Suspecting Marek's - Should I quit growing my flock?

[bekachickenborn]

I'm sorry that you are dealing with this.
There's no way to know if you should cull the sick hen or not.
What symptoms does she have?
If you suspect she is suffering from Marek's or that you are dealing with Marek's in your flock, then culling her and sending the body to your state lab will give you confirmation.
This gives you more information so you can move forward on how you want to add/raise more chickens.
Depending on your state, testing/necropsy is reasonable. You can find your lab here:
http://www.metzerfarms.com/PoultryLabs.cfm

Hello,
Her symptoms include paralysis of the left foot (possibly the wing too- it behaves oddly but I can't tell if that is due to a lack of balance). She lays around in the cage/hops a bit. She is still eating on her own, but seems lethargic/not herself.

She is not in as bad shape as her predecessor, who had the same leg paralysis in the fall...poor girl would not eat/drink/move and we had to cull her.

This is the fourth chicken I've had (out of 12) that showed symptoms of Marek's in the past year. I thought the disease spread/killed a flock faster/that the affected chickens would die quicker if it's Marek's. May was paralyzed/ill for about two weeks and I was syringe feeding her and giving antibiotics for that time period before we gave up and "took care" of her.

I really am considering just stopping with chickens for a while. They've brought me a lot of joy for the past 5 years, but I now have a sick child requiring daily medical care on top of all this (and work a demanding full time job in pharma industry)...and I am just getting really tired and sad. :-(

Thank you for the reply. The support of the members of this group is so amazing.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Hello,
Her symptoms include paralysis of the left foot (possibly the wing too- it behaves oddly but I can't tell if that is due to a lack of balance). She lays around in the cage/hops a bit. She is still eating on her own, but seems lethargic/not herself.

She is not in as bad shape as her predecessor, who had the same leg paralysis in the fall...poor girl would not eat/drink/move and we had to cull her.

This is the fourth chicken I've had (out of 12) that showed symptoms of Marek's in the past year. I thought the disease spread/killed a flock faster/that the affected chickens would die quicker if it's Marek's. May was paralyzed/ill for about two weeks and I was syringe feeding her and giving antibiotics for that time period before we gave up and "took care" of her.

I really am considering just stopping with chickens for a while. They've brought me a lot of joy for the past 5 years, but I now have a sick child requiring daily medical care on top of all this (and work a demanding full time job in pharma industry)...and I am just getting really tired and sad. :-(

Thank you for the reply. The support of the members of this group is so amazing.

I'm so sorry.
You have a lot going on.
Your child and your health/well being comes first.

Imho, culling the hen would be best. I know that's so sad and not an easy thing to do. If possible send the body for testing just so you get confirmation about what you suspect. Marek's can be a really confusing and frustrating disease from what I understand of it. It can present in so many ways, but it also allows other conditions/disease to be present at the same time - therefore complicating the issues.

Taking a break/stopping for a while is a practical decision to make. Not a popular thing to do, but culling when symptoms begin may be something for you to consider doing, this way you aren't having extra care duty to stress you out even further. I hope no more become ill and you will be able to tend to other things.

 

[Flaisure]

I have a chicken in our extra bedroom. Last Sunday I went out to the chicken coop and willow was just laying there. I opened the door and she limped out. She is walking on her hock. Her toes on her left foot tend to curl up but don’t stay curled. I have been giving her vitamins and she has been eating and drinking good. Still laying eggs. Last night she laid a huge one. Way bigger then my duck eggs (pic below). I’m not sure what it could be. I’m afraid it could be Mareks. No other symptoms other then the toes curling when she stands on them. She uses her wing to balance. Her eyes are fine, no mites, no lice, no lumps on her. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

 

[microchick]

@bekachickenborn when all is said and done you have to do what is right for you and only you know what that is.

Do not feel guilty if you choose to cull and take a break. You have a lot on your shoulders and once again, I agree whole heartedly with @Wyorp Rock. Dealing with Marek's flock is stressful and time consuming under the best of conditions.

@Flaisure That looks very suspicious to me. Besides the curled toes, that right eye looks odd, as if she is dealing with ocular Mareks but it is hard to tell. Is the pupil constricted and is the color a sickly grey/green? The pupil will also be irregular shaped even though it is pin point.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

I have a chicken in our extra bedroom. Last Sunday I went out to the chicken coop and willow was just laying there. I opened the door and she limped out. She is walking on her hock. Her toes on her left foot tend to curl up but don’t stay curled. I have been giving her vitamins and she has been eating and drinking good. Still laying eggs. Last night she laid a huge one. Way bigger then my duck eggs (pic below). I’m not sure what it could be. I’m afraid it could be Mareks. No other symptoms other then the toes curling when she stands on them. She uses her wing to balance. Her eyes are fine, no mites, no lice, no lumps on her. Any help would be greatly appreciated.View attachment 1685620 View attachment 1685621 View attachment 1685626 View attachment 1685627

I'm sorry that your hen is not well.
Can you give more information?
You mention the toes tend to curl - how long has she done that?
How long has she been hock walking?
What type of vitamins are you giving her? (name/brand or photo please)
How old is she?
Did her walking improve after she laid that large egg?
Have you looked at the back of her hock(joint) to make sure there is no swelling, feeling of dislocation, can the joint straighten/bend with ease?

You may also want to start your own thread so others will find it and offer more suggestions. Go to the main ER page and click on "start new thread". Include a description of symptoms and your photos.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/forums/emergencies-diseases-injuries-and-cures.10/

 

[Flaisure]

@Flaisure That looks very suspicious to me. Besides the curled toes, that right eye looks odd, as if she is dealing with ocular Mareks but it is hard to tell. Is the pupil constricted and is the color a sickly grey/green? The pupil will also be irregular shaped even though it is pin point.

Here are some better pics. She laid 2 lash? Eggs today. She’s eating and drinking just fine. Her eyes seem normal to me. They contract when I put a flash light on her. They don’t get small. I had her foot wrapped. I took that off.

 

[Flaisure]

I'm sorry that your hen is not well.
Can you give more information?
You mention the toes tend to curl - how long has she done that?
How long has she been hock walking?
What type of vitamins are you giving her? (name/brand or photo please)
How old is she?
Did her walking improve after she laid that large egg?
Have you looked at the back of her hock(joint) to make sure there is no swelling, feeling of dislocation, can the joint straighten/bend with ease?

You may also want to start your own thread so others will find it and offer more suggestions. Go to the main ER page and click on "start new thread". Include a description of symptoms and your photos.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/forums/emergencies-diseases-injuries-and-cures.10/

I noticed her like this on Sunday, Saturday she was fine. I can stretch it all the way out. No swelling that I can feel. She seems to be acting normal other then her foot curling. She’s about 6-7 months old.

 

[microchick]

Thnx for posting the clearer pictures. Yep, eyes look normal.That's good.

IMHO that egg looks more like a shell-less egg or a soft shelled egg like you see in young layers. A lash egg is solid and rubbery without yolk or albumen. Basically pus that has aged and solidified.

 

[Flaisure]

Thnx for posting the clearer pictures. Yep, eyes look normal.That's good.

IMHO that egg looks more like a shell-less egg or a soft shelled egg like you see in young layers. A lash egg is solid and rubbery without yolk or albumen. Basically pus that has aged and solidified.

Yeah that’s why I’m just so lost. Everything seems normal other then her foot. I haven’t been wanting to put her down because she is so sweet and I’m not really sure what’s wrong with her.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Here are some better pics. She laid 2 lash? Eggs today. She’s eating and drinking just fine. Her eyes seem normal to me. They contract when I put a flash light on her. They don’t get small. I had her foot wrapped. I took that off. View attachment 1686152 View attachment 1686153View attachment 1686154View attachment 1686157 View attachment 1686155 View attachment 1686156

View attachment 1686187 View attachment 1686188

I noticed her like this on Sunday, Saturday she was fine. I can stretch it all the way out. No swelling that I can feel. She seems to be acting normal other then her foot curling. She’s about 6-7 months old.

What do you feed her, including treats?
Did the eggs break when she laid them (maybe stepped on them) or does she have a discharge from the vent that looks "eggy"?

She laid both of those today? Did her stance/standing and behavior improve any after she laid them?
How long has her toes been curled?

I agree with @microchick those look like soft-shelled eggs instead of Lash Eggs, which, imho is a good thing. You don't want to be dealing with Lash Egg (Salpingitis).

Here's what I would do if she were mine. I would give her her normal balanced poultry feed. Eliminate those Durvet vitamins/electrolytes. Instead give her 1/2 tablet of Calcium like Caltrate daily for 1 week. I would also give her 1/2 tablet human B-Complex daily for 1 week.
Keep treats to a minimum, say 5% of her daily intake. See if she improves.