4m x 3m Omlet pen, cube, new auto door still boxed and coop light

[Griffin]

Wally is an 11 week old Welsummer X that I hatched myself from a pot luck batch of Ebay eggs. I've never had any problems with any of the chicks that hatched, he is one of six. Last Thursday they moved to a bigger coop and run and they now live with five 8 week old Light Sussex & Leghorn growers. A few minor squabbles but everyone settled in well to their new accommodation on the grass. All are eating well, growing at the speed of light and seem happy & healthy.

 

Wally seemed a bit quiet on Sunday night. I was sat outside with them so they could have supervised free ranging time. There was nothing I could put my finger on but he just wasn't himself. Yesterday morning he seemed a bit lame on one leg. Again he was quieter than usual but his appetite seemed ok, he wolfed down some hard boiled egg at lunch time and spent some time pottering about. By the time they went to bed he didn't appear to be limping anymore but he wasn't keen to spend too long up and about, he wanted to lay down.

 

When I opened the coop door this morning he didn't appear. I thought I'd find him dead but he wasn't, he was just laying down inside. I've got him up, he's not limping today but neither has he much inclination to do anything. He's had a drink and has flopped down in a sunny corner of the run.

 

Any ideas?

[jos]

I'm afraid I haven't any advice but I do hope Wally is better now.

J

[theherd123]

When did Wally last have a good feed?

Does the crop feel full in the evening and empty in the morning?

 

If the crop isnt really full at all then you need to encourage Wally to eat.

 

In terms of Wally being off his legs, is this the first sign that something is wrong or has he walked in a strange way before now, been reluctant to move, does he run for corn etc?

 

It might help to add a little more calcium into the chooks diet either using limestone flour or a liquid calcium supplement and throw some extra oyster shell about.

 

If he is still lethargic in a days time i think you will need to take him to the vet to get him checked over professionally.

 

Keep us posted on his progress and i hope he improves soon

[Griffin]

I first noticed he wasn't right on Sunday. No definite symptoms, just not my bull in a china shop Wally. The limping started yesterday but was replaced with just all over weakness in the evening. Still been wobbly all day. Not keen on eating chick crumb or growers pellets but has wolfed down cat food, raspberries, spinach and some corn. His crop wasn't full tonight when he went to bed but it wasn't empty either. I've been with him most of the day, encouraging him to eat and drink. He managed to sprint albeit wobbly to get some corn but for much of the day he's been laying down.

 

He's not been ill before or shown any lameness. He's always been so big and strong.

[theherd123]

TBH i think getting a vet to check him over would be the best thing now as they can rule out any other underlying problems.

 

Also i would totally cut out the fruit, cat food and other treats. Crumbs and pellets should be a chooks staple daily diet and im not surprised he is refusing them if the other food is always on offer. Would a child pick cabbage over chocolate?

 

Wally will learn to like crumbs & pellets and he wont starve himself so dont worry.

[Griffin]

He doesn't normally get treats but for the past two days he hasn't wanted crumb or pellets, hence why I've tried filling him up with other things. He's lost weight since the weekend and he was a gangly thing to begin with.

 

He's no better and no worse today. Still prefers to lie down but has been a good boy and eaten chick crumb this morning. He's got an appointment with an avian specialist tomorrow morning.

[jos]

good luck with wally's visit to the vet...

J

[Griffin]

Wally is home. It's either one of three things and the outcome isn't good for any of them. Top of the list is Leukosis, a virus that causes cancerous tumours, and Wallys are likely to be in his nervous system, the tumours will spread and Wally will die (or be helped along the way). Possibly Mareks but unlikely as that doesn't normally show itself until 5 or 6 months of age. The third possibility is poisoning from some kind of metal. Treatment for that is surgical removal of the offending foreign body plus a course of anti-dote injections. Even without surgery if there was any metal in him he would initially improve after one injection but then get ill again as it wore off. Metal would show up on an xray but the cheapest option was one injection to see if it made a difference. If it does and Wally improves then that's what it is but I don't think Wally is physically strong enough to withstand surgery.

 

Between all the chicks they've destroyed about five feeders by dismantling them and throwing the nuts and bolts far and wide. I'm yet to find one they cannot break. So it is possible Wally has a piece of metal lodged in his gizzard. The vet still thinks it's probably Leukosis though.

 

So basically, unless a miracle occurs, Wally is going to die.

[Ain't Nobody Here]

Oh no, I'm sorry to hear that . Poor Wally .

[shtw00724]

I'm sorry Wally's prognosis may not sound good but don't give up hope. Hope the little fella pulls through.

[theherd123]

Oh no, im so sorry that the prognosis isnt good

[BeckyBoo]

Just my two penneth and I'm not expert but mine have destroyed two feeders (lost those wing-nut thingys) and haven't become ill, I can't imagine that being it. He shouldn't really be on chick crumb now just the growers pellets (mashed up if he won't eat them) maybe his diet isn't balanced - if he's a bit of a gannet and eats as little of the good stuff as he can then stuffs himself on just worms and grubs and corn and treats maybe he's anaemic (sp) or generally under-nourished. I'd be inclined to cut out everything except growers pellets and grit, with a small amount of corn (very small) late in the afternoon. I appreciate he's at the vets now, but mine aren't experts either and they (with the very best of intentions) completely mis-diagnosed one of mine a few weeks ago. So what I'm really saying is don't give up hope, it might be leukosis, but it really might not. Unless the symptoms are VERY specific it's really really hard to tell with chooks exactly what's wrong.

 

Anyway, sorry if I sound patronising or just plain stupid - not intentional and fingers and everything else crossed for Wally

 

BeckyBoo

[Griffin]

The vet he saw yesterday is a very very good avian specialist who was recommended to me by somebody on here. I really can't fault the advice given and the way he treated Wally. It's my usual vets who are useless with chickens so it was a relief to find there was actually a vet nearby who knew his stuff.

 

One of the first things he asked was what Wally has been fed on and I explained I use A&P Smallholder for all my chooks. Wally started off on chick crumb, moved onto growers pellets and the only reason he had access to crumb again recently was because the big chicks & little chicks all moved in together and the little chicks were still being weaned onto growers. He said that wasn't the problem, it had been an excellent diet. The only reason Wally has had extras this week is because he wasn't eating anything, was loosing weight rapidly and I'd rather get something into him than nothing at all, it's not a case of Wally cherry picking, it's keeping him alive. Today he's been eating growers pellets but like with everything else this week it's because I've been sat with him holding the food infront of him. He is very unsteady on his feet and isn't really eating voluntarily, preferring to eat laying down.

 

There's been no improvement yet in his condition. He spent the morning laying in the run and this afternoon he's under his favourite tree at the top of the garden watching the world go by. It's so hard to know when to call it a day.

[Ain't Nobody Here]

Poor Wally .

[BeckyBoo]

What a shame, at least you now you've done everything you can and he's been seen by someone who really knows their stuff. Still got my fingers crossed that he picks up

 

BeckyBoo

[Griffin]

My boy has gone.

[Ain't Nobody Here]

I'm so sorry . RIP Wally .

[Seagazer]

I'm so sorry.

[jos]

so sorry about Wally