Chicken dragging head please help

[as110]

I use a vit e capsule and squirt it on the mushy feed I make with grower food and water. I change the added high protein food daily to help balance the food during hand feeding; I use scrambled egg, yogurt, milk, cottage cheese, starter feed, grower feed, dandylion leaf. I crush a selenium tablet and mix it in. I add the chicken vitamin mix and it has antibiotics added to it, this is the only chicken vitamin supplement available here. They need only a small amount but since they eat so little at a time, I use the 1000IU vit E and 50mcg selenium tablet and hope that in the 5-10 pecks of food they get enough vitamin that helps. The liquid mixed with food helps with water intake, and I also have a small cup of water that I hold as long as my chick will try to drink.

 

[rebrascora]

I was responding to her query regarding a vitamin supplement following my post about Marek's, where I recommended using one to support the immune system. I agree that additional Vit E and selenium may be helpful if it is not Marek's but I also think a broad spectrum vitamin supplement like Nutri Drench would be beneficial for this bird and the whole flock considering the scratch diet they have been on until now. A Vitamin B complex may be particularly important to help support the liver.

 

[as110]

I was responding to her query regarding a vitamin supplement following my post about Marek's, where I recommended using one to support the immune system. I agree that additional Vit E and selenium may be helpful if it is not Marek's but I also think a broad spectrum vitamin supplement like Nutri Drench would be beneficial for this bird and the whole flock considering the scratch diet they have been on until now. A Vitamin B complex may be particularly important to help support the liver.

I added the Vit B complex as per your recommendation. My chick is not eating very well since yesterday so I will try anything. ;0)

I don't think my chick has Marek's. We have never had it and none of my hens are carriers, if we had it other birds should have had signs of it by now, not just this odd chick from a breeder. The next chicken flock is miles away from us. Most of our hens we hatched ourselves. Some came from a breeder as day old chicks.

 

[rebrascora]

I can assure you that Marek's is a possibility. You would not know if your hens were carriers (the virus can stay dormant for years without any obvious symptom, just like cold sores in people... they are both Herpes viruses) but it is also entirely possible the chick was infected with the virus when it came from the breeder unless they adopt extremely strict bio security measures. It is an incredibly common and widespread disease and some strains can be very mild, that you might not even notice symptoms. Most of what you read about Marek's is the more aggressive strains, but the chances are that, whatever I say, will not change your mind because the majority of people do not want to believe that they might have Marek's in their flock.
Of course, it may not be Marek's but all I'm saying is, don't rule it out as it is probably the commonest cause of paralysis and death in adolescent birds.

 

[rebrascora]

Have you tried offering her scrambled egg or her regular food soaked in warm water with the supplement added. Do you have her indoors or outside with the flock? If indoors, it can help to put them outside near their palls for an hour or so each day to stop them getting depressed and throw a few meal worms down a scatter a bit of scrambled egg so that they get the feeling of competing for food and foraging with the flock. Depression can cause them to lose interest in food and once they stop eating and their digestive system starts to shut down there is little hope.

 

[Kiki]

Its in a feeder. I also give them cucumbers and watermelon and zucchini and eggplant occasionally

This is considered a treat aka junk food.
Not a complete feed.
If you want to stick with the same brand name you should look into buying one of these ASAP.

 

[as110]

I understand. My chicken is not paralyzed.

I can assure you that Marek's is a possibility. You would not know if your hens were carriers (the virus can stay dormant for years without any obvious symptom, just like cold sores in people... they are both Herpes viruses) but it is also entirely possible the chick was infected with the virus when it came from the breeder unless they adopt extremely strict bio security measures. It is an incredibly common and widespread disease and some strains can be very mild, that you might not even notice symptoms. Most of what you read about Marek's is the more aggressive strains, but the chances are that, whatever I say, will not change your mind because the majority of people do not want to believe that they might have Marek's in their flock.
Of course, it may not be Marek's but all I'm saying is, don't rule it out as it is probably the commonest cause of paralysis and death in adolescent birds.[/QUOTE/]

 

[rebrascora]

Paralysis and the level of it can takes many forms with Marek's. It is probably not the best descriptive but there is no other general term that covers the symptom other than a neurological problem. It can just be an inability to control a muscle so the limb or neck (or eyelid even) is weak and the bird cannot maintain it in the correct position without great effort or it can cause a muscle to tense and contort a joint so that the neck or tail is twisted or the legs stick out at strange angles or it can just cause numbness, so the bird has no feeling in that particular area and therefore cannot coordinate itself.

 

[lil bird lady1]

Update, I'm giving her a poultry nutri-drench and her neck isnt convulsing as much or as often and shes walking around a little and shes drinking water and shes eating a grower feed that I wet first but shes not eating much and her droppings are a clearish yellow

 

[lil bird lady1]