My baby chick can't stand up. Is it Marek's disease? What should I do?

It sounds as it could have been a viral disease, possibly Newcastle disease or Marek disease, either way it's probably very contagious, you need to disinfect and clear the area completely before bringing in any other chickens or birds.

Thanks for reaching out about Chika and including photos. First thought is the bitten toes were an access site for bacteria that settled in the joints or the trauma of the bites allowed a sub-clinical infection to manifest. Mycoplasma gallinaceum is a common joint infection in thickens. A veterinary visit is recommended to assess and provide a diagnostic/treatment plan. Warm compresses on the joints can help lower the swellings. Good luck.

If Sugar hasn't improved with 2 weeks of confinement I would suggest a vet visit to one that sees chickens. Make sure that her foot isn't swollen or any ulcers that may be bumblefoot. Other possibilities include trauma, spinal lesion or mareks There is currently no treatment for mareks. http://articles.extension.org/pages/68259/mareks-disease http://articles.extension.org/pages/68294/causes-of-lameness-in-poultry

Ideally Stella needs a vet visit to asses. She could have a fracture or dislocation or make have a viral infection suck as Marek's disease that can affect the nerves of the leg. In many cases a fracture or dislocation in a hen requires sedation to attempt to fix but because they are two legged animals it requires a lot of TLC and nursing care to help them recover. She needs to be kep inside and have a sling fashioned to help her stand upright. She may need help cleaning herself. And in the case of bone injury she should have pain medication. Many times culling or euthanasia is chosen for chickens with leg injuries because of the difficulty in recovery.

Thanks for reaching out about Chicky and including photos. A physical examination must be made to determine which of these it is, and each will require a different treatment plan. There are some infectious diseases that can cause this also like bacterial infections or Mycoplasma gallinacium. Provide good diet and husbandry, especially heat support. Good luck.

Thanks for reaching out about your chick and including photos. The lesions appear like vesicles and a bacterial or viral etiology would be high on the list. A veterinary visit should be scheduled to help with an assessment and provide a diagnostic/treatment plan. This chick should b e separated from others because viral disease are possibly contagious to other birds. Providing heat support in the 80-85 F range can give some aid. Cleaning/dabbing the lesions with a dilute povidine/betadyne solution might help but does not replace a veterinary visit. Wash hands well after handling to prevent cross contamination. Good luck.

Sadly, I think that either this defect happened before Janice hatched or there could have been trauma or infection that has affected the joint of this leg. There is some redness I can see that makes me concerned that we do have infection in the joint now. Ideally I would take Janice to a veterinarian comfortable with poultry medicine to see if there are feasible treatment options. If not, you may have to consider humane euthanasia, particularly since she is not growing well. I'm sorry!