I have to talk POLISH!

[marlowmanor]

My polish pullet is 16 weeks now. How soon should I be getting eggs from her? I noticed today that a few of my teenage pullets (various breeds) are starting to get the redder combs starting up. I know that is a sign of impending laying. I'm hoping to see some eggs from them all soon.

 

[CynazarGoldens]

Wow,

After reading so much abour Mareks disease I am scared to DEATH!!!
That disease sounds like the most horrible disease in the books. Tumors, paralysis, emaciation, depression, blindness, recovering and suddenly dying, up to 100% mortality rate? It's straight out of a horror movie. I don't think I could handle going through something like that.. I have too many "little chickies" and "favorite chickies".... They all make me so happy watching them run around so healthy, innocent, and curious.. Why would such a horrible disease exist on this earth that affects such an innocent and beautiful animal?? Chickens stricken with the disease suffer terribly for no good reason. What chicken in the world deserves to suffer like that? Thinking about it is getting me depressed. I'm very worried for my own flock. I don't know if I should even step FOOT into another poultry show, EVER. Just knowing that even if you vaccinate, your birds will still become infected and carry the disease is chilling. My heart goes out to any chicken lover who has had to suffer through this horrible disease. :.(

Jenne

 

[ScaredOfShadows]

Wow,

After reading so much abour Mareks disease I am scared to DEATH!!!
That disease sounds like the most horrible disease in the books. Tumors, paralysis, emaciation, depression, blindness, recovering and suddenly dying, up to 100% mortality rate? It's straight out of a horror movie. I don't think I could handle going through something like that.. I have too many "little chickies" and "favorite chickies".... They all make me so happy watching them run around so healthy, innocent, and curious.. Why would such a horrible disease exist on this earth that affects such an innocent and beautiful animal?? Chickens stricken with the disease suffer terribly for no good reason. What chicken in the world deserves to suffer like that? Thinking about it is getting me depressed. I'm very worried for my own flock. I don't know if I should even step FOOT into another poultry show, EVER. Just knowing that even if you vaccinate, your birds will still become infected and carry the disease is chilling. My heart goes out to any chicken lover who has had to suffer through this horrible disease. :.(

Jenne

Mareks typically has a low to moderate mortality rate compared to other diseases, and it isn't the worst out there.

 

[seminolewind]

Wow,

After reading so much abour Mareks disease I am scared to DEATH!!!
That disease sounds like the most horrible disease in the books. Tumors, paralysis, emaciation, depression, blindness, recovering and suddenly dying, up to 100% mortality rate? It's straight out of a horror movie. I don't think I could handle going through something like that.. I have too many "little chickies" and "favorite chickies".... They all make me so happy watching them run around so healthy, innocent, and curious.. Why would such a horrible disease exist on this earth that affects such an innocent and beautiful animal?? Chickens stricken with the disease suffer terribly for no good reason. What chicken in the world deserves to suffer like that? Thinking about it is getting me depressed. I'm very worried for my own flock. I don't know if I should even step FOOT into another poultry show, EVER. Just knowing that even if you vaccinate, your birds will still become infected and carry the disease is chilling. My heart goes out to any chicken lover who has had to suffer through this horrible disease. :.(

Jenne

Jenne, it's every thing you've said. The only things you can do is vaccinate day olds or buy vaccinated hatchery chicks. And don't bring any other chicken home. I know it's hard when we go to swaps and see all the chickens we want. It's so much fun to bring chickens home. I wish I could turn back time and not bring that pullet home a few years ago. I hope that science improves this situation. I love my pets too.

 

[welasharon]

What I am having trouble wrapping my mind around is the statement that ALL flocks have been exposed. If so, why are you having so much more trouble with this than others?

 

[leadwolf1]

I'm sorry but, there are many of your posts that I would like to shed a little light on. First, let me give you a little background about myself. In the past year I have been fighting Marek's in my flock. It was diagnosed through necropsy on two different birds, two totally different sets of symptoms. I did this to make sure that I wasn't dealing with two or more different diseases. To date, I have lost 35+ birds. I feel, at this point, that I am an expert on Marek's. Self proclaimed, yes...but, at this point there is nothing that I haven't seen. I kept one pullet alive for over 10 months...I watched what Marek's could and does do. Some will not like the fact that I used her for a guinea pig. Let me point out. She was a vaccinated OEGB pullet. Therefore, she didn't get the normal tumors that kill. She was never in any pain or discomfort. She lived in my kitchen surrounded by those that loved her dearly, played with her and talked to her all throughout the day. Enough of that, it just about killed me when she died. But, she gave me so much information about this disease. Information that you can't find in books.

Now, I would love to know where you found your information. Mine reads entirely different. One can expect to lose up to 80% of a flock to Marek's. I do not consider that a low to moderate rate of loss.

I have had birds both vaccinated and unvaccinated die. On the flip side, I have had some from both sets live. Out of my original 37 birds, in my coop, I have 7 left. That is just from the coop. I have lost many more that have never made it to the coop.

As far as the Merks manual goes...I say that you can keep it. There is only one thing in there that at this point I will agree with. Marek's is transient. Meaning that it can go into remission and stay there for awhile...but, man when it comes back, watch out. I have a black bantam cochin hen that has been in remission for over a month...laying eggs like crazy. Now, just like a flip of a switch, she is down and can't use her legs. What happened? Something very simple...I put her outside in a cage for some sun. That's all it took...it must have been a little stressful and Marek's once again reared its ugly head.

As for ages..I've lost chicks from 10 weeks to chickens at 15 months old. There really is no age barrier or limit. Marek's can and will kill any age chicken. Where that age thing came from, I will never know. It certainly wasn't from a good field study.

The lowest rate of mortality that I have had has come from chicks that I hatched from my own eggs. They were vaccinated at day 1 and keep in isolation for two weeks. I have only lost one of those out of 17. The vaccinated pullets that I purchased this spring haven't been so lucky. They were kept in isolation for 14 weeks and still, I have lost 4 out of 9. Remember, the vaccine only stops the formation of tumors, not the paralysis and other nasty things that Marek's does.

I have so much info in my head that I think that I will stop now. Feel free to ask any questions that you might have.

I have lost all but 1 of my polish to Marek's. Marek's seems to favor silkies and polish. Those are the breeds that seem to be hit the hardest.

If there is a disease that is worse then Marek's out there, please don't send it my way...since, Marek's is the longest lived virus and stays around the longest, there is no getting rid of it unless you want to euthanize everything and wait 7 years to start again.

Mareks typically has a low to moderate mortality rate compared to other diseases, and it isn't the worst out there.

 

[ScaredOfShadows]

I'm sorry but, there are many of your posts that I would like to shed a little light on. First, let me give you a little background about myself. In the past year I have been fighting Marek's in my flock. It was diagnosed through necropsy on two different birds, two totally different sets of symptoms. I did this to make sure that I wasn't dealing with two or more different diseases. To date, I have lost 35+ birds. I feel, at this point, that I am an expert on Marek's. Self proclaimed, yes...but, at this point there is nothing that I haven't seen. I kept one pullet alive for over 10 months...I watched what Marek's could and does do. Some will not like the fact that I used her for a guinea pig. Let me point out. She was a vaccinated OEGB pullet. Therefore, she didn't get the normal tumors that kill. She was never in any pain or discomfort. She lived in my kitchen surrounded by those that loved her dearly, played with her and talked to her all throughout the day. Enough of that, it just about killed me when she died. But, she gave me so much information about this disease. Information that you can't find in books.

Now, I would love to know where you found your information. Mine reads entirely different. One can expect to lose up to 80% of a flock to Marek's. I do not consider that a low to moderate rate of loss.

I have had birds both vaccinated and unvaccinated die. On the flip side, I have had some from both sets live. Out of my original 37 birds, in my coop, I have 7 left. That is just from the coop. I have lost many more that have never made it to the coop.

As far as the Merks manual goes...I say that you can keep it. There is only one thing in there that at this point I will agree with. Marek's is transient. Meaning that it can go into remission and stay there for awhile...but, man when it comes back, watch out. I have a black bantam cochin hen that has been in remission for over a month...laying eggs like crazy. Now, just like a flip of a switch, she is down and can't use her legs. What happened? Something very simple...I put her outside in a cage for some sun. That's all it took...it must have been a little stressful and Marek's once again reared its ugly head.

As for ages..I've lost chicks from 10 weeks to chickens at 15 months old. There really is no age barrier or limit. Marek's can and will kill any age chicken. Where that age thing came from, I will never know. It certainly wasn't from a good field study.

The lowest rate of mortality that I have had has come from chicks that I hatched from my own eggs. They were vaccinated at day 1 and keep in isolation for two weeks. I have only lost one of those out of 17. The vaccinated pullets that I purchased this spring haven't been so lucky. They were kept in isolation for 14 weeks and still, I have lost 4 out of 9. Remember, the vaccine only stops the formation of tumors, not the paralysis and other nasty things that Marek's does.

I have so much info in my head that I think that I will stop now. Feel free to ask any questions that you might have.

I have lost all but 1 of my polish to Marek's. Marek's seems to favor silkies and polish. Those are the breeds that seem to be hit the hardest.

If there is a disease that is worse then Marek's out there, please don't send it my way...since, Marek's is the longest lived virus and stays around the longest, there is no getting rid of it unless you want to euthanize everything and wait 7 years to start again.

So sorry for the losses you have dealt with... I've dealt with mareks and IB being introduced into my flock by someone dumping a sick bird in my yard years ago...I had to cull all the birds on the property we had at the time to not risk spreading the disease(s) to others.

 

[leadwolf1]

May I ask how you got rid of the virus in your soil? In your coop and all surrounding areas? Was the diagnosis confirmed through necropsy? I'm trying to get all the info I can. Marek's disease is impossible to remove from the soil and can lay dormant for up to 7 years.

So sorry for the losses you have dealt with... I've dealt with mareks and IB being introduced into my flock by someone dumping a sick bird in my yard years ago...I had to cull all the birds on the property we had at the time to not risk spreading the disease(s) to others.

 

[ScaredOfShadows]

May I ask how you got rid of the virus in your soil? In your coop and all surrounding areas? Was the diagnosis confirmed through necropsy? I'm trying to get all the info I can. Marek's disease is impossible to remove from the soil and can lay dormant for up to 7 years.

That was just the one property (was living with my cousin, they were both our birds, different breeding flocks of heritage birds). I gave away the chickens at my parent's house, and didn't own any for a couple years. then i moved, and decided to start over where I live now. And again its impossible to get rid of it, its in the feather follicles, in the dander, it gets in the bedding, nooks and crannies of a coop in the dust/dirt, etc.

and it sounds like you ran into the virulent strand of the disease, not the most common serotype that most people deal with. 2 of the 3 serotypes are slow growing, easy to vaccinate against and usually protects 90+% of properly vaccinated birds. the other serotype there is no vaccine available for the general public only commercial flocks, and the general mareks vaccine does little against the virulent strain which is a rapid growth disease.

 

[leadwolf1]

I'm glad you were able to get away from it. Whatever strain I have, it is horrible. As is most of the Marek's that I have encountered on this site. Telling people that it isn't as bad as it really is just isn't helping anyone. Marek's is bad. It is getting worse. More and more people are having problems with it...and it is being diagnosed through necropsy. That's the big difference. Not many people cared to have necropsies done...they just said, oops, Marek's and euthanized everything. Not really knowing if what they were dealing with was, in fact, Marek's. There are many other diseases that can mimic Marek's in symptoms. The only way to know for sure is with a necropsy.