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Chookie Embra

What's killing my birds?

I have a cream legbar which I hatched myself a year ago. She's been laying good-sized blue eggs of late. However, a few days ago she presented lame- her left leg. I examined her foot and leg and could find no cause. The lameness increased daily till today her toes are immobile and she appears to have lost all control of the limb and foot. Strangest thing, though, is that a bantam which shares her roost is this morning lame too and in what appears to be the same condition. An epidemic of lameness? Who ever heard of such a thing! Does anyone know what this might be and a possible cure? I fear it might be something attacking the nervous system.
chez

Do they also show signs of paralysis on the same-side wing? Whether they do or not yet, it could be Mareks. You need to isolate the two that are showing symptoms right away; and if they get worse and it IS Mareks, you need to cull them - there is no cure.

When you have moved them out of the flock, clean out and disinfect the hen-house with as hard-a core disinfectant as you can find. It is a virus that is spread through feather dander and is very infectious.

Some of your birds will have resistance to it and they will survive.
Chookie Embra

Thanks, Chez. Mareks had crossed my mind. Last year a sister of this bird developed Mareks-like symptoms and had to be culled. She quickly became very unsteady and her neck appeared twisted to one side. This bird simply couldn't- note past tense- do anything with its left leg and foot. None of the brown hybrids seem affected, though they use a different hut. The ground they occupy in summer was used for chickens many years ago- like 25 but I think I've heard that Mareks takes ages to go. This is the Perthshire Poultry hut I bought on eBay from a local bloke. It certainly had red mite; it may have had Mareks as well. Maybe a lesson there.
chez

I believe it can hang around for a while - but cold is supposed to kill it.

I've got it going through my growers at the moment; I think it probably comes in with the wild birds and pheasants, like a lot of things. Mine aren't developing a twisted neck, but they lose flexibility and seem to almost pull the head in like a turtle. Death follows quite quickly; and it's only the progeny of a couple of hens I bought in last year that have developed it. It's interesting, in a really macabre kind of way.

Your hybrids are probably vaccinated for it, if you bought them in from somewhere - it's the most common thing people vaccinate for. It's possibly they could be carrying it, but not showing symptoms, and have given it to the others Sad.

What about their pupils? People say that the pupils stop reacting to light; but I've never noticed myself.

I'd clean the coop out with Jeyes or even Virkon, just to be sure.
Chookie Embra

I'll report any interesting developments. And I'll get some Virkon forthwith.
Woodburner

Head drawn in, is something that I associate with cocci. Question
I had a couple die of (probable) Marek's early this year, one had a twisted neck, the other was just a bit droopy, but went off her feed. It's very variable.
Prior to use this year, (and after the MD) I cleaned all the broody coops with a liberal application of Jeyes diluted as per instructions, and, touch wood, none of the birds that have been raised in them are showing any signs of any illness let alone Marek's.
Ironically, I have had a couple of chicks with twisty necks, but they hadn't even been outside. I suspect vaulted skulls are the cause in their cases, but I don't think that applies to Chookie Embra's hens.
chez

Yes, me too, Woodburner - but this is very definitely Mareks and progresses in to the typical paralysis symptoms.
Rita

Hi not sure but is that a reportable disease.
Bodger

No.
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