What's crippling my chicks?

[Shamo123]

This has to be my worst experience raising chicks, I've had 5 die so far despite never loosing any before. A few that died i understood why but one of the most recent died due to injuries to it's knees, it was cut and swollen and the chick couldn't stand.

I've got one with a knee that's swollen 2-3x normal size, i thought slipped tendon but I'm 2nd guessing that now. I've also got another one that had what looked like open blisters behind it's knees so treated it but now one knee is swelling and it is losing motion, does anyone have any idea on what is going on here?

I'll be adding pics shortly.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

I'm sorry you are having trouble.
It looks like it could be Mycoplasma Synoviae (MS). Can you take her to the vet to get her tested or contact you local extension agent to get assistance in having her tested.


http://www.merckvetmanual.com/mvm/p...synovitis.html?qt=Mycoplasma synoviae &alt=sh
http://www.thepoultrysite.com/diseaseinfo/99/mycoplasma-synoviae-infection-ms-infectious-synovitis/
https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/1082260/mycoplasma-synoviae-treatment
http://www.metzerfarms.com/PoultryLabs.cfm
http://www.usaha.org/Portals/6/StateAnimalHealthOfficials.pdf

 

[Raeleefamily]

HI, I'm really sorry that you are having to go through this. My first thought is spider bites or some other venom bite. Since there doesn't sem to be a clear injury or obvious reason. I hope they survive. I don't have any advice to give I just didn't want you to go unanswered.

 

[chickcrack]

Look up rickets. I'm completely unfamiliar with it but one of symptoms is swollen joints. I feel so bad for you. I'm going to keep looking but see if those symptoms match.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

It's possible it could be injury, I do hope so. MS can be egg transmitted (transovarian) so it is still real possibility that you may want to consider.

Any way that you can one tested?

 

[Wyorp Rock]

I have no idea how much it costs. You can contact your personal vet or you local agricultural agent if they do testing, Your state lab should also be able to give you the information you need. The labs are in the links below:

http://www.metzerfarms.com/PoultryLabs.cfm
http://www.usaha.org/Portals/6/StateAnimalHealthOfficials.pdf

 

[Wyorp Rock]

I'm based in England so unfortunately wouldn't be able to use those services, I'll have to look and see if i can find anyone here.

Update on the chicks: Fortunately I've had no issue with any others since creating this thread, one chicks leg has completely died i think as it's toes are now curled together and the whole leg is about 10C cooler than the rest of the body so i think in his/her case it wasn't MS as i haven't heard anything about it actually killing the limbs? The other one still has the same swelling that hasn't increased or decreased, it's still able to walk on both legs but you can tell it has some trouble when comparing it to the rest. The other 6 are doing well and growing like weeds.

Thank you for the update.
I'm glad the other chicks are doing well.
I'm sorry to hear the other 2 are still having trouble.
Can you get any antibiotics in England?
If so it may be helpful for the one that has the swelling, but the one that has an immobile (dead) leg, most likely not, but it may help with any secondary infections if there are any.

 

[peacockfeather]

Hello! Sorry to hear you're going through this. As for antibiotics, I believe oregano has antibacterial properties, which you can safely crush up and put into the chicks' water. My first thought was some sort of vitamin deficiency passed on genetically. But since there are multiple chicks from various parents, that may not be the case. What is their bedding like in the brooder? If you're using shavings, what kind? Just brainstorming common variables - were they hatched in an incubator?

 

[peacockfeather]

Garlic is good to use too. I don't believe that the humidity/hatching methods has anything to do with what's going on. I did a little bit of research and found that it is, in fact, dry gangrene and is fatal from day old chicks to weeks' old chicks and could have been caused by frostbite, poor circulation, heart defect, or (as another poster pointed out already) spider bite. For the chicks with feet/legs that have turned black, there is no way to revive this dead tissue. For those that have wounds/sores, they should be treated aggressively with topical antibacterial ointments, if you can get your hands on that. If you don't want to cull the chicks that are showing signs of blackened feet/legs, you can very tightly tie off the area above the black part and it will not only fall off naturally, but also (hopefully) prevent the spread of gangrene up the leg.

 

[peacockfeather]

Oh! OK, well if it's just swelling of the joints, it could be injury or an infection of the joints caused by trauma or an infection that affects the joints directly. You can give them baby aspirin (and ONLY aspirin, which is safe to use in birds) if you can get your hands on that; if they're 'chewable' you can chip a small piece off and dissolve it in their drinking water. That will take down some of the inflammation and ease the pain - and may even resolve it completely within 2-4 days if due to injury. If it is due to a disease, it will likely not improve without a course of antibiotics. Definitely keep them separate from your thriving chicks and reintegrate only if you see resolution of the issue, and wash your hands between contacting the two groups, because if it is a disease, it will spread otherwise.