St. John's Wort

[soler]

But are you sure this is Marek's? were any of the dead birds necropsied and confirmed to have marek's? Because it seems whatever they have is progressing very rapidly and could be something else altogether, and possibly you are treating them with the wrong antibiotics.

I am reading a lot about St john's worth, turmeric, silver, etc and i have to say my intial (and superficial!) conclusion is that these immune boosting/anti inflammatory natural methods are probably helping birds that do not actually have marek's, and instead have some minor ailment with similar symptons. Still worth keeping in the cupboard of course..they don't seem to harm, and only do nothing at worst.

 

[lesleelay]

Last Sunday morning I went to check the chickens and a hen was having problems walking and one wing was drooping. I grabbed her up and took to the house. She was eating and drinking just fine. Gave her a dose of St. John's Wart. By that night she was doing great. No limp. No drooping wing. The next morning I put her back in the run. As of tonight she is doing fine. I don't what's going on! I have raked all the grass from the run and have replaced it with pine shaving. I also removed the watering pan because the ground stayed wet around it and figured the chickens were scratching at the wet ground.

 

[Earthologie]

I am really glad I found this post!

I will definitely write this info down in my "Doctor Chicken Journal" for future reference in case the need ever comes up!

 

[Fyremare]

I believe the woman I got them from orders BUNCHES from a hatchery and then sells them as they get older (as I got mine at 8 weeks old) so I don't really know how they were cared for until then. She did have a green house set up as a brooder (it was clean and well maintained from what I could tell) ...

I thought about getting a necropsy but at the time (the first one I lost just before christmas, the 2nd around new years, the last 2 were about a month later) I probably should've sent out the last silkie but by then i just wasn't thinking clearly. . . if this last girl goes I will definitely need an answer ... since I thought the first d'uccle's symptoms seemed more like EEE than mareks (but the woman I got them from said it was NOT, and was probably mareks).

I do agree - I think it was more than one problem ... but i find it odd that it was all the bantams and only from this woman and I have 2 EE's and 2bantam cochin X's that haven't had any problems ... honestly I can't think of a time in my entire life that I had "sick" chickens like these ones, and growing up chickens were "just chickens" they were fed the gone bad/moldy left overs, they had a coop bedded with hay/straw that was "non edible" and the coop wasn't cleaned, just more hay/straw put over the dirty stuff. . . i honestly wonder how they survived, and then I (IMO) give top of the line care, coops always clean with fresh shavings, vented, clean fresh water everyday, good food, fresh fruits/veggies, crumbled bread - NOTHING moldy... - they get vitamins/electrolytes for a few days a few times a month ... ...

but enough "ranting" ... ... I'm thankful for the birds I still have, and the new and upcoming chicks

... I just hope that whatever the others had is NON contagious (I have disinfected the coop - a couple times) ... and it will be gone through again shortly!

Thank you

kimb I don't know if you are still here or come here, the post is really old that I am reading. Am trying to plow through all of the posts on this thread. I also try and keep a clean coop, clean waterers, use DE and Organic apple cider vinegar with the mother.... sometimes my coops are cleaner than my own coop. I am struggling with something with the chickens, and it's really expensive to necropsy the birds. I have closed the flock, none out, no new in. And trying my best to cope. If it's in the soil, I'm screwed. It's so frustrating. Thanks for all of the posts here, if nothing it is helping to educate. Sometimes I really hate the learning curve.
Thank you all

 

[Fyremare]

So sadly to announce that I had to put Ricky down today. He had been doing so well and perhaps I should not have taken him off the herb, but thought I'd see how he would do and today when we moved the small birds out into a summer house one of our older chicks stepped on his back and he cried out in pain, so with what ever that did, I just simply and sadly put him down.

I had such hope, or wish. Dang it, such a heart breaking disease. Now, I usually start something and I certainly do not want to as I say this... I have been told to breed for resistance as our birds have the Mareks that is spread by migrating birds and to inoculate can be sending a different strain(s) because they are the designed for the birds in the poultry industry. So, just as a thought, I'm going to place my new chicks in with my broilers and turkeys, they come in tomorrow and have not been inoculated. The turkeys have a virus that prevents Mareks.

Just an experiment and will definitely keep you all posted and if someone else could try this, I'd love to hear about it! Here is a picture of Ricky while on the Herb.

OMG Dejavu. My Mille cockerel is in the splayed stage. Started on the hypericum tonight, he's 3 days in. Will see what happens. So sorry for your loss.

 

[lesleelay]

None of my chickens that acted like it was Marek's were "splayed". Are you saying that their legs are doing the splits? If so I think that is something different. I read an article where a person bandaged her chicks legs together at the hip apart measurment. After about 4 days they were fine. I think is was something to do with the floor being slippery and the chicks legs couldn't stay under them. I am sorry. It's late and I am tring to remember.

Spook, I also read that Marek's is in the ground/dirt. I also read that your chickens that live through it carry their immunity on to the other chickens in the flock and on to their off spring. I hope so because I now have a pullet and a rooster that have survived.

 

[TommyDaDelaware]

We lost the one, (Mike) and i have a feeling we are going to lose Ike too. Not to the Mareks, but to the atrophied limbs. The immobilization from Mareks had atrophied his legs so bad. and now my fav pullet, a tiny delaware has it too. She has it in her neck, and she's not accepting any water or medications. :'( I dont think Grace is gonna make it.

 

[lesleelay]

So very sorry. I know your pain.

 

[Fyremare]

I am seeing a little tiny bit of improvement today after 5 doses of hypericum in my little Mille Fleur cockerel. Have the 30 strength tiny pills in a little blue tube. Dissolved one in a small vial that didn't quite hold a Tablespoon of distilled water. Took forever for it to dissolve! I have been doing the sharp snapping 10 times, forgot to the first time. I am happy and I am sad. Either the nerve medicine is taking away some of his pain, or he is getting better or both. He does have one foot in front and one behind. Eating and drinking better.
It will still be sad for me if he kicks it, because I will be assuming he had/has Merek's and that it is in the soil. I hadn't had chickens ever, and the only thing that I know of that was on this land before the chickens was a dog for 5 months, feral cats sometimes and wild birds and animals.
The whole situation makes me not want to sell any or get anymore in, or.... make anymore babies. I think that will be the hardest, because my goals were to get some good breeders. Pretty sure I have a nice trio and now don't know if I will let anyone set. That may be difficult, since the newest chicks are Speckled Sussex and there are 8 left out of the original 13. Have had 5 of those die, and one other pullet that was probably an EE.
Have others of you closed your flocks? Some of the breeds I have never have been sick ever. I'm wondering if the hardiness of cross breeding is helping.

I am heartbroken in Vermont.

When he was healthy.

 

[lesleelay]

I have also lost several. And it is also my first adventure with chikens. Yes it is in the dirt. From what I have read it's just there. Kind of like Staff is just there. You didn't do anything wrong and don't give up. In my case I have seen a diffrence since I have removed the water pan. I had one rooster that was always standing in it. He kept a wet mess about 3 feet out around it. The other chickens would scratch in the mud and he was constantly getting the water muddy. I also took out as much of the grass cuttings as I could from the run. This grass was from my own yard. I think this has fixed the problem. It has been 8 days since my last sick chicken. I know it takes 2 weeks for Marek's to show up. All the poop droppings that I have seen are a normal dark color. No more bright green runny spots. Plus the hens are laying like crazy. 27 eggs in 7 days from 7 hens.

I will pray for your chickens.