Is it Marek's??

[Suzierd]

I would get a necropsy done on the next one you loose. And don't introduce those new chicks until you find out. Your pullets all dieing doesn't sound good. Were they with the rest of your flock?
TALZIAS how is your Henny Penny?

 

[AddictingChickens]

Im so glad you responded!!!!!

Im afraid to ask what a necrosey is and I have no idea who would perform it here in massachusetts !


I lost a two sebrites, a rose comb, two EE and two buff orpingtons within a year (the EE and buff orpingtons were additions to my original flock)

I got three wyandotts last fall and the last one died a month ago -May. (all three were about 6-7 months old)
My original cochin died the day after this christmas (she was 2 years old)
And now this one is on her way out (got her the same time I got my other cochin mentioned above - both from my first flock

So I don't see a pattern and I dont know what to do except to get rid of them all.

I cleaned the coop yesterday and washed all the walls and roosting pole today


I am going to take out all the shavings i just added on sunday and throw those out and re-waash the entire coop with bleach and replace the shavaings as well as purchase a ton of large wood chips for my muddy run.

SHould I keep the baby chick with the cochin still?

Im afraid to do anything!


I have 6 chicks in my house, the sick cochin and chick in my shed with the lawn mower etc... and then my hen house....

Any suggestions?

 

[AddictingChickens]

thank you Suzierd!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Suzierd]

Read this thread for help on where to get a necropsy
https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/537648/need-info-on-how-where-to-send-for-necropsy
Something has to be going on with your chickens to be loosing them like that. Do you worm check for mites and lice? What are their symptoms ? Post pics if you can. Try to get a close up of the eye of the sick hen you have now. I wouldn't take the little chick away from the hen it's already been with her and exposed to anything she may have. If you get a necropsy done they can tell you what your chicken died from and if your dealing with something contagious.

 

[AddictingChickens]

Thank you for the link. I read that and will figure out a resource if in fact she does end up passing.
In the meantime, does this sound good?:

Here are some pics of her eye and the bumps as well as her coloring. Her skin looked good - few dandruff flakes on her feathers..I will still treat her and other hens with DE (yes?) Also, her stool looked ok, some white.grey and one or two that were more redwood coloring and mushy.

How can I tell if she has worms - any kind of worms?








I will re-do the coop today with white vinagar and baking soda and spray everything, buy some DE and spread on coop, nesting boxes and run,( is DE better than Sevin or same? This kills any mites/lice right?) add some sand in the run (just muddy dirt right now from all the rain) so they can dust too and put some DE/Sevin in there too.
If she does have worms or maybe I should treat her and all other hens if I can't determine, is there a natural remedy that is guaranteed to work that you can put in the water? The post you recommended, led me to a liquid that is for goats that you can use..is that good to use to treat/percautionary (Safeguard de-wormer for goats) for all my hens just in case? How can I tell if she has worms - any kind of worms?

I'm just really stressed out that I cant figure out what this is. Other than doing what is above, I feel like its a waiting game and I don't want to even bring my baby chicks out into the coop - at all!

Thanks you very very much for the recommendations and the links you have provided!!
I feel so helpless so these give me a glimmer of hope.

 

[jenirving]

I have had the same problem with my young pullets and it is terrible. I am thinking that it is Mereks and am ordering some vaccine in hopes that I can stop it. I have recently de wormed the flock also.
At first I thought it was eye worm. Treated the first one, she seemed better (a young bantam) so I put her back out. Two days later she was gasping and died. About 4 days later an Ameracaura from the same purchase came down with eye and sinus crud. Treated her with Vet RX and tetracycline like the first one. After a few days of special diet and treatment her eyes/nose cleared up but she was distressed peeping, would not stand and had a curled in foot and distended wing. She could not have injured herself and is about 10 weeks old.
After two days of this- she would eat if I put it close to her- I found info on Mereks.
I just put her down and it is so sad.

Thinking back- I did have 3 incidents that I now wonder about.
I purchased the Bantam mix at a local store. I had two die about two weeks after they came home. No symptoms- just a dead chick in the morning. Could these new bantams have brought it in to my coop?
I had a 1 yr old rooster disappear (my chickens free range in the afternoon) on a Wednesday and show up again on Monday limping, with scaley legs and a terrible looking eye- all on the right side. I took him to the vet, and we agreed that it looked like he had been drug along by a predator and was injured. I nursed him along, (took about 3 weeks) he seemed to recover and rejoined the flock. About a week later he would not walk and smelled terrible. I decided to put him down, and found a very ugly gangrenous area on his upper inner thigh. Still thought it was an infected injury....This was about 3 weeks ago.
My brother gave me some Cornish hens the beginning of April. They all seem fine- but could they be carriers?

Ugghh. This is my second year with my flock. Last year, other than predators, I had no problems at all. This spring I feel that I am constantly dealing with dead or ill chickens. I am really diligent about keeping my coop and feeders clean.

So, I am going to order some vaccine and hope I can stop it if it is Mereks.

Help?

 

[Suzierd]

Those eye bumps are strange maybe someone on here will see them and know what It is. Here is the difference between a chickens eye with Mareks and a healthy eye.
http://i1170.photobucket.com/albums/r527/Suzierd/5ba3a4ab.jpg
From looking at the eye in the photo it doesn't look bad now but you could tell better. Something to keep a eye on.
Use sevins dust for lice or mites DE doesn't cut it. Some people think it works as a preventive but if you have a problem you need stuff that really works. You should see lice if you look real close and mites will look like pepper or little red spots. Check around the vent and under the wings. As far as worming Valbazen or safeguard are good. I used Valbazen this spring it gets everything the dose is 1/4 cc for bantum or Silkie 1/2 for standard size. Redose in 10 days. Just toss the eggs once you start treatment till fourteen days after last treatment. If you want to make sure you have worms before treating take a poo sample in to your vet and they can check it. You can't always see them in their poo. Here's a very interesting thread on trying to worm the natural way.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/...yza-or-crd-parasites-are-rampant#post_7474233
Your state agriculture department or university or your vet should be able to do a test from a swap or blood and tell you if you have a disease but you will probably have to tell them what test to do. I will let you know if I find anything on those eye bumps.

 

[Suzierd]

Jeniving sounds like you need some testing to. Some people prefer to cull disinfect and start over. I would want the test to know for sure what I'm dealing with. Here's a link that might help you.
http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/ps044
From what I have read the Mareks vaccine prevents the tumors but does not prevent infection from the virus. You might want to do some research on that first. Maybe they came out with something better.

 

[AddictingChickens]

Jenirving: Im thinking if it IS Merks, maybe someone in my original flock is the carrier as any new hens I bring all eventually die with the exception of my two cochins which then make me think MAYBE its not and it could be worms which contribute to labored breathing and their are a whole host of diseases/infections that have the same signs of Mercks but isnt Mercks...
so...Im taking this route first...


Suzierd!!

I just purchased Permethrim ProAp Garden and Poultry Dust for my nesting boxes, coop, run and all the chickens including the sick bantam cochin (2 yrs old) and baby chick (2 mos old)
As well as Tetracycine hydrochloride soluable powder for their water - all hens

Im also putting Erythromycin in the sick hens eyes tonight (same stuff we use for human conjunctavitis.

Im going to see how she is in 2 weeks if she makes it. If she is not any better than I believe she is suffering and she will be put down however, that leaves me with the baby chick she is raising..what to do...what to do...

Many thanks for all the information you have provided! My hens eyes do NOT look like the one with Mercks which makes me VERY VERY happy! So glad you showed me that!!!!!!!!!!!!

Addicting Chickens

 

[tahlias]

Hi Everyone,

Update on Henny Penny the pekin bantam. She's still alive!

She's been inside now for 4 days. We took her out of her hospital box last night and put her on a towel to see if she could walk. She had enough strength to stand up, but when she tried to walk her legs just didnt cope and she fell on her face.

I'm not sure if this is progress or not, considering she couldnt even really sit the right way up a few days ago.

Would Marek's have killed her by now if it was Mareks? (@addictingchicken - my henny penny doesn't have the eye symptoms that go with Mareks...perhaps a good sign?)

I've been putting vitamin powder in her water, and i'm also going to buy a multivitamin and crush it up with her food aswell.

The poor thing is not used to humans yet so every time I go to check on her or change her food and water she freaks out and I fear its not helping her recovery.

Also when i picked her up i noticed she has a big clump of poo stuck in her feathers. I assume this is from sitting in basically the same position every day. I tried as best I could to gently peel it away but its very sticky, any ideas on how to clean her up??

Anyone else have any suggestions of what I should do for my little Henny Penny??? My sister also has birds and shes got a birdy antibiotic, should I try that??