Avian Encephalomyelitis in my Silkie chick, help!

[ChickoletteW]

My 3 wk old Silkie chick Puff is not doing well today. Started with seizure-like fits after being disturbed by other chicks, and decreased activity yesterday. He was acting so bizarrely that I did one of those online Telehealth vets for $5 this evening. I sent the doc a video of the behavior and he diagnosed him with avian encephalomyelitis. Unfortunately, because it can be up to 50% fatal apparently. Well I'm very sad... we had a chick die on day 4 of life from similar symptoms and we didn't know what it was. This makes sense because this is a virus with vertical --> horizontal transmission which a "classic biphasic mortality pattern" Puff seems to be handling the disease a little better than the newly hatched chick did, he is still able to eat and drink. I am worried about his weakness causing him to be trampled... he can walk around fine but he's not flying around like the others.

I know I should quarantine him. At least to prevent trampling. I feel like the other chickens would have displayed symptoms of the disease and caught it by now? Is that stupid to say? Or is it going to spread around to the other members of the flock slowly? I found a good resource that says it's normally done spreading your flock by week 4... It seems like it's such close quarters in there that they would have likely caught it all at the same time? I don't know. Anyway... I ask because I don't have the heart for the forced quarantining. The logistics of quarantining aren't great... I have a brooder plate only for heat. It's not like I can totally take him away from the others. So I set a shallow cardboard box under the plate so Puff had about half the plate all to himself. And his own food and water. But he just couldn't handle the isolation. Hearing the others, but not being with them. He's my most social chick. He just would NOT stop chirping. Like loudly, like a fire alarm! It was insane. It was so heartbreaking that I just put him back with his friends. I forcibly quarantined the original sick chick (Yellow), she screamed all night, and still died anyway. :/

Anyway, it's late. I'll go to the store in the morning and get a heat lamp and try to just remove Puff from the others, like out of the same room. And maybe that will work. Hopefully it's not too late... And the other's haven't caught it from him. Any advice for supportive care for a sick chick with this? Any advice for dealing with a sick chick who doesn't handle isolation well?

Also, my husband just went on some crazy canoe adventure for a week with 0 cell service, so please help me keep these chickies alive until he gets back!

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Can you share the video with us?

Upload the video to youtube and provide us a link, the BYC upload does not work.

 

[ChickoletteW]

Can you share the video with us?

Upload the video to youtube and provide us a link, the BYC upload does not work.

Yep, here you go.

 

[ChickoletteW]

Also... I have them all on the Manna-Pro electrolyte/probiotic solution every other day right now already, seemed like encephalomalacia from Vitamin E deficiency maybe had similar symptoms. What's the best Vit E product to use, how to administer it etc? Where to buy it, I couldn't find any at tractor supply.

 

[Eggcessive]

I would not take the diagnosis of AE from a telehealth video at face value. It would need to be tested or a necropsy done by the state vet if it dies to confirm that. In my understanding, a chick with AE will tremor when they are put on their backs in your hand, and eventually will fall over, not being able to right itself.

To me the chick looks more like a chick with wry neck or another neurological issue, such as brain damage or seizures. I would treat with human vitamin E 400 IU and human vitamin B complex 1/4 tablet crushed in a spoonful of water twice a day given orally. Cooked egg, just a bit daily will cover selenium. Wry neck syndrome can happen after a head injury, or vitamin E or Thiamine deficiency. Let us know how the chick gets along.
Here is a good link about AE:
https://www.merckvetmanual.com/poultry/avian-encephalomyelitis/avian-encephalomyelitis

 

[Wyorp Rock]

I would not take the diagnosis of AE from a telehealth video at face value. It would need to be tested or a necropsy done by the state vet if it dies to confirm that. In my understanding, a chick with AE will tremor when they are put on their backs in your hand, and eventually will fall over, not being able to right itself.

To me the chick looks more like a chick with wry neck or another neurological issue, such as brain damage or seizures. I would treat with human vitamin E 400 IU and human vitamin B complex 1/4 tablet crushed in a spoonful of water twice a day given orally. Cooked egg, just a bit daily will cover selenium. Wry neck syndrome can happen after a head injury, or vitamin E or Thiamine deficiency. Let us know how the chick gets along.
Here is a good link about AE:
https://www.merckvetmanual.com/poultry/avian-encephalomyelitis/avian-encephalomyelitis

This.
I agree. I'd treat as for Wry Neck.

Sweet little chicks, keep us posted on how she's doing.

 

[ChickoletteW]

Update: I have been treating him with Vit E oil and B12 so far. He's still having frequent episodes (like every 5 mins when they are active in there) like that though, but not worse than yesterday. Otherwise doesn't chirp loudly or seem uncomfortable. Still eating, drinking, pooping, walking around. But the feathers on top of his head and the ones on his chest are all gone, probably from so many episodes like that and he's just weak in comparison to the other chicks. the other chicks are actually really sweet to him, and give him plenty of room when he starts going into a fit. idk, I'm a nurse and I would love to nurse him back to health. I just hope he's not suffering.... not sure if I should think about euthanizing?

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Update: I have been treating him with Vit E oil and B12 so far. He's still having frequent episodes (like every 5 mins when they are active in there) like that though, but not worse than yesterday. Otherwise doesn't chirp loudly or seem uncomfortable. Still eating, drinking, pooping, walking around. But the feathers on top of his head and the ones on his chest are all gone, probably from so many episodes like that and he's just weak in comparison to the other chicks. the other chicks are actually really sweet to him, and give him plenty of room when he starts going into a fit. idk, I'm a nurse and I would love to nurse him back to health. I just hope he's not suffering.... not sure if I should think about euthanizing?

I would try to get B-Complex and give that instead of just B12 (cobalamin).
B Complex contains all 8 B vitamins, including B1(Thiamine) which is helpful to the E.

Neurological symptoms can be a challenge to treat. Sometimes it may be days/weeks to resolve, if at all.

It's often hard to know which direction to go and only you can make a determination when he's had enough.

 

[Stephine]

What happened with this chick - did it get better?

 

[ChickoletteW]

So far this chicken is doing ok! The best way I can describe her is: odd. But she's the same size as the other females now, and most of her feathers have grown in. She can jump and fly, not as well as the others... definitely a bit clumsy. Does odd head movements from time to time, but no more of those seizure-like episodes at all for the past 3 weeks. She is quite the lap chicken. Just sits on me and lets me pet her until she falls asleep, never poops on me <3 I'm glad I saved her!