Pekin tipping over

debbieo4914 · **Posted:** Wed Dec 26, 2007 8:33 pm

Hi everyone,

I have a little black pekin pullet, about 8-10 weeks old who has been fine until the last week or so, when she has started to seem a bit unbalanced when moving around.

I know pekins are supposed to have a forward tilt, however when she goes too fast on uneven ground she actually falls forward onto her face. Whenever she stops moving she rests back on her hocks (squats).

Other than this she seems fine - eating, drinking, playing in the dirt. She has a special little cuckoo cockerel who stays by her side and keeps her company.

I've looked at her feet and felt her legs and everything seems okay (to me, anyway). I thought maybe she was just too feathery, but it seems more than that now.

Could it be rickets? They are fed a white grain mix of wheat, oats, barley and corn with lucerne meal (just moved off chick starter) and free-range so have access to bugs, worms etc. I also provide grit and some fruit/vegie scraps for them, and they have had grain bread soaked in milk once a week or so, as well as hard-boiled eggs (mashed) about once a week.

Any suggestions?

Deb

cammochick · **Posted:** Thu Dec 27, 2007 3:07 am

hi, im no chicken, expert, but i have the exact same thing, mine started out fine, and then she got all unbalanced and does the same as yours, it thought maybe the feathery feet as im new to pekins, but she has got worse over the weeks, and has no balance or control at all, she totally falls over and one foot ends up near her head and the other way back behind her. Ive gone by the help others here gave me, and think that mine has ricketts. Ive got her on a good diet and shes fattening up, but she certainly has a long long way to go as for ever walking again, they say ricketts comes good. I look at my poor girl and think i doubt thats possible , but shes eating and drinking on her own and seems fine apart from falling over. Hope this has helped..............it definetley sounds exactly how mine started out.
Id like to know what causes the ricketts, cause mine was perfect before .

debbieo4914 · **Posted:** Thu Dec 27, 2007 5:56 am

Thanks for the reply cammochick. I'm going to start her on the calcium/vitamin D supplements and see if she comes good. Her name is "Shiny" and she is a real cutie and favourite of the kids, so I don't want to lose her.

Deb

hijo · **Joined:** Sat Aug 26, 2006 12:24 pm **Posts:** 33

Sorry Cammochick
but the symptoms you are describing with your bird (I know this is Debbie's post ...but....) the legs in each direction sounds very like Mareks
the birds are exposed as young chicks and many dont die ...you dont see the effects of the disease till they are older and the tumors begin to cause coordination and gradually kill the bird....when my birds have had ricketts both their legs have been directly out in front not split (Back Front).

Debbie:
Can you get your hands on some Turkey starter?
If you can get your Girl back on this Mixed with some Codliver oil, and boiled egg...get some electrolytes into her water (human ones are fine...have used gatorade and powerade before)
Keep a close eye on her for respiratory, quite often it will come on the bird as a secondary infection....

Hope she improves

Heidi

debbieo4914 · **Posted:** Thu Dec 27, 2007 9:08 am

Thanks heijo - I'll do this as well. What is the respiratory infection a secondary infection of?

And is the turkey starter for high protein?

Thanks.

Deb

hijo · **Joined:** Sat Aug 26, 2006 12:24 pm **Posts:** 33

The respiratory can come on as a secondary infection to the Ricketts
their immune system is compromised so the bird can be suseptable.

The turkey starter is higher in protein than the pellets and chick starter, the codliver oil is high in Vitamin D

Heidi

cammochick · **Posted:** Thu Dec 27, 2007 11:14 pm

sorry i deb i know this is your post , but im really concerned now that someone has suggested my pekins sounds like mariks. ive researched it, and ive read its contagious DID I READ THAT RIGHT , could my other chickens get it, ??????????????????????? she did start out exactly the same as deb has described, but she has got worse, yet she loves her food and water, she will sit there in her weird kind of way, but then when she gets all flusted she falls everywhere and sometimes she can end up on her side , but face first and legs everywhere, , then i prop her back up and she continues on to eat and drink. oh i wish i could post a short video on what shes doing , now im really concerned.

debbieo4914 · **Posted:** Fri Dec 28, 2007 8:14 am

Is there any way to post short videos? Maybe you can email it to somebody in the forum with some experience who is willing to have a look. I would offer but I obviously don't know what I'm looking at! :oops:

Anybody else out there?

My little girl shouldn't have Marek's as she was vaccinated at 12 hours of age (most of the others were a few weeks old).

Unfortunately, you don't often find out about all of these diseases until AFTER you have brought home lovely new creatures and become attached to them.

Did you lose another of your pekins with the same symptoms, cammochick?

Deb

Peacocks Australia · **Joined:** Wed Jan 02, 2002 9:14 am **Posts:** 310755

Hi Deb, unfortunately, in this case seeing Photos or Video wouldn't help with the diagnosis

We have the function for Video in the Gallery, but will have to check with I.T.

Thanks
P.A :lol:

debbieo4914 · **Posted:** Fri Dec 28, 2007 8:59 am

No worries PA. Thanks for the input.

Deb.

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