Mareks: Long-term prognosis

[ChicKat]

It is heartening to think that chickens can beat Marek's if they have it in them and their owners are able to give them the indepth care that the last posters have mentioned.
My EE that was on the perch beside my black sexlink who was a definite (necropsy) Marek's case....seems to be doing well, but I have noticed that lately her eggs are a bit irregular. They are not perfectly egg shaped but have some wobbles. One was even cracked and repaired as it traveled down the oviduct somehow. I realize this could be from other causes...but Now I'm wondering if it was from Marek's exposure.

That is exactly the way it was in the nest box...and the cracks are sealed as if someone was making a clay egg to look cracked. I was just wondering if there can be long term unknown effects? If you click on the picture it will enlarge...but the cracks don't go through and there is no seepage or anything.

 

[seminolewind]

Seizures? That's terrible.

 

[JerseyGiantfolk]

Seizures? That's terrible.

I don't really know if seizures are labeled as symptoms in the book, or he had something else... I woke up at about 2:00a to hear him thumping all over his carrier. Then it stopped. A couple minutes later it started again, I watched him get back up. Soon it became too serious-- a seizure would interrupt his drinking or eating. I had to remove him from his carrier and place him on a puppy pad with rolled up towels containing him so he wouldn't roll all over the place. Then his left leg stuck straight forward. The seizures stopped a little before the leg went back in and he could sit on his hocks and eat and drink. He was a great rooster.

After I bred him with a hen that didn't get sick, I heard somebody on one of these forums that posted to not breed the ones that had been infected. Oops. Well there was nothing wrong with the only chick that hatched except he got a slipped tendon (and broke his wing at the same time..).

 

[JerseyGiantfolk]

It is heartening to think that chickens can beat Marek's if they have it in them and their owners are able to give them the indepth care that the last posters have mentioned.
My EE that was on the perch beside my black sexlink who was a definite (necropsy) Marek's case....seems to be doing well, but I have noticed that lately her eggs are a bit irregular. They are not perfectly egg shaped but have some wobbles. One was even cracked and repaired as it traveled down the oviduct somehow. I realize this could be from other causes...but Now I'm wondering if it was from Marek's exposure.

That is exactly the way it was in the nest box...and the cracks are sealed as if someone was making a clay egg to look cracked. I was just wondering if there can be long term unknown effects? If you click on the picture it will enlarge...but the cracks don't go through and there is no seepage or anything.

I think I've that occur a couple times. Was this the only egg that looked like this?

 

[ChicKat]

I think I've that occur a couple times. Was this the only egg that looked like this?

Yes, no other eggs in my experience (or hers--I have had her since she was 4-weeks) looked like that, however, presently her eggs are not smooth perfectly egg shaped, but rather seem to have wobbles in them -- sometimes asymmetrical. She is now laying every-other-day as regularly as clockwork. In the longer days/summer she was laying just about daily.

It could be that the two things are unrelated---and she may have jumped off a porch and landed hard at just the wrong time -- or the rooster pounced on her and hit just the wrong place? - Just strange. And that is the only irregularity I see in this hen. (I'm paranoid for my chickens.) Always trying to monitor them to make sure there is nothing wrong...I guess every chicken keeper does that. I keep very few, and have only been into chickens about 2-years now.

 

[ESofVA]

Once you have had Marek's in your flock, can you ever get rid of it? If I wait until all birds are either dead or euthanized, is there any way to get it out of your pens???
Am I ever going to NOT have Marek's?
Our local feed store has a swap twice year and I took 6 birds...I had never done this before and I have only had chickens again after 35 years. Back then I never had any diseases in my chickens and lived on a large farm out in the country.
Anyway, this woman came strolling through the swap with a chicken under her arm. I heard her say that she was bringing it to someone that could tell her if it had Marek's. Well, I sold 5 chickens and brought 1 back home...I will NEVER bring any back home again if I go to a swap. After a few weeks, guess what!!! The hen I brought home (a buff Wyandotte) came down with Marek's. Since then, it has taken about a third of my small, flock of around 40 (~ 10 breeds). The one I brought home had a very mild case and recovered. I have lost none of my Silkies and I am pretty sure a few of those were vaccinated before I got them. None of the others have been vaccinated.
I have lost three of my bantams that were my favorites and I think my Sebright sweetie now has it and I don't expect her to live. Her mate died about 2 weeks ago. I have now resolved myself to the fact that all of my other bantams will go as well...except for maybe the Slkies. It is heartbreaking.
Can I ever start over???

 

[ChicKat]

ESofVA-

so sorry to hear about the loss of your birds. IT is heart-wrenching. I have heard that oxine used as a disinfectant is the best thing to spray pens perches etc. with. Marek's is airborne, but feather dander is considered the vehicle. -- It could be that for any of us it is impossible to completely eradicate Marek's, from the soil, air and surrounds. That is why, among other things, clothing is to be washed and individuals to shower before trying to tend uncontaminated birds if there has been any contact with Marek's.

The strolling lady was very irresponsible, and who ever told her to bring it by to see if it had Marek's was also irresponsible. IMO.

Some birds and some breeds are more susceptible than others. It could be that your losses won't be total.

Here is a page on BYC that I started with the hopes that all of us, as we discover new things, new research, new articles will build so that there is a lot of information that is fact-based and the research or articles are linked and sited. There is a lot of mis-information about Marek's.... If you want to contribute any findings that you have to this page, it may help others in the future.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/mareks-disease-fact-site

 

[seminolewind]

Like Chickat said, there's alot of misinformation out there. I like that page. Thanks for making it.

Since I have been vaccinating my incubator chicks or buying day old hatchery chicks that were vaccinated, I have had no deaths from them. I quarantine chicks for 6-8 weeks so they can build their resistance.

 

[ESofVA]

It is heartening to think that chickens can beat Marek's if they have it in them and their owners are able to give them the indepth care that the last posters have mentioned.
My EE that was on the perch beside my black sexlink who was a definite (necropsy) Marek's case....seems to be doing well, but I have noticed that lately her eggs are a bit irregular. They are not perfectly egg shaped but have some wobbles. One was even cracked and repaired as it traveled down the oviduct somehow. I realize this could be from other causes...but Now I'm wondering if it was from Marek's exposure.

That is exactly the way it was in the nest box...and the cracks are sealed as if someone was making a clay egg to look cracked. I was just wondering if there can be long term unknown effects? If you click on the picture it will enlarge...but the cracks don't go through and there is no seepage or anything.

This egg looks like an egg laid by a chicken that has had Infectious Bronchitis.

 

[ChicKat]

thanks, I will investigate that.