Not an Emergency...Marek's in the Flock

[Nambroth]

I have chicks coming from MPC in three weeks; I'm not sure which hatchery. I paid for the Marek's vaccine and followed up with a phone call. The hatchery uses the HVT vaccine. I will be purchasing the vaccine available on-line (MD-Vac CFL). Since it is a different vaccine, should I vaccinate the chicks as soon as they arrive (that way they get two of the three vaccines) and revaccinate at 4 weeks, or should I just do the second vaccine at 4 weeks? For future reference, which hatcheries give all three vaccines initially?

Thanks!
E.

MPC is supplied via Meyer, unless that's changed in the last year.

EDIT: I have been corrected-- I was given bad information. Meyer does NOT use all three vaccines to the best of my knowledge.

Do you have any other chickens, or places with chickens relatively nearby?

 

[BigECarter]

I have three survivors of nine, one of whom I think may be showing mild symptoms of Marek's. I got them when they were two months old from a small, local hatchery, supposedly vaccinated.

 

[Haunted55]

What is super B and where do I get it? And how much do I give? My little lavender girl is still holding on, no better but not worse. I'm treating her for wry neck with poly-vi-sol, vitamin E and selenium. Should I be using B as well?
I've been noticing that my other lavender chicken is spending lots of time fluffed up and sitting which makes me worried she's next. Should I start my whole group on super B?

As for the hatchery I plan to email using another email address asking if they vaccinate for mareks. I do know of someone who hatched eggs from this hatchery and those chickens seem to be fine or at least they have not mentioned mareks.
I'm beginning to think ours is environmental.
Thanks again for the help!

Super B Complex is a human vitamin found at WalMart or any other place that sells vitamins. Instead of the Poly, use the SuperB Complex along with a 400iu capsule of the vitamin E. I add the B to twater after crushing it and then either 'float' the oil from the E on top of the water or give half by mouth. If the bird is drinking floating it seems to work just fine.

 

[Haunted55]

I have chicks coming from MPC in three weeks; I'm not sure which hatchery. I paid for the Marek's vaccine and followed up with a phone call. The hatchery uses the HVT vaccine. I will be purchasing the vaccine available on-line (MD-Vac CFL). Since it is a different vaccine, should I vaccinate the chicks as soon as they arrive (that way they get two of the three vaccines) and revaccinate at 4 weeks, or should I just do the second vaccine at 4 weeks? For future reference, which hatcheries give all three vaccines initially?

Thanks!
E.

Okay, something to learn here, the HVT is actually the same vaccine as the MD-Vac. Both are from the turkey Marek's and both are live virus. I also think that revaccinating them is a very, very good idea as the first one sometimes doesn't work because of maternal or paternal resistance carried through for up to 3 weeks. this resistance is one of the biggest reasons for vaccine failure in our chicks. If you do a revaccination in your chicks at the 4-6 week time, you will be making sure they are protected. I am going to look up the time frame to be sure about this and give you the exact time of revaccination.

Do not worry about them being the same, it shouldn't matter unless you run into a mutated form of the virus. Personally, I always ask what types of vaccine is given to the chicks before ordering. Rispens is the name you want to hear and is proving itself to be the most effective so far. Although, you knew there'd be one of those...there has recently been some failure of it as well. Use what you can get and go forward with really good biosecurity measures in place.

 

[Haunted55]

Okay, the plot thickens.....lol. I just got off the phone with a commercial hatchery and Texas A&M diagnostic labs. it would seem that the nodules, tumors, whatever are more consistent with an Aspergillous outbreak. I can also say that if you are selling birds or hatching eggs under the NPIP, as told to me by the hatchery owner, you do not have to test for this, at all. Hmmm, and we wonder again how these things get in our flocks? The thought being that it is everywhere already, so an introduction of it isn't going to matter as symptomatically it doesn't cause trouble. Okay....

Now testing for this now is impossible on the birds showing symptoms, but there is one person who has been in constant contact with them and that is me. Yes this is one that we can get and some of the symptoms I have been living with for months now make me wonder. I will be finding out Weds. what route my doctor will be taking to figure this out. Oh joy.

 

[julie0477]

I'm not sure what injured the lil guy that died. Could have been another rooster but I can't say that for sure. I've even wondered if it wasn't a failed hawk attack. This roo is a 29 or so week silkie. He's been here about seven weeks now. He's had a little limp for two or three weeks. He does roost high and he's been knocked off his roost more than once so I'm hoping that's all it is. I haven't treated him with vitamin b yet. Maybe I should. I've sort of just been waiting on news from the necropsy and watching for any changes.

Why haven't you started the Super Bs? The necropsy report shouldn't change anything about that, unless you are thinking culling them all.

no I'm not culling him based on a limp. He's not quarantined. I wasn't sure how id get the vitamin in him alone since I'd dosed my other lil guy thru his water source. He's limping but still not easy to catch.

 

[Nambroth]

Asper, really? This is something I dealt with (more) frequently when I worked with parrots every day... it cannot be contagious, but a severely infected bird can be a source for larger numbers of the spores. But you are right-- aspergillosis spores are literally everywhere in the outdoor environment and even out homes. Just like common bacteria, we are constantly introducing them to our bodies but usually only folks (or animals) that are exposed to A LOT of the spores when they are immune-supressed with develop an infection. It is one reason care is urged for those that don't have great immune systems to wear a respirator when cleaning/stirring around in coops and such (one should always wear one anyhow if stirring up dander and such when cleaning a coop), and why moisture is the enemy to many keepers of birds.

 

[julie0477]

no I'm not culling him based on a limp. He's not quarantined. I wasn't sure how id get the vitamin in him alone since I'd dosed my other lil guy thru his water source. He's limping but still not easy to catch.

Oh you mean will I cull if it does turn out to be mareks? I will definitely not cull all of my birds and start over. I think it's silly when it could happen again and I am not a breeder/shower so I am completely ok with keeping a closed flock. I havent decided what I will do with the sick birds. I hope that's a bridge I don't have to cross.

 

[triton77]

Super B Complex is a human vitamin found at WalMart or any other place that sells vitamins.  Instead of the Poly, use the SuperB Complex along with a 400iu capsule of the vitamin E.  I add the B to twater after crushing it and then either 'float' the oil from the E on top of the water or give half by mouth.  If the bird is drinking floating it seems to work just fine.

Thanks for the reply!
She hasn't been drinking as far as I can tell so we've been syringe feeding her. Can I add the super B to the syringe with water and her vitamin E? I thought vitamin E had to be given with selenium in order for it to work is that right?

I emailed the hatchery and they said they don't give the mareks vaccine and that most small farms don't. Is this vaccine really expensive? Is it also one that has to be given multiple times or is it a one and done kinda thing? I'm just trying to learn as much as I can so I can prevent the heart ache in the future.
Thanks!

 

[seminolewind]

Can someone school me on marek's?
A little bit about us
We are first time chicken owners. We live in a town that recently approved backyard chickens(so it shouldn't be in the soil). We ordered 6 heritage breed pullets from a well recommended farm.
The pullets at time of arrival were between the ages of 9-12 wks back in June.
In July one of the Marans couldn't walk on her leg and her toes just curled up. Well we thought it was a injury then her wing would stick out and she started seizure like activity so we put her out of her misery(we tried to save for two wks).
Fast forward to this wk one of our lavender chickens couldn't open her eye and keeps her head twisted and cocked to the side. We started rinsing it with saline hoping that it was just a scratch(there is no swelling or obvious injury) but it didn't get better. Well we took her to the vet yesterday and they said it was mareks ocular form. Ugh. So we brought her home and plan to make her as happy as can be til it is time.
So my questions are this:
I have one chicken that is laying she's ok now that she made it to adult right? Or can she still succumb to it?
Did they get marek's at the hatchery or could they of gotten it here?
What I don't understand is why this hatchery that has breeds that are rare to the US are selling birds with mareks. Any thoughts?
Do all chickens have mareks but only some are affected? Or is it possible to get a chicken that doesn't have it at all?
We've been looking to move out to the country so if we do should I take any remaining chickens with me or cull them and start new? I'm guessing start new that way we don't take this awful disease with us.
I'm sure I have more questions but right now I'm just numb from the shock of this. The lavender that is sick now is the nicest bird so friendly it breaks my heart to see her sick.
Thanks for the advice!
Janelle

Hi. Since they were pullets, they could have already been exposed. It's just heartbreaking. From now on, only get day old Vaccinated chicks and quarantine them for 2-10 weeks. From now on. You should send a dead one to a state lab to confirm. Most of my older chickens survived the Marek's brought on to my property. I have some links in my signature you may want to read.