People with sick chicks from McMurray

LOL, ROFL If I knew what all that lingo meant I'd probably be laughing harder haha

This message was edited Apr 2, 2008 2:45 PM

Hi kathy_ann! You can start a new thread--or do what I do, which is just hit the "end" button on my computer which takes you to the bottom of the thread. Then you just "page up" a couple times. Saves a lot of time.

I wouldn't worry about what the vet said. Just take the results and run with them. I think it may be the chick with the "rare scattered monoclear cell foci in the cerebellar molecular layer in the folia", since that would affect movement and balance. I think sending a little note to MMH (along with a copy of the postive test for AE), saying how sad you are that you lost a beautiful chick you were really counting on to AE and are afraid you may lose the rest of your flock, may get a response. They do need to know just how savvy their customers are and that they will not just accept chick mortality as "business as usual". I wouldn't mention the calcium deficiency--it would just confuse things.

Or if its all just to distressing, you can just wait and see how your chicks do over the next few weeks, and if their fine--just forget the whole thing. I personally could do either and feel good.

Hum, you must have read my edited post ha? LOL

I did ask if it was reportable and he said no. he also called me back and said I had 2 with AE not one. and that he'll take no part in any kind of problems I have with MM I called mm and told them, they definitely are NOT denying the AE did exsist. they had their chickens vacinated. they think they have control over it now, and that I didnt' need to send in a copy of my report.

They think all my birds should be fine.

that switch in feed and vitamin water really helped them get well.

Glad the chicks are doing better. I didn't have trouble, I guess because I bought fertilized chick eggs locally and hatched them in my incubator. I also hatched ducks, keets, and turkeys.
After their feather fluff was dry and they were able to move around, they began to eat and drink. That's the reason I thought 3 days seemed a long time for the shipped chicks to go w/o. The boxes were near my area at our postal distribution ctr. They peeped constantly for 6 to 7 hours I guess they didn't know they were supposed to be sleeping.

You feed your chicks yogurt? I hadn't thought of that... that helps
with the calcium I guess?

Tam

Someone else told me about that. They love it. I try to get the plain yogurt

I used it years ago when I had chicks. They loved it!

MollyD

OK, kathy_ann, somewhere SC posted about what to do about chicks that are carriers. i am thinking you just need to vaccinate the others, then all your flock will be protected. i know at some point they will be out with your big girls, and you don't want them to catch it and then hatch out a chick...

i am really proud of you for doing the right thing. no, the state doesn't have to DO anything about it, but at least they know, you know, we know. MMH already knew. they did give you a refund for the lost chicks, right? i would include the ones you took in for testing as lost, and any that appear stunted as well.

You are an honest gal and a real animal lover, and your remaining chicks are happy to have you as their ChickenMama!

Please do me a favor and post in the info thread i started, just to list that you had two chicks confirmed with it in your state from MMH. I think people deserve to know the truth. And so many out there never saw this forum or knew what to do to help their chicks... and blamed themselves. We owe it to the rest of the community to share the information we have.

Many hugs to you!
tf

Well how quickly things can change - I noticed that my two little seramas, frizzle and shnizzle (who are both 4 weeks, 3 days old) both came down with the AE symptoms yesterday. They are both worse today and can not get to food or water on their own. They will drink like crazy if you get them near the water, same other symptoms as the other chicks. I also had to put down one of my BR bantams that was 3 weeks old, as he came down with it four days ago. The BR are the youngest chicks that were in with the sick MMH chicks - all the newer chicks have been segregated so should not be infected.

Who out there knows how long I will need to wait before my two batches of chicks can be together? If I understand this correctly, a sick chick that survives should only be contagious for a certain time frame? At what age are chicks old enough that they will not develop symptoms (or die) if exposed?

It's odd but my other seramas that have been in there with the MMH chicks from the start, and which are from a different breeder than these two, have been fine except for one that got sick with the MMH chicks. Maybe those breeders had immune parents and this breeder did not?

I think you're right that natural immunity, probably because their parents were vaccinated, is the cause for some being exposed but not infected. I don't think these could spread the AE since they wouldn't be shedding virus. I think the sick chicks/chickens are infectious for about 3 weeks--the problem now is you have secondary infections and it is hard to keep track of who might be infectious but not yet symptomatic and who is truly resistant. I would keep the exposed population quarentined for at least a month.

I don't know how old chickens have to be to be able to tolerate infection with only mild symptoms. It is consistantly reported that chickens with the infection may have a decrease in egg production as the only symptom--which suggests that a pullet from point of lay onward is probably okay--4-5 months? But you wouldn't want to hatch their eggs until they had been safe from infection for several months. You think?

really saddened to read this.

the virus is inthe poo for 4 weeks.

i don't recall the incubation period. yes, vaccinated parents or parents that had it and got natural antibodies before developing the egg, would pass on that immunity. the only way to be sure is to start vaccinating ALL your flock.

SC posted some great info on it. it is detailed, but should answer all your questions. may be in this thread or the one aobut goats, or you boutlism thread, or my AEV thread.

sCOTT, wish i had time to search it out for you.

i hope everyone else who has had AE chicks reamins aware and watches their other chicks for symptoms. and PLEASE CONTINUE TO QUARANTINE!

TF

Hi TamaraFaye! When you say it is in the poo for 4 weeks--do you mean from the point of infection (that is, are chicks from infected eggs shedding virus before they show symptoms and then 4 weeks total)? Or for 4 weeks after they have become symptomatic, if they survive?

well, that is a great question! i think i mean that after the chick has survived it will still pass the virus for four weeks in it's poo. but possibly i misunderstood, and what that actually means is the contaminated poo from the sick chicks will have a live virus in it for 4 weeks before it dies off with out a host.

i think either way, folks would be smart to isolate, clean, quarantine, and KNOW THE SYMPTOMS.

i will be happy to find that post from SilkieChick and recheck my facts.... when i get back online. i have had an unusually busy day LOL

tf

tf how did it go in court if you don't mind my asking?

MollyD

I believe I read that the AE does not threaten the life of the chics after they
are 6wks old. I'm so sorry to hear you are going through another round!

Maineiac - are the chicks that are getting sick this time from MMH or ones
you added after you got the MMH chicks? If the latter, how long were they
together?

The latest round of chicks are seramas which I hatched out and had together with the MM chicks before they became symptomatic. They have been together since the day they were hatched which was 3/5 (3 days after the MM chicks arrived). Sad to say that Frizzle has gone to that big chicken coop in the sky. I returned hame from a wrestling meet today and found him buried in the shavings. Schnizzle can't keep her head up and she is weakly peeping and trembling. Now one of my older seramas (that survived round one of AE) is getting sick, but may not be AE symptoms. She is three days older than the MM chicks, and has been with them since the start.
I half expect my segregated chicks to start getting sick any day. The oldest of these chicks have been here 15 days, the younger ones have been here 10 days.

oh, why did it have to be firzzle and schnizzle! prepare for the worst and hope for the best!

how did the meet go?

Thanks for asking TF - John won first place (again!). That was his 3rd win in the tournaments, plus he won the state title at 75#. He really had a great season. Glad it is over, because Little League practices started this past week.

I am hopeful that this will be the last of the sick chicks.

me too. i want everyone to go back to enjoying their chicks instead of constantly watching for symptoms and having to deal with the virus and the outcome thereof...

i figured he won, just had to ask!

Well, so my query is; has anyone received anymore sick chicks from Murray, or has it subsided? I have chicks coming from them the first week of June, so just wondering.

ordered chicks and recieved them this past sunday from MM. I was going to cancel reading everything so I called MM asked them with what was going on about AE, they were very very nice, infact they called to update me on everything before they delivered, gave them the ok to send them. The lady that called, her name was Pat. She was very understanding and handled the situation very professonally.They all arrived very healthy,active and all alive! They are so funny just running everywhere and scratching. I have had sick chicks. Im happy I ordered from there.

Hi Lobee, I wondered how long you've had them--then I see you got them Sunday. Is that the 13th?
Glad they are doing so well.

oh, dear Lobee, where did your sick ones come from? glad those are good so far...

I just wanted to up date on my chicks. All are doing wonderful. and the second batch that I had them in with never did get sick. Their all together now and getting bigger every day.

Seems their loosing feathers, maybe the heat lamps causing molt. but seems they have knats, I'm going to get some diatamacious earth and let them use it as a dusting box. S o hopefully that will clear things up if I have mites or something. I saw someo f them with nothing under their backs of their wings, no feathers.

just thought i would mention, if anyone does talk to MMH on the phone again, ask why their CS dept has never responded to any of the complaints in the Garden Watchdog. DG has contacted their rep, but there is no response.

it is too bad that so many people have had to go through this horror. maybe we are naive, and it is just not uncommon for this to happen with a hatchery...

and we have all learned the valubable lesson about finding local breeders for quality birds...

kathy, glad to hear a good report!

Nope mine are not sick but very active and so funny! Yes I did recieve them sun and they were very healthy. No pasting. Im a newbe at this and I greatly enjoy it!

hi Lobee, sure you have a lot of questions, as we all do when we get our first chicks. there are tons of answers in this forum, plus many great folks to help you. if you click on Poultry and Livestock link at top, then scroll down to the VERY bottom, you will see a place to start your very own thread wherre you can ask questions and post pictures and share your joy with others... we'd rather not keep popping this sick chick thread up unless and until there are updates ON SICK CHICKS. so many people were badly affected, and it is a heartsickening topice for us all, thanks, tamarafaye...

yup i do see that this is a sick chick thread, I just want to let the people know that are wondering about their future orders ( like on the other thread) if they should cancel it due to sick chicks. I just want to bring it to attention that not every order has sick chicks but yup if I talk about any other subject, I will post a new thread. also yes this group is very useful information and learned a lot off it!

nice cut and paste job there. now since YOU don't have any sick chicks, or any sick chick experinece, will you kindly LEAVE THESE THREADS BE?

TamaraFaye, I don't want to stir the pot anymore, but this is the second thread that I have seen you verbally thrash Lobee. I know it can be somewhat annoying when someone pops in a thread and talks about a different topic, but I think you might just be over-reacting a tad. We are just talking about chickens, not solving the climate crisis or gas prices, just chickens. I don't want to sound like a donkey's behind, but if you reread what you wrote, well, it's kinda rude hun.

The rudeness was necessary, and i do apologize if it offended anyone other than who it was intended... I was alerted by other DGers that Lobee seemed suspicious and i agreed, and took action. But you are very nice in the way you express yourself, always, and i appreciate that from you. There is no pot to be stirred ^_^ Lobee was a fake and is gone now.

♥tf

Okie-Dokie, glad everything is alright then, ; ) Oh, and thanks for the kind comment : 0 )

A fake huh? If this thread is for sick chicks well your sure wasting space! If I so fake ill take pictures of my chicks and show you,but frankly i dont see any reason I showed show that im a fake. Your wierd,one weird person who is on the computer to much.