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

[mygalmyra]

Frizzle was a silkie - about 6 months old. She was the second one, the first was not a silkie and I lost her in August so was feeling pretty set. Then M raised it's ugly head again. The other hens and 3 juvenile silkies (not from same place) have been kept separate and seem to be ok. I've had chickens for years before, and after 3 years without them, must say I've never experienced anything like this disease. Guess the girls and I just got lucky before. I wonder if the organism stays in the ground and that is partly why so many people are having multiple losses?

I share in the sadness and unrequited, unresolvable anger of all who have experienced this merciless killer.

One thing for sure as shootin' - when I stroll into that Big Coop in the Sky (and I don't mean anytime soon) - SOMEBODY will have a pretty nasty old hen on their hands who wants some answers for all this chicken grief!

 

[Haunted55]

Thank for your responses . She is much the same today but when I was giving her antibiotics tonight I noticed Three different hard lumps around her body. One on Her neck, one on her thigh and one on her chest. I did read they can get lumpy things with mareks.
If this is pointing more towards mareks I am considering taking her to the vets and getting her put down so I can get her lab tested. I've just started breeding and I don't want to sell any diseased birds! She is the only one showing symptoms out of 30 chickens I have.

Doesn't look like Marek's, more like ingrown feather.

 

[BigECarter]

It's been awhile since I've been on here. But since I was last here we had our sweet lavender put down and sent in for testing and it confirmed that we are dealing with mareks. We put down another splash maren last mo after she was unable to walk anymore. So we are down to 3 (had 6) from my original group of chickens one splash, one light Sussex, and one lavender. I also just got 4 Easter eggers from mcmurry those came fully vaccinated.
My question is I've noticed my Sussex's comb is really pale. It was bright red and now it's pale. She also stopped laying about 2 mos ago. She was hatched last April. Is this another side affect of mareks? Or do I have something else going on? We live in WI so it is cold could it be that?
I also noticed that it looks like she went through a molt of sorts cause she has lots of pin feathers growing in.
Could it be lice or mites? Can those still live in the winter?
Any suggestions?
Thanks
Janelle

Janelle, my chickens are the same age, so I'm pretty much a newbie. Maybe this will help: http://hencam.com/faq/the-molt

E

 

[seminolewind]

It's been awhile since I've been on here. But since I was last here we had our sweet lavender put down and sent in for testing and it confirmed that we are dealing with mareks. We put down another splash maren last mo after she was unable to walk anymore. So we are down to 3 (had 6) from my original group of chickens one splash, one light Sussex, and one lavender. I also just got 4 Easter eggers from mcmurry those came fully vaccinated.
My question is I've noticed my Sussex's comb is really pale. It was bright red and now it's pale. She also stopped laying about 2 mos ago. She was hatched last April. Is this another side affect of mareks? Or do I have something else going on? We live in WI so it is cold could it be that?
I also noticed that it looks like she went through a molt of sorts cause she has lots of pin feathers growing in.
Could it be lice or mites? Can those still live in the winter?
Any suggestions?
Thanks
Janelle

Hi. If I think Marek's on one, I feel their weight. Seems they all waste. However, sometimes they have a heavy molt and look like they're going to keel over and die. Skinny, moving slow, staying away from the crowd, etc. So , it's hard to tell , and like most of us, it's like waiting to see who's next. If there is something going on, like Molting, or really cold, or fell off a step, I would look for something other than Marek's. All my normal birds stopped laying months ago and my husband had to go out and buy eggs!

Marek's = a life of checking poo and feeling keels every day.

 

[casportpony]

It's been awhile since I've been on here. But since I was last here we had our sweet lavender put down and sent in for testing and it confirmed that we are dealing with mareks. We put down another splash maren last mo after she was unable to walk anymore. So we are down to 3 (had 6) from my original group of chickens one splash, one light Sussex, and one lavender. I also just got 4 Easter eggers from mcmurry those came fully vaccinated.
My question is I've noticed my Sussex's comb is really pale. It was bright red and now it's pale. She also stopped laying about 2 mos ago. She was hatched last April. Is this another side affect of mareks? Or do I have something else going on? We live in WI so it is cold could it be that?
I also noticed that it looks like she went through a molt of sorts cause she has lots of pin feathers growing in.
Could it be lice or mites? Can those still live in the winter?
Any suggestions?
Thanks
Janelle

I always dust, weigh and worm. That will rule out the bugs, lol. And yes, mites and lice can live in the winter.

-Kathy

 

[Frizzlefraz]

I decided to get an autopsy done on the frizzle and the vets rang me yesterday and confirmed that it was Mareks disease she had. She had tumours all through her body and strangely on her skin too. The vet said the open wound on her tail would be from a small tumour on her skin she wound have picked at or other chickens were picking at.

 

[casportpony]

I decided to get an autopsy done on the frizzle and the vets rang me yesterday and confirmed that it was Mareks disease she had. She had tumours all through her body and strangely on her skin too. The vet said the open wound on her tail would be from a small tumour on her skin she wound have picked at or other chickens were picking at.

Thanks for the update. I've got one like that right now and I don't expect him to live much longer, he also has a strange open wound on his tail.

-Kathy

 

[seminolewind]

I decided to get an autopsy done on the frizzle and the vets rang me yesterday and confirmed that it was Mareks disease she had. She had tumours all through her body and strangely on her skin too. The vet said the open wound on her tail would be from a small tumour on her skin she wound have picked at or other chickens were picking at.

I'm so sorry about your frizzle. I don't recall anyone spotting skin tumors so I'm glad you posted your findings. It's so sad.

 

[BigECarter]

We put down our cockerel on Monday. He was the last of the Marek's birds in my first flock. I have two survivor hens who are resistant. The cockerel's stools were always loose, so even though he was developing nicely, I knew the virus was lurking.

The nine babies are doing ok. I think I see some signs of cocci so need to do another round of corid. Also, some of their crops are squishier than I think they should be, but I'm a newbie so hopefully just being paranoid.

 

[casportpony]

Well that didn't take long... RIP, Wingman, you will be missed! This is my first with ocular Marek's to die, he was two years old. A quick exam revealed a small tumor by his vent and I think I felt a bunch of tumors when I did his rectal. Will try to do a necropsy later today or tomorrow.

-Kathy