perk up. We separated them from the rest of the flock and put him in a large Tupperware with food and water and bedding. He eats and drinks occasionally but never stands up. I'm picking him up to clean his bottom, and his poop is bright green. Looks just like photos I see of Mareks poop online. Otherwise he's really perky keeping his head up and looking around. When I lift him up and mess around with his legs a little bit, they don't seem paralyzed, but he won't put any weight on them. The left one is definitely weaker than the right.

I am beside myself with anxiety about this whole situation. I was going to cull this rooster when we knew absolutely for sure which birds were boys and which were girls, and now I'm caring for him like 24/7, because I am not going to treat any of my animals inhumanely. However I'm devastated to think that the rest of my flock is at risk, and don't even understand the disease enough to know whether my big girls are also at risk. I'm just super sad right now and feel like I don't even know what I'm dealing with.

 

[nuthatched]

Silkies are prone to vitamin deficiency, have you tried vitamin therapy?
Green poop is a sign of not eating.
What's his diet?

 

[Chickspa]

Silkies are prone to vitamin deficiency, have you tried vitamin therapy?
Green poop is a sign of not eating.
What's his diet?

He eats Nature's Best organic chick starter, and the kids stuff grass into their run occasionally, since they ate all the grass there. Since he's been separated, he's only getting the chick starter. We don't use any chemicals or fertilizers. I have not tried vitamin therapy. I'll look for that at Tractor Supply tomorrow - I read that B vitamin deficiencies can be an issue, is there a type of vitamin I should get?

Edited to add that I just googled when to switch to grower feed, and learned it should be right now at 8 weeks. I don't know why I was thinking it was later....

 

[Kiki]

He eats Nature's Best organic chick starter, and the kids stuff grass into their run occasionally, since they ate all the grass there. Since he's been separated, he's only getting the chick starter. We don't use any chemicals or fertilizers. I have not tried vitamin therapy. I'll look for that at Tractor Supply tomorrow - I read that B vitamin deficiencies can be an issue, is there a type of vitamin I should get?

Edited to add that I just googled when to switch to grower feed, and learned it should be right now at 8 weeks. I don't know why I was thinking it was later....

Chick starter feed is fine. It is not much different than grower feed.

Grass could be a problem...it could cause crop issues.
Nutri-Drench is a good thing to have on hand for birds that aren't eating well.

https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/p...eB6QPtjCfMGmYZZ5YQhoRV-2qGraH0bRoCe38QAvD_BwE


Poultry Cell is good for B vitamins.
https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/product/rooster-booster-poultry-cell-16-oz

 

[nuthatched]

He eats Nature's Best organic chick starter, and the kids stuff grass into their run occasionally, since they ate all the grass there. Since he's been separated, he's only getting the chick starter. We don't use any chemicals or fertilizers. I have not tried vitamin therapy. I'll look for that at Tractor Supply tomorrow - I read that B vitamin deficiencies can be an issue, is there a type of vitamin I should get?

Edited to add that I just googled when to switch to grower feed, and learned it should be right now at 8 weeks. I don't know why I was thinking it was later....

You can get grocery store vitamins, same thing and often cheaper.
400i.u vitamin E and a sliver of a B complex tablet every day for a few weeks.