Sudden Chick Death Syndrome??

[That.pharm.chick]

I have 3 week old chicks that are barnyard mix and I started out with 10 and most of them just up and died tonight! They were all ok this morning when i fed them. When I came home from work, one was slumped in a corner and not with the other chicks. I picked him up and his feet were straight out like he was trying to stand tall. His balance was horrible and kept stumbling... The other one I found, well he wouldn't stand and his head was turned almost upside down... his feet were gripping my fingers like he was fighting, but his pupils had no response to light and his irises were gray... out of ten, 3 are doing ok and well. Any idea of what can this is to do to 3 week old chicks????

 

[Wishing4Wings]

I'm sorry to hear this. I am suspecting they may have Marek's virus. The stumbling and lack of leg control is a symptom as is the graying of the eyes.
Unfortunately there is no cure for Marek's.
Do you know if they were vaccinated?

This is a collection of information about the disease.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/the-great-big-giant-mareks-disease-faq.66077/

If it is Marek's, it is highly contagious, so if you have other birds, you need to keep them completely separate, and do not wear the same shoes or clothes near other birds.

 

[That.pharm.chick]

They were never vaccinated, I hatched them 3 weeks ago, they were my first chickens. I don't know where I would have picked it up from? They don't go outside of their coop since it has been too cold for them. Marek's is what I suspected too, but the time frame from infection to death doesn't seem to add up. From what I read it takes from 4-6 weeks for symptoms to appear? Some of their crops were either hard and full of food and some of the other crops were squishy but ballooned out. I should have included that in the first post. :/

 

[drumstick diva]

How sad. I have read over that "Marek's is everywhere. There was a Canadian breeder who said she bred it out of her flock by using survivors. But she "jumped ship," from BYC to Facebook, so can't get the details.

 

[Wishing4Wings]

They were never vaccinated, I hatched them 3 weeks ago, they were my first chickens. I don't know where I would have picked it up from? They don't go outside of their coop since it has been too cold for them. Marek's is what I suspected too, but the time frame from infection to death doesn't seem to add up. From what I read it takes from 4-6 weeks for symptoms to appear? Some of their crops were either hard and full of food and some of the other crops were squishy but ballooned out. I should have included that in the first post. :/

Wild birds carry it, so it is pretty much everywhere.
I thought the infection was early too, but there are some more virulent strains, and the gray iris odd... I've never heard of anything else causing that, although I am certainly no expert.

The squishy crops could be a secondary result of the disease as their bodies weaken.

 

[Wishing4Wings]

If it isn't Marek's, what else could it be?

Coccidiosis will kill young chicks quickly. Are you feeding medicated food?

Any other type of virus I know of tends to have symptoms such as sneezing or bubbly eyes or face swelling.

It could be some type of poisoning... mold or botulism. Check their food... does it smell good?

A serious nutrition problem or lack of water or chicks getting too cold... you probably have these basics covered, and it doesn't explain the symptoms.

Wry neck can sort of look like that, but it doesn't kill so quickly. It prevents them eating and they will starve.

I can't think of anything else.

 

[That.pharm.chick]

I'm not feeding them medicated food. They didn't have either of those symptoms of sneezing or anything. I'm continously giving them fresh water and they still have a heater to keep them warm. Fingers crossed it is not marek's. I get their feed from the local feed mill, I will have to double check it now that you said something. Thank you for the information! Hopefully I can find out the cause and stop it in it's tracks.

 

[Wishing4Wings]

Was reading through the giant Marek's link, and look at this...

Avian Encephalomyelitis is a disease that can cause paralysis in chickens. It can also affect turkeys, quail, pheasants and pigeons. Like Marek's, this disease can show up as birds losing coordination, leg paralysis and/or weakness, including sitting on the hocks, neck spasms, and tremors. This disease is mostly observed in chicks, under the age of three weeks. As chicks less than three weeks can not develop Marek's paralysis, be sure to investigate the possibility of Avian Encephalomyelitis if you experience these symptoms in young chicks. Read more: http://www.merckmanuals.com/vet/pou...itis/overview_of_avian_encephalomyelitis.html

 

[Wishing4Wings]

Also, not sure if you have free necropsy services in your state, but it might be worth finding out why they died. If you think you might want to send them in for testing, you should refrigerate the little corpses (not freeze) until you find the info on where and how to send them.
It is usually through an Agricultural Dept or a university program.

 

[getaclue]

What type of heat are you providing for them? Make sure the bulb you're using isn't covered with Teflon. Some of the ones for food service are, and should not be used with chicks. The Teflon coating emits a toxin to them.