Chicken bald back

[mimi5]

I can't believe it Monty I think has Mareks and also looking him over Northern fowl mite!! I am SO sad and cross with myself for not noticing!!! I haven't stopped crying and we are meeting the vet at the surgery shortly. Now I'm worrying for my girls.......can anyone offer any advice???? Please....

 

That'll teach me for thinking I was doing ok wont it.

[good_egg]

Oh you poor thing. Fingers crossed for good news at vets, let us know. Hugs

[zakjon-98]

Oh no Hope it goes ok. Fingers crossed

[mimi5]

So sadlly Monty had to be PTS. It was Mareks and he had Northern fowl mite. So I have a long day ahead of me, cleaning and disenfecting everything. I need to get a hold of some powder to douse the girls in and will of course throughly check them over!!!! I had been letting the "dust settle" after intros and siting the cube for the rest of the winter. So had been letting the pekins have minimal fuss and handling as to not stress them out any further, what with moulting etc. So cross with myself because not matter how hard I try to do the right thing it turns in to the wrong thing.

 

The vet was lovely and is looking in to the Mareks vaccine for the remaning 7 girls, who are at risk. If anyone in the essex area is interested in joining me please PM me. She wasn't sure how much it would be or how many it would be in a batch, but I feel I HAVE to have them vaccinated!!!!

 

Please if anyone has had experience of Northern fowl mite any advice gratefully recieved. The vet wants me to re-site the cube and burn the wood chip, which I don't feel I can do!!!! HELP!

 

Big hole in my day day now without my beautiful Mr Monty

 

RIP Mr Monty

[good_egg]

Oh no, so sorry to hear that. Don't be cross with yourself, you were doing the right thing for your chickens to settle and could never predict this. Does feel like the universe is out to get you sometimes! I think I read on here that dog shampoo was best thing for northern fowl mite, probably show up if you search, wasn't too long ago. Good luck with vaccine and your girls. Hugs

[daxigirl]

Oh you poor, poor, darlings. You must be heartbroken and very worried. Feeling for you as been in your position.

 

Virkon S is a powerful animal quality disinfectant and can be got in sachets for the coop etc. You may find that the mareks vaccine is only for day old chicks (sorry).

 

Ivermectin (Harkers got a pigeon on the front) can be used for the mite, it's unlicensed in the UK but other countries use it. You can also get another brand which is used for budgies etc but you'll need to do the weight conversion. (I've been using it on my lot after bringing Kazoo home from the auction riddled with lice, touch wood it got rid of them). I think a bantam is 2-3 drops under a wing on bare skin. Then repeat in a couple of weeks. It says about use while moulting so have a read. Hope this helps a little.

 

Big Hug.

Edited December 16, 2012 by Guest

[mimi5]

Daxigirl, don't be sorry I have no experience myslef. The vet suggested it? I'll wait and see what she says tomorrow.

 

So What should I do a full clean of the cube?? I did that on tues and didn't see anything!!!! I know it's a virus and Monty will have been laid low by the mites. I still can't believe it. I will miss him so much!

[daxigirl]

Try taking the side panels off (2 scews each side and lift up) as I find that bits of bedding get between the base and side and could be where the blighters have made a home. Just googled Nothern Fowl Mite and it says they live on the bird rather than the house but no harm in being sure.

 

Jeyes fluid diluted may also be an aldernative disinfectant to the Virkon mentioned above. Pets at Home or an aviary type place may have the Ivermectin.

Edited December 16, 2012 by Guest

[mimi5]

daxigirl can i ask did you lose many birds to Mareks?

[daxigirl]

Bigguns

 

Pebbles (post moult)

Dinky (start of egg laying)

Moomin (never quite right, poopy butt)

Dixie (crop troubles)

Tufty (misdiagnosed worm worries & treatment)

 

Littluns

Flossie Fluff Bum (Seahorse Syndrome then a Chill)

Smuts (unknown)

 

Bigguns and Littluns live in seperate abodes.

 

The () denotes what came first, then the mareks as secondary infection. Done an awful lot of reading about chicken ailments and treatments this year. All went to the vets (tried different ones to try and find a chicken one but not successful so far).

[mimi5]

Oh NO how sad, sorry for you too!!! Monty is my first to Mareks. Lost 2 girls earlier this year, impacted crop and a mystery illness. All went to the vets. Off to see what powder I can get from the feed shop and looked on line for the hakers stuff, will order tonight. Now worried about the girls. New girls Tilly and Polly in separate coop on the patio so should be ok. But big girls all together.

[Mrs_B]

Oh Mimi, I am so sorry to hear about Monty

 

I can't really offer any advice, other than what has been said, as I have no experience of Mareks. I had Blackhead and found Virkon was really useful disinfecting everything, including the coop and woodchip (I couldn't move my coops either, so it was easier disinfecting with Virkon and Stalosan).

 

I have my fingers crossed your lovely girls will all be OK. Huge hugs!

 

x

[zakjon-98]

Sorry to hear that Hope your others will be fine.

[Purplemaniacs]

So sorry to hear about Monty. What a shock for you.

 

I think I need to read up about Mareks, it sounds very worrying.

 

I hope your other girls are alright.

 

Chrissie

[Hayleybug]

oh no! what awful sad news, i cant imagine how bad you must feel but its certainly not your fault at all and you shouldnt blame yourself. seems that these things happen fairly often, which is pretty scarey when youre like me and worry about everything!

i hope your girls are ok, you are doing everything you can do. Im sure this stuff can get missed all the time even with regular handling, and my girls still wont let me pick them up so just going off behaviour myself for now.

RIP Mr Monty

[mollyripkim]

Oh I am so sorry for you and your little flock, but please don't blame yourself, these things happen unfortunately and made more difficult by the dark evenings. Difficult expensive time for you unless you can get some woodchip free, I wonder if a good dose of Stalostan or diatom powder would help kill anything in the woodchip.

Try not to let it out you off and think of all the lovely times in the summer with your girls. Sending hugs.

[mimi5]

Thanks everyone for all your support. I have virkon s'd the cube and anything else I could!!!! I put down a generous sprinkle of nettex sanitising powder in the run, brought all the girls in one by one for a through check over (much flapping and protesting!!!!) spray of scaly leg treatment (just in case!!) and a dusting with DE!!! There's NO sign of any lice at all on any of them which is weird as they were definitely crawling through poor Monty!!! Oh and they weren't northern fowl mite on further research, looks just to be lice.

 

So after a full on moult, at one point he didn't have any tail feathers, poor Monty seemed to be brought low by lice. So difficult to try and keep the birds stress free. I think the wood chip really stressed him out!!(for those of you who remember me siting the cube because of all the rain) That was about 3-4 weeks ago. But really he "seemed" fine yesterday, free ranging with the girls and eating out of my hand!!

 

Molly is in her moult still is the only girl I'm worried about, but I was worried about her already!! Thread bare, pale and subdued. But while I was on my OCD cleaning fest the girls were free ranging and guess what!! Yes already s"Ooops, word censored!"ping about who will top chook! That's why I came to have my lovely boy.

[Hayleybug]

Oh I am so sorry for you and your little flock, but please don't blame yourself, these things happen unfortunately and made more difficult by the dark evenings. Difficult expensive time for you unless you can get some woodchip free, I wonder if a good dose of Stalostan or diatom powder would help kill anything in the woodchip.

Try not to let it out you off and think of all the lovely times in the summer with your girls. Sending hugs.

yes i would definitely do this, with both stalosan and diatom, rake it through everything and then i would also dust the girls every night with diatom. hopefully that should build up and if you did it for a week on the girls and a couple of times through the woodchip this might get rid? maybe someone else can confirm...

also is there a way of using spot on type treatments as a preventative rather than a cure for the future? im sure ive seen something on here about using either harkermectin or some other spot on as a regular application?

[mimi5]

Yes thanks Hayleybug, going to try and research something as a preventative. bit difficult as it would seem most things are "not licensed for use on poultry"

[Hayleybug]

Yes thanks Hayleybug, going to try and research something as a preventative. bit difficult as it would seem most things are "not licensed for use on poultry"

yes, isnt that annoying? though i suppose it would all cost a huge amount more if the companies had to pay to licence it. hopefully someone who uses a preventative will pop on here and let us know for sure, as i would like to hear about it- seems to be the much easier option to be able to know that you have hopefully prevented it (like with the flea treatments for other animals i guess).

[mimi5]

My lovely Monty back in the summer...RIP Monty X

 

[suebee]

Oh mimi, I'm so sorry. I've only just found your post, after replying to you on mine. I can't believe how suddenly Mareks can appear to take a bird, but there's no doubt you were acting in the best interests of your birds, so do not blame yourself. Minimal handling, to avoid stress in your circumstances, was the logical way to go. What were the chances that blessed lice would be lurking? I would imagine though, he would have gone anyway, even with the lice noticed and treated. The main stress was probably the moulting.

 

I understand your fear for your other chooks who were in with him. (That's what I'm whittling about with mine.) Hopefully, they won't develop it. They may have built up a certain amount of resistance to it. The virus apparently lurks in the feather dander, and the constant removal of shed feathers during moulting, is advised. I am starting to think that by the time you realise you have a bird with Mareks, the damage to the rest of the flock (if any) will have been done. I think all you can do, is continue with a rigorous hygiene routine... as you are doing, and hope for the best.

 

My very best wishes to you mimi. x Rest in peace Monty. x

[mimi5]

Thanks suebee. Yes I only read today about the feather dander link!!! But have been really good about cleaning lately as the poor things spend SO much time in their coop!!! (poo smells wafting up not nice!) I aslo read today that chicks hatched under a broody seem to have a better resisitance and my 3 were. So after having 5 boys at one point this year I have none now!!! Life's funny like that! But atleast I do have 3 of his baby girls as a legagcy. May even contact the guy who took some of my boys and see if his hatching next year.......may get Monty's grandson.

 

Just going to be so sad tomorrow when he doesn't come down in the morning, he was ALWAYS first, except today.

[suebee]

I understand the next day sadness. The others' usual banter and activity, and their needs will bring you round. I'm still getting a lump in my throat though, missing Lizzie's presence, and her particular ways. How lovely to have Monty's babies to remember him by. A grandson would be perfect. x

[mimi5]

I guess the shock will lessen as time goes by, but it was so sudden. It was very obvious to me when I saw Monty what was wrong.

 

But 1st he just didn't come down....I panicked and thought "Oh no Monty's dead!" But actually he wasn't, but had the typical pose, leg thrown forward. His comb was blue tinged and his breathing laboured. Bless him he tried to go down the cube ladder and just sort of tumbled out. He was 18 months old and he had been a re-home to me a year ago.

 

The girls were a bit freaked, but by the afternoon Milly was after top chook role as Molly still moulting (and my next worry!) She was pecking anyone who looked at her the wrong way! Chickens move on, it takes us longer. How will I keep these girls in check without my Monty??? That was his job!