Inury or Mareks? (video)

[RissyMcD]

7 days ago my 9 week old bantam started limping. When she walks she's a bit wobbly and it seems like her feet don't open properly. Sometimes they open flat, but other times she steps on them curled up. I examined her for injury and found only a couple little scrapes on her legs. No bumblefoot. Legs didn't appear to be broken (no obvious bending at odd places) and she didn't complain much when I felt around. I started her on vitamins 6 days ago. She initially seemed to get a little better, but then today she seems worse. See video from today.

I thought if not an injury, maybe Mareks. But her appetite has been normal, her legs aren't really bending at odd angles, and none of the others are showing signs of problems.

I'm not sure this is related or not, but her comb has started becoming more red and the skin around her eyes is reddening as well. I'm not sure if this is just her maturing or a sign of illness. She's a mix between Cochin and Old English Game (BB red?) I believe.

What do you think? Should I take her in for x-rays? Is it an injury or illness?

 

[Wyandottes7]

I'm leaning towards her having Marek's Disease, because it seems like both legs may be affected. If it was an injury, I would think that only one leg would have been injured, not both.

 

[RissyMcD]

It seemed to me that her right leg was more injured (see the second video) than the left. But I thought maybe there's a way she hurt both of them and one just more than the other? She has fallen off the roost a couple times (6 ft up). Maybe this last time she hit really hard?

Doesn't Marek's involve one leg being back further than the other? And I thought she'd loose her appetite with that as well.

 

[Sammykins]

The toes on her right foot look more like paralysis than an injury. Maybe take her in to the vet...could just be early stages...hard to say.

 

[RissyMcD]

Her legs are now starting to go out at odd angles and she's loosing control of her left leg more as well. So now I'm thinking it may be Mareks. Hoping some of my small flock are able to survive and they don't all die. So far nobody else is showing signs of illness, but they are mostly 6 - 11 weeks old right now. With only one that is over a year old. So I guess she's the most likely to make it. Anyone else had mareks in the flock? What's the chances some of them will survive?

 

[Nambroth]

Hello,

Yes, sadly this looks like Marek's. Especially given her age and that she is starting to mature (reddening of her comb). For whatever reason, Marek's seems to hit pullets the hardest just as they are starting to mature. Perhaps it is the stress on their systems, and Marek's takes advantage.

Despite this, it is important to note that there ARE other things that look like Marek's disease! While Marek's disease is all too common, it is important not to narrowly focus on it until you are sure. Some other problems that look like Marek's are treatable, so it is worthwhile to look into them.

Please check out this article. Scroll down to "SYMPTOMS AND DISEASE DETAILS" and then down to "Are there any other diseases that look like Marek's?"
https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/the-great-big-giant-mareks-disease-faq

As you can see there are a few things it could be. See if any of them seem to fit. If nothing else, it will not harm to give her some vitamin therapy as long as you are careful not to overdose fat-soluble vitamins.

If you are able and willing, and have a knowledgeable vet, it is worth taking her in. There are tests that can be done to try and narrow down the puzzle. It just depends on how much time and money you'd like to put into your little girl. Some people can afford to do more than others, and there are no wrong answers in how you approach this.

If your vet is not familiar with Marek's disease, you are welcome to print the article and take it with you if it might help. That said, a blood test can determine if your hen has elevated white blood cell counts and or blast lymphs, which can indicate that she might be experiencing viceral Marek's disease. A Marek's PCR blood test can be run too (see link above, for more info) but it will take a week at least to get the results as they must be sent out. Again, this is more than what some people do, but I have done it in the past for my birds.

Several of us have Marek's in our flocks. What happens next, if you do have it, depends greatly on many factors.There are MANY variables at play, including vaccination, individual genetics in a bird, the bird's individual immune system and immune response, breed, overall health and condition, stress, the strain of Marek's virus, presence of any other disease, etc.