disease help. ring necked pheasant chicks going weak (botulism?)..

[ahayat]

weird situation.. i've been trying to read up on it since the first symptoms arrived last evening.. thought maybe somebody here could help..

i have a about 60 ring necked pheasants (around 6-8 weeks old) in a pen.. they have access to adequate feed and water..

yesterday i noticed two birds going week in the legs (literally). it's like they're having some sort of partial paralysis attack.. they don't move themselves a lot now (they are eating if you move them near the feed, but they aren't really able to walk properly). they can drag themselves about or limp a little, but mostly just sit out in one place..

my limited research points at something like Botulism. is this a common disease in pheasants? i've separated the weaker birds, but i'm worried about it spreading to the others..

if it really is botulism (or equivalent), how can i curtail it? any suggestions welcome, and quickly please! :s

[greyghost]

ahayat, are your birds on the ground? If so I would worm them. I use Wazine 17, it is a liquid, combine 2 oz. per two gallons water, add to that 2 oz. ( 1/4 package ) Terramycin. Actually it is a broad spectrum antibiotic made by Phizer. You should see results within 24- 48 hours. Ghost.

[Pepla]

The bacteria clostridium botulinum lives in very moist soil, usually only around water courses and ponds at the waterline and just above. Botulinum toxin is so toxic in such tiny quantities that birds will generally die very quickly indeed once exposed to the toxin. They generally die from the paralysis that the toxin causes - it stops them breathing.

I have never known any worm infestation to cause anything but loss of weight, general unthriftiness or gapes. Terramycin (oxytetracycline) is also so old and widely used that it is generally of very little use in treating disease - it is manufactured in truly vast quantities for use an in-feed growth promoter (where that is still legal).

Far more likely cause would be blackhead - histomoniasis. For that there is only one treatment - Emtryl - dimetridazole, which is banned in many parts of the world.