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

[Nambroth]

Best info ever on Mareks is the Great Big Giant Mareks Disease FAQ. (thank you Nambroth) I keep going back to it and re-reading. Most of us have read it, and the link is posted earlier on this thread, but I thought it would be a good idea to repost it: https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/the-great-big-giant-mareks-disease-faq

That's very kind of you. I am a layperson trying to understand as much as possible about this disease and living with it. I make mistakes! If any of you ever sees something that needs corrected or added to the FAQ just let me know and I will do my best!

 

[ochochicas]

Quote:

I'll be writing up the results of my vaccine "experiment" when I'm done, probably about a year from now. Hopefully it is all good news and my chickens have not died.

 

[ochochicas]

My February pullets are just turning 9 weeks old. They were vaccinated at 2 1/2 weeks and then again at 6 weeks. So, their immune systems have had a full 6 weeks to make antibodies since the first vaccine. The chicks have been living in my family room and go to a grow up pen in the front yard during the day. The other chickens don't have access to the front yard. My questions is: at this point, is it safe to put the pullets out with the rest of the flock for a few hours of free ranging? There are only two of them, and they are very under-socialized due to the fact that they have spent so much time in the house hanging out on the back of the sofa. I'd like to get them living like chickens as soon as possible. At the same time, I don't want them getting Marek's either.

 

[rebrascora]

I think the answer is that we are never going to be able to say "it's safe" as such, especially as they weren't vaccinated at hatch by the sound of it, but sooner or later I assume it is your intention to integrate them and I would say that the later you leave it, the more stressful it will become which as we know can trigger Mareks. Is it possible to perhaps introduce one of your healthiest chickens to their enclosure for a few supervised hours as a starting point for integration. Or put them in a large cage in the free range area and scatter scratch in and around the cage so the flock forage around them. I think it's a call that only you can make, but they surely cannot live in the house indefinitely and if anything was to happen to one of them, you would have much more of a problem trying to integrate one on it's own. You have done as much as possible to give them the best chance, but at some point you have to take that risk and to my mind it is getting to the point that the benefits outweigh the risk.

Good luck whatever you decide.

We are having a wonderful spell of fine weather at the moment and it is doing my 2 girls the world of good, The worst one actually walked back into the hen house last night.... a distance of 80 feet or so. And eggs are becoming even more frequent from the two of them.

 

[leedyfeathers]

Ive got peeps and two break through so far.. this is a miracle in many ways!

 

[seminolewind]

Marek's? Even with all of the reading here and on the web. Not sure what next.

1 20 wk pullet passed quickly a few months ago. Necropsy was Marek's (internal tumor type) She didn't have time to lose weight. Just looked ill 2 days and died in the night. No problems with legs or walking. Her legs went front and back just prior to death. At least, that is the way I found her in her box in the house.

Still had 1 bantam rooster, 3 bantam pullets 1 SF pullet and 4 EE hen's. I assumed with this news, that in short order they would drop one by one.... Nothing happened, until last week...

Rooster and his sister are ill. I am assuming Marek's. Drunk staggering, no balance. Legs and wings are not ever stiff, but more limp, no strength. They sit on their hocks, sleep alot. The hens right pupil doesn't respond to light properly. They Eat and Drink sort of okay. I am giving them egg soaked bread, cat food, bananna, tuna, yogurt, chicken food. St John's Wort, Turmeric, trying Acetyl-L Carnitine (amino acid for nerve damage). No real changes, yesterday the pullet wanted out and tried to stand and peck around the laundry room. Today, pretty listless. Rooster who was laying on his side yesterday was standing up this morning and gobbling the food I brought after not crowing one day, crowed 12 times this am. From this thread I see that there is just ups and downs, no real improvement to be expected.

That said, if it is Marek's and they will not recover fully... As many of you have experienced. I would want to euth. now rather than months down the road. It's exhausting and sucked out alot of the joy out of having chickens. Stinks cuz they are so aware and alert....

Question???? Thoughts??? Before I end this, I will try antibiotics and corid, I guess worm them...to give it every chance to not be Mareks.

Vitamin deficiency....I can't imagine how... Everyone else is healthy, good weight and laying. (for now

)


Thanks for reading. So freaking sad.

So sorry. I had one 2 months ago that presented with being found dead. Yes she was thin under all those feathers. One year old and tumorous on necropsy.

I would do the cocktail now. Possibly worm. Then put on sulfadimethoxine and Tylan for 5-7 days. Probiotics after that. Chances are always good that if it's not Marek's it's some bacteria or cocci they should really be resistant to. I do this because Marek's suppresses the immune system. And I have nothing to lose.

It would be so much better if sick chickens just flipped over and died. End of story.
I've also switched to another feed called Nutrena feather fixer. 18% protein and 4% fat, and it is making a difference. I will be looking for something with higher protein that has a steady resource to buy from. I think that instead of giving all oats as scratch, maybe I'll switch to corn. Okay yes I like chunky chickens.

 

[seminolewind]

I always vaccinate and almost always buy vaccinated, But, what do you do if you really need an older chick that you have finally found and it hasn't been vaccinated???

I would go with something over a year old that's had time to develop their own resistance.

 

[seminolewind]

Quote:
Hi, it's very rare to show signs of Marek's before 6 weeks. So I doubt that. Could be a failure to thrive, she's small so I guess she's been not eating well for a while. Today after seeing her eat mash, I come back later to see her shuffling backwards with head down. (Ack!) But she did run when I tried to chase her. I have her water and Kaytee with a very thin dropper. I can feel the stuff in her crop. Now she runs around again. I have to keep my mantra: you can only do the best you can. The rest is up to nature.

 

[seminolewind]

came home to find one of my 5 year old hens not doing well. might be mareks, might not. she was vaccinated as a chick... her tail wasn't down, but it was level, and the saddle feathers were humped up. eyes looked clear. comb is red. moving slow. slightly interested in feed when I tossed scratch to the flock, but she isn't right.. she is well enough to avoid me, so I haven't picked her up yet. so close to roosting time, I will pick her up when she roosts, assuming she gets on the roost. She has been laying, so...could be anything at this point.

thats one of the things I find difficult about chickens is the lack of my ability to diagnose much! I will isolate her and will be able to see if she has an impacted crop, or what kind of droppings....

Time for the cocktail

 

[seminolewind]

This is a link to an article that deal with the most impressive resistance that the Fayoumi chicken breed have against MD. I think that this breed or maybe it crosses are a good choice in an area that is heavily infected with MD.
http://www.jarvm.com/articles/Vol4Iss2/Duguma.pdf

Interesting article. However it's unfortunate that the study is from 2006, seems recent stuff is hard to come by. I find there are too many variables. And why are they injecting 1ml into each neck skin of chicks? I thought it was 0.2 ml doses.

It does seem the Fayoumi chickens have quite a bit of natural resistance. Enough where they don't need vaccination. I'd like to know why and what would happen if Fayoumi's were bred into flocks, or even what if flocks lived with Fayoumis, or what if hatched with a batch of chicks? What if a broody hen was a Fayoumi? I hope there are further articles about this.