HELP!!! Chicks shaking head and then passing away!

[spiderpolice77]

I have chicks that are 8days old and are successively shaking their heads, getting lethargic and then dieing. At first it was just my silkie bantams and I thought it was cause they were small and didn't take the journey well, but now I just lost an Easter egger and it looks like another is starting to shake it's head, is this a respiratory disease? WHat can I give the chicks? Some of them had pasty vent when they arrived, so I am feeding them 50/50 rolled oats that have been blended in the blender with medicated chick starter plus some gravel. I am also giving them "vital pack" water soluble vitamins.

 

[PoultryGirly]

Do they have wood chips for bedding???

 

[spiderpolice77]

Yes, could they have impacted crops or mites from it? One of my chick's crop felt a little hard and I massaged it....hope that didn't make things worse....

 

[spiderpolice77]

I did not give them wood chips as bedding until they were 5 days old.

 

[leadwolf1]

If they were five days old, I doubt if the bedding is the cause. Unfortunately, I don't have any advice to give.

 

[spiderpolice77]

Should I medicate them with additional medicine? I am already giving medicated feed. I listened to breathing of the chicks who are showing symptoms and I hear a rhythmic crackle, but it sounds more like the crop at work.

 

[spiderpolice77]

I have lost 5 out of 20 and they all have had the head shaking thing before they died.

 

[leadwolf1]

I would start them on Duramycin.

 

[spiderpolice77]

Found this on www.avianweb.com

Gallid herpesvirus 1 Also known as Infectious Laryngotracheitis or LT: Gallid herpesvirus 1 (GaHV-1) (also known as Avian herpesvirus 1)is a virus of the family Herpesviridae that causes avian infectious laryngotracheitis. It was originally recognized as a disease of chickens in the United States in 1926. The disease also occurs in pheasants.[2] GaHV-1 is shed in respiratory secretions and transmitted by droplet inhalation. A previously unexposed flock will develop cases for two to eight weeks following introduction. The incubation period is two to eight days.[1] Symptoms include coughing, sneezing, head shaking, lethargy, discharge from the eyes and nostrils (sometimes bloody), and difficulty breathing. The name comes from the severe inflammation of the larynx and trachea. A diphtheritic membrane may form in the trachea, causing obstruction. Mortality is typically less than 15 percent. A vaccine is available, but it does not prevent latent infections. The disease is usually refered to as Infectious laryngotracheitis or simply LT in the poultry industry. It is widely viewed as one of the most contagious viruses that affect the poultry industry. A confirmed case will usually result in the establishment of a quarantine zone around the farm. Inside this quarantine zone, poultry workers will avoid poultry farms to prevent the spread of the virus.

 

[heatherscooby77]

Give them an antibiotic called Tylan, you can buy the injectable at TSC. Give them .25cc orally, 2 days later repeat. Put Vet RX under there wings at full strength (one small drop). If its viral, it will help the chicks by making sure they don't get a bacterial infection. If its bacterial, it should make it go away after the two doses.

Remember the med Tylan is an injectable, you would need to buy some needles and syringes to get it out of the bottle, remove needle, use the med as a drench directly into there mouth. Massage there throat until they swallow. .25 cc is a very small dose, they should not aspirate.

Good Luck! Keep us posted.