the REPORT is in ... not good

yeah that's how it feels!

anyway now I get to decide what im going to do...



now I have to figure out what to do.

Wow. What a stomach dropping report Since these diseases can be transmitted horizontally and vertically, You may want to either, keep a closed flock forever or, cull, disinfect and start over with vaccinated stock. I feel so bad for you!
Here is a good article on disinfecting http://smallfarms.cornell.edu/2014/04/07/cleaning-and-disinfecting-your-poultry-house/

justplainbatty said:

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Wow. What a stomach dropping report Since these diseases can be transmitted horizontally and vertically, You may want to either, keep a closed flock forever or, cull, disinfect and start over with vaccinated stock. I feel so bad for you!
Here is a good article on disinfecting http://smallfarms.cornell.edu/2014/04/07/cleaning-and-disinfecting-your-poultry-house/
[/quote

Reading it again.. its mareks or Lymphoid Leukosis. . Ive still git to get the blood test I guess to be positive.. if the birds keep it and carry it like mareks I dont see how strick sanitation is going to change that unless it runs a coarse and you sanitize to keep new infections away???? And I clean my coop every month so does that mean cleaning every other week or every week??? And is that forever or just for a period of time then just do once a month super clean with also a day out in the middle of that week that just spot clean????

Thanks for sharing the report. We have a Marek's support/informational thread https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/741957/not-an-emergency-mareks-in-the-flock/0_50

Vaccination and cleanliness will cut down on the number of chickens that die from it. Every little bit helps. You can't clean it away.

I'm not up to date on LL. My last death was a one year old hen that tested positive for Marek's.

Lymphoid Leukosis can have many of the same symptoms of Mareks, but without the paralysis. I'm not that familiar with it either, but here is one link about it to read: http://www.thepoultrysite.com/diseaseinfo/11/avian-leukosis-lymphoid-leukosis-leukosis-sarkoma-group

I just just finished talking to the pathologist that did the tests he said the age of the bird is the determining factor as to weather it is Marek's or Lymphoid Leukosis and that that was all that a blood test wouldn't change that information in the least, because I have free range and a 1 year old hen. He said only can control to be done is knowing the hatchery you got the birds from and having test done on birds getting the vaccine (thought he said vaccines are for those big operations with thousands of birds in mind not the back yard bird).. im thinking what's the difference if the disease is the same?! strict sanitation was one of the other suggestions and feeding appropriate feed.

He did mention that after a time of this that it can clear the problem up.. question.. if its Mareks when little and nothing can be done sanitation cant clear it and everyone and everything is contagious, why when they get older its a new disease and is chances of clearing it up? He also said it was in the environment.. I would have tried asking him these questions but he seemed very perturbed that I would call and ask anything in the first place *sigh*

he told me the meat and the eggs were fine to eat because the disease doesn't transfer to humans in anyway.. makes me wander how many chickens showing these tumors make it on down the line to our tables personally I wouldn't eat it if I found cancer in my animals.. I understand if they are healthy appearing and not sick but any abnormalities in the meat.. id think.. would be a no go. of coarse we have to trust others to do that for us if we shop at a store other than doing our own butchering.. not something I can do myself.. id become vegetarian!

I have plans with 32 new chicks I have the next few weeks to make it as good as I can to keep them from getting sick. I'm a little more knowledgeable a lot less stressed when I see a sick hen and will know much sooner than I would because I like to interact with my birds. I've discovered stressors in my flock and learned to minimize the chance of this becoming out of hand again.

sanitations of coop will happen much more often and things are in the works for ways to keep things cleaner and mold fungus free. after this group however I will try breeding for resistance.. after reading much more on it.

Lemme see if I understand correctly. LL can be eradicated or at least well controlled with disinfecting with Oxyne(oxine?) the transmission rate is low laterally. Mareks, spreads easily, through dander, feed equipment, droppings, wind, shoes ect. This makes disinfecting about useless. Mareks can stick around even with no birds present for 7 years, maybe longer? In either case, disinfecting can not hurt but only successful in slowing morbidity in LL. Always keep closed flock, use only Mareks vaccinated stock. Do not visit friends with chickens or let them on your land.
Am I understanding correctly?

seminolewind said:

A lot depends on concentration of virus. It's not just the vaccine that prevents it, but the vaccine and reducing available dander. Unless your chickens have paralysis, only that blood testing can distinguish between the two.

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you said unless my chickens have a paralysis.. yeah they all have had some kind of leg paralysis when they were 20 weeks and on they started showing the typical signs of sickness they puffiness standing alone not really interested in food then like clockwork either one leg became useless toes curling and withered in appearance with color loss and usually drugg out behind the chicken or they lost the ability to stand without the curling toes but both would exsibit like Cocci type diarrhea however that meds were not working well some improved to just relapse and die within a week of treatment. some expired within days of the standing alone. I did figure away to bring some back to a natural stat all but their legs anyway. I used the swing method so that they could eat and drink but that wasn't till after nursing them with vitamins and such things to maintain weight and give them energy forcing to drink water once they showed improvement I stopped forcing water sometimes that was immediate others it was a day or more. when they showed the will to live I would take them out to sit in the yard and graze grass, right now I have a hen that is maintain weight and grazes but to get around she flaps to lift body and uses the one good leg to move around she eats well has normal poops and seems relative happy but if she cant do better what do I do is the 'q' here.

There is differences however to the bird I sent in and some of the problems I previously experienced. theses things were not experienced whom died I even had two in sick bay during this time that didn't have symptoms like her theirs were like the above and are a year old.
The pail comb and wattles, the color drain in the leg,s the drawn in neck and the bright green diarrhea, she had no puffed up or standing alone, no lameness matter of fact she eat well however didn't drink very much she walked about slow not too excited when I came out with snacks but would have no trouble getting it. but her color and plumage just kept looking worse and then she died with a lot of flapping yet no noise. the others with same issues have recovered. I changed their feed to Nutrina Nature wise 16% layer pellets I put a 1/4th teaspoon in two gallons of water every other day and sanitize water bucket out every week. I super cleaned coop and grounds added fresh chips and hay. they are free range so the rest is up to them. the only thing that could use way more improvement is the feeder! they like tossing it even though its set up so cant scratch in it. im looking at the gravity feeder that might reduce it a lot. any other suggestions would be helpful.

justplainbatty said:

Lemme see if I understand correctly. LL can be eradicated or at least well controlled with disinfecting with Oxyne(oxine?) the transmission rate is low laterally. Mareks, spreads easily, through dander, feed equipment, droppings, wind, shoes ect. This makes disinfecting about useless. Mareks can stick around even with no birds present for 7 years, maybe longer? In either case, disinfecting can not hurt but only successful in slowing morbidity in LL. Always keep closed flock, use only Mareks vaccinated stock. Do not visit friends with chickens or let them on your land.
Am I understanding correctly?

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yeah sounds about right.. He made it sound as if LL can be "cleared up" with sanitation .. he didn't mention Oxine I did. yet on the other hand like you pointed out "spreads easily, through dander, feed equipment, droppings, wind, shoes ect. This makes disinfecting about useless" it also is transmitted into the egg and chick when it hatched. I ASSUME .. that he means to keep the symptoms at bay keep a healthy flock and clean environment can only help keep them from weak immunes to some degree. I have read in other places some interesting things and will post what they say later to be sure im quoting things right .. with web address.