GlicksChicks
Crowing
I have 2 chickens in question. One is a Polish, hatched November 10, 2024. The other is a BYM hatched on Halloween of 2024 by a broody hen. The Polish live in a breeding pen, the BYM lived in my mixed ranging flock and hardly come into contact.
The Polish was noticeably acting off on the 17th of this month. She was quiet and just didn't care to eat or drink.
After bringing her inside she quickly went downhill and couldn't stand anymore. Her legs were not patalyzed, she just stopped knowing how to move them correctly. When she is sat down she hops up like one of those popper toys and then lands hard on the ground, so I have had her in a box wrapped up in a towel.
She has been gasping and her eyes have been closed. Her eyes are also a little weepy. When I listen to her chest for breathing I don't hear anything off though.
Her poop is very liquidy, but that could also partially be from her being syringe fed liquified feed.
Last night after administering some Corid, Vitamins, ACV, and Honey, she half stood, which is more than she has done since she went down. She was also able to hold her head up for a bit. This morning she is back to how she was.
(Polish hen half standing)
The other pullet in question was perfectly fine not long before supper. I went out to feed them supper and she was wobbly on her feet when trying to get to the feed, but she could stand and walk. She walked herself into the coop from being outside. I picked her up and held her and she was skinny. She was not skinny sometime before, I feel alot of my birds often just to do weight assessments.
Once I brought her in, she went downhill fast. She quickly became unable to use her feet and would just lay down.
(The girl laying when I got her in.)
I syringe fed her the same Corid cocktail, but not much because she wouldn't let me. Maybe got a couple drops and that's it. I didn't want to stress her too much.
I put her in a dog crate and not long after my father in law told me she was moving around in there. I went to check and she was stiffened up.
(The hen stiffened up, mostly unresponsive but alive.)
I then heard her myself moving around maybe 5 minutes later. She was clearly seizing. I could hear flapping and bumping and when I came in she would be stiffened/shaking a little and in a new position. She done that 5 or 10 minutes after that time as well and that time I found her on her back. I put her in a box and wrapped her snug in a towel to calm the seizing and prevent injuries.
Then after coming in the room again not long after, her neck was cocked back, but she was still alive. I could see little tremors goung through her body, and any attempt to straighten her neck resulted in it going back to the cocked position.
(The neck position of the girl.)
I then went into my kitchen to find what I could to help her, as well as messaging a poultry friend for help. I decided to try straight syringing her vitamins. I was in the kitchen for 5 minutes or so. I went back into the room to syringe feed her, and she was dead and already stiff. Which was odd because birds usually are limp when they just die.
I done a necropsy on her since it was so late. I found a white mass on her heart and the tube that feeds into the heart seemed closed up. Her poo was just liquid. Her crop and gizzard were empty, except for grit in the gizzard. Her insides smelled like fish and poo. Other than that, her organs were fine, liver was very healthy, so was the gizzard and intestines. No signs of internal parasites either, even when cutting open the intestines.
(Heart with the white mass)
Please help me find out what is going on. I feel that the quick death in the one pullet and no paralysis somewhat rules out Mareks, but I have never experienced anything like that. I am coming up blank.
And with poultry, everything seems to have the same symptoms. My suspicion is maybe they found some moldy food somewhere because it has been raining alot, and chickens are very messy and will get feed into crevices.
I purchased some test kits from Research Associates Laboratory at 1 in the morning last night to do testing on birds. I don't know how long it will take to get here. Anyone know? I'm in Texas.
The Polish was noticeably acting off on the 17th of this month. She was quiet and just didn't care to eat or drink.
After bringing her inside she quickly went downhill and couldn't stand anymore. Her legs were not patalyzed, she just stopped knowing how to move them correctly. When she is sat down she hops up like one of those popper toys and then lands hard on the ground, so I have had her in a box wrapped up in a towel.
She has been gasping and her eyes have been closed. Her eyes are also a little weepy. When I listen to her chest for breathing I don't hear anything off though.
Her poop is very liquidy, but that could also partially be from her being syringe fed liquified feed.
Last night after administering some Corid, Vitamins, ACV, and Honey, she half stood, which is more than she has done since she went down. She was also able to hold her head up for a bit. This morning she is back to how she was.
(Polish hen half standing)
The other pullet in question was perfectly fine not long before supper. I went out to feed them supper and she was wobbly on her feet when trying to get to the feed, but she could stand and walk. She walked herself into the coop from being outside. I picked her up and held her and she was skinny. She was not skinny sometime before, I feel alot of my birds often just to do weight assessments.
Once I brought her in, she went downhill fast. She quickly became unable to use her feet and would just lay down.
(The girl laying when I got her in.)
I syringe fed her the same Corid cocktail, but not much because she wouldn't let me. Maybe got a couple drops and that's it. I didn't want to stress her too much.
I put her in a dog crate and not long after my father in law told me she was moving around in there. I went to check and she was stiffened up.
(The hen stiffened up, mostly unresponsive but alive.)
I then heard her myself moving around maybe 5 minutes later. She was clearly seizing. I could hear flapping and bumping and when I came in she would be stiffened/shaking a little and in a new position. She done that 5 or 10 minutes after that time as well and that time I found her on her back. I put her in a box and wrapped her snug in a towel to calm the seizing and prevent injuries.
Then after coming in the room again not long after, her neck was cocked back, but she was still alive. I could see little tremors goung through her body, and any attempt to straighten her neck resulted in it going back to the cocked position.
(The neck position of the girl.)
I then went into my kitchen to find what I could to help her, as well as messaging a poultry friend for help. I decided to try straight syringing her vitamins. I was in the kitchen for 5 minutes or so. I went back into the room to syringe feed her, and she was dead and already stiff. Which was odd because birds usually are limp when they just die.
I done a necropsy on her since it was so late. I found a white mass on her heart and the tube that feeds into the heart seemed closed up. Her poo was just liquid. Her crop and gizzard were empty, except for grit in the gizzard. Her insides smelled like fish and poo. Other than that, her organs were fine, liver was very healthy, so was the gizzard and intestines. No signs of internal parasites either, even when cutting open the intestines.
(Heart with the white mass)
Please help me find out what is going on. I feel that the quick death in the one pullet and no paralysis somewhat rules out Mareks, but I have never experienced anything like that. I am coming up blank.
And with poultry, everything seems to have the same symptoms. My suspicion is maybe they found some moldy food somewhere because it has been raining alot, and chickens are very messy and will get feed into crevices.
I purchased some test kits from Research Associates Laboratory at 1 in the morning last night to do testing on birds. I don't know how long it will take to get here. Anyone know? I'm in Texas.
