Sick pullet, Mareks?

sbrown

Chirping
6 Years
Feb 3, 2013
142
7
83
Cartersville
So I get home this evening, go to feed my chickens which consists of 11young pullets, 1 hen and 2 roosters. My pullets are around 10-12 weeks now I think. They came running at feed time but I noticed one was slower and looked liked she was gonna topple over forward. Then she just kinda fell flat down. She layed there and went to trying to eat. She seemed to eat ok but balance was definitely off. I stood her up and she maintained balance then but something is not right. I know not much detail, but is this signs of Mareks? What if anything can I do now?
 
Observe her more closely. Many things can cause a chicken to lose balance--weakness from an illness such as coccidiosis, dehydration, and others. Overnight you could keep her penned in a cage and watch her closely. Check her for mites and lice, and her crop to make sure it has food in it at night and empties by morning. I'm not saying it is not Mareks, but there might be another reason. Injuries can cause wry neck and other neurological symptoms. Mareks can cause a wide variety of symptoms, not the same in every bird. Leg or wing paralysis may be common. Here are some links about Mareks to read:
http://extension.unh.edu/resources/files/Resource000791_Rep813.pdf
http://partnersah.vet.cornell.edu/avian-atlas/search/disease/502
https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/the-great-big-giant-mareks-disease-faq
 

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