Mareks: Long-term prognosis

If what I have read is accurate, vaccinating for Mareks keeps the birds from developing the tumors from the disease. There can still be neurological problems. The exposed birds will be carriers even if they don't display symptoms. The disease is shed through the feather follicles, in their dander. It can blow anywhere, can come from wild birds making a stop in your yard, or from your own birds that aren't displaying symptoms. It's almost impossible to stop. You would have to burn everything that came into contact with the dander from your birds. Even the fields they ranged and still not be able to kill all of it. There are products out there that can help disinfect. I believe oxine is one of them.


Sounds like you're accurate. I have not yet seen neuro problems . I think it's like everything else about Marek's-no one knows. The best anyone can do is protect their own birds, incubate and vaccinate, or buy day old hatchery vaccinated chicks and quarantine them for 2-8 weeks. This is the best.

Oxine is good. But only on solid surfaces.
 
Nothing goes by the rules (?haha) with Marek's. If you hatch your own eggs under your broodies, they may have resistance. If you hatch someone else's under your broody, they may all die.


Yes, but maybe not all that bad.

This appears to be situation with my games at least. Flock has been self-sustaining without need of outside birds for decades. I suspect at least a couple of my dominique lines are capable of same. I am trying get past mind set of vaccinated hatchery birds being only source of chicks when Mareks is ubiquitus in environment where they are to live and grow. If vaccinated hatchery sourced birds become rule, then resistance to Mareks will be difficult to select for and would done at extreme expense of genetic variation.
 
Centrarchid, my original flock is resistant from age. But they are still carriers. However, if they lay eggs that hatch chicks , I find that those chicks seem to be resistant as well. And in the past, the chicks I hatched over the past 3 years, have mostly been resistant, may be due to being laid by resistant hens belonging to other people. And a good number of those chicks , had been sold to various people without causing any problems to the flock of their new home. (All prior to my knowing I had Marek's in my flock). So there's a possibility that not only were those "resistant" chicks living here, then sold, they seemed to not even go somewhere else and infect others.

Of course, none of it can be proven. But this past summer, I got 10 eggs hatched (bought from a member) that were virgin untouched by Marek's. because they all died.
 
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Then again, vaccinated hatchery chicks may not interfere with resistant offspring if they became exposed to Marek's, because they could still get , carry the virus, and spread it. The vaccine does not prevent vaccinated chicks from getting Marek's, just not dying from the nasty side effects.

I'm glad we're all talking this out, experience, knowledge attained, educated theories, and getting others involved. Yea!
 
Agreed! Knowledge is all we have to fight this with! Well said.

Then again, vaccinated hatchery chicks may not interfere with resistant offspring if they became exposed to Marek's, because they could still get , carry the virus, and spread it. The vaccine does not prevent vaccinated chicks from getting Marek's, just not dying from the nasty side effects.

I'm glad we're all talking this out, experience, knowledge attained, educated theories, and getting others involved. Yea!
 
The diet I am feeding birds in my hospital setup is going gourmet. It contains chopped leafy greens, blueberries, cooked whole grain rice, chunked smelt, cooked sweet potato, virgin olive oil, BOSS, scratch and good powdering with baby parrot food. Always present it layer pellets, water and grit. The pretty plate full seems to stimulate intake of layer pellets as well. Birds fed this diversified fare seem more inclined to approach me and allow close inspection which eases stress. Feces looks better as well.


 
Can I ask what his early signs of illness were... did he limp for quite a while or just start not being able to balance? I have a hen who is just having trouble standing on one leg and limps about, she seems slightly under the weather, but is eating happily, just wondering if it is Merek's... She is about 2 years old. I have had no trouble with my chicks so wondering if it is something like an old birds strain of the disease maybe?
I have had a small percentage of my birds come down with what I suspect is Mareks disease. All but one has been put down. Remaining bird is being maintained since it still retains some value as a display bird. A coop will be set up the physically challenged since bird in question is unable to fly and has reduced walking ability. Free-range keeping is no longer an option since he would even be able to evade an oppossum during daylight.

Bird (cockerel April 2011 hatch) in question is a first generation hybrid between a red jungle fowl hen and an American game rooster. I am already babying him nutritionally and he has shown modest improvement in motor skills since worst. He has been affected visibly for about a month.

Before infection.



Present showing reduced walking / standing ability.


Anyone ever keep a Mareks infected bird long term?
 
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Can I ask what his early signs of illness were... did he limp for quite a while or just start not being able to balance? I have a hen who is just having trouble standing on one leg and limps about, she seems slightly under the weather, but is eating happily, just wondering if it is Merek's... She is about 2 years old. I have had no trouble with my chicks so wondering if it is something like an old birds strain of the disease maybe?

Progression to being unable to walk was rapid, two days. First sign is affected birds drift away from flock. My birds have multiple acres of range to easy to see. Other birds seemed to avoid affected even during early stages. VOICE CHANGE - vocalizations of key and not sharp (consanents). Seemed disoriented. Unable to fly even a little. One or both wings droop a bit. Did not go to roost. Appetite still good.



I have seen this with several birds over 3 season. Progression is not always same although difficulty in getting to roost was consistent. It required most motor skills. Some limped, some did not before getting down and not being able to get back up. So far none of my birds have exhibited the eye problems sometimes seen in Mareks. Even older birds >2 years can get form I am dealing with.
 
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My affected rooster is gitting stronger by the day. Voice is now normal. He is able to stand with all weight on either foot. He now runs to me when I enter the quarantine room. He still trembles perceptibly. He is capable of limited flight but wings do not fold back up properly, at least not at first.

Key points to consider is that if he were kept free range, he would not have survived; and from the interest of economics he would have been dispatched since the feeding and containment are prohibitively expensive, especially when considering that for long-term containment a second cockyard will have to be established some distance from first and outside area of free-ranging flocks.

On whole I have invested in him like we do consistently in humans and sometimes other more valued pets and livestock.
 
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Mine had the same symptoms, and mine have gotten it at an older age as well. One got it a 2 years old, the rest were about 8 months or older. It so far is about 7 birds in 2 years, plus 11 chicks, 8-16 weeks old. Most of the chicks had paralysis.

And like Centrarchid said, it comes on rapidly, meanwhile they still have a smile on their face.
 

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