This article relates the story of our encounter with Marek's disease and it shares an apparently successful approach to quarantine.
The flock and I live in South Australia, so our seasons are the opposite of the Northern hemisphere. Summers encompass Christmas. I work full-time, so for me flock expansion time coincides with my long Summer holiday, usually mid-December to late January, but people who hatch will have early chicks in August.
As the hens live in a suburban backyard, they're not a big flock. The largest it's been was 8 hens and the smallest was only 2. I like to add new chickens every two years so every second Christmas is relaxing without any integration stress.
The 2024-25 Summer was an expansion Summer. The oldest hen went broody and had a failed hatch, then she rejected chicks. The chicks grew into two cockerels, who were re-homed, and two pullets. Then one of the pullets died and so did one of the older hens.
With only one new pullet left, and one fewer hens, I set out to purchase a trio of pullets. I identified a breeder who'd won awards at the big agricultural show (for any Aussies reading, it was the Adelaide Royal) and brought home 3 pullets who I put into the spare coop for quarantine: a Marans, an Australorp, and a Brahma.
Quarantine turned out to be one of my better moves.
After a few days, I noticed the Marans had an unusual gait and pupil. I took a video of her gait and took all three of them to the vet for checking. The vet took one look at the video and said, "Yes, that's Marek's."
A feeling of dread settled over me because I love the hens and was very worried about them. But, thanks in part to an apparently successful quarantine strategy, today they're in the clear.
Here's the strategy, which I hope will help other people.
This method meant the pullets were cared for in a way that reduced (and perhaps even prevented) contamination of the main coop and run.
Once I had the quarantine routine established, I began to think about testing because I needed to know if it had spread.
Eventually, the Marans's symptoms worsened, so she was euthanized after a couple of weeks.
The pullet who had arrived as a chick and had been living with the hens for a few months was tested for Marek's and got a negative. That meant she had not caught it from the older hens, which indicated they hadn't had it.
The Australorp developed symptoms that worsened, so she was euthanised several weeks after the Marans.
The Brahma was tested for Marek's and, amazingly, was negative. This indicated the Marans and Australorp had the least virulent Marek's pathotype, and that the Brahma had had an incredibly lucky escape!
Today, quarantine is no longer necessary and the Brahma (Sarah, pictured) is trying to merge with the older hens. It's going to take a good long while, but she'll get there in the end, as they all do.
If you've had a sudden Marek's contamination, feel free to reach out and I'll share some further details.
The flock and I live in South Australia, so our seasons are the opposite of the Northern hemisphere. Summers encompass Christmas. I work full-time, so for me flock expansion time coincides with my long Summer holiday, usually mid-December to late January, but people who hatch will have early chicks in August.
As the hens live in a suburban backyard, they're not a big flock. The largest it's been was 8 hens and the smallest was only 2. I like to add new chickens every two years so every second Christmas is relaxing without any integration stress.
The 2024-25 Summer was an expansion Summer. The oldest hen went broody and had a failed hatch, then she rejected chicks. The chicks grew into two cockerels, who were re-homed, and two pullets. Then one of the pullets died and so did one of the older hens.
With only one new pullet left, and one fewer hens, I set out to purchase a trio of pullets. I identified a breeder who'd won awards at the big agricultural show (for any Aussies reading, it was the Adelaide Royal) and brought home 3 pullets who I put into the spare coop for quarantine: a Marans, an Australorp, and a Brahma.
Quarantine turned out to be one of my better moves.
After a few days, I noticed the Marans had an unusual gait and pupil. I took a video of her gait and took all three of them to the vet for checking. The vet took one look at the video and said, "Yes, that's Marek's."
A feeling of dread settled over me because I love the hens and was very worried about them. But, thanks in part to an apparently successful quarantine strategy, today they're in the clear.
Here's the strategy, which I hope will help other people.
- For starters, I had a separate coop ready to use. Before I had the separate coop, I used the sleepout and laundry for quarantining.
- It's about 7 metres from the other hens' coop and run. I would prefer if it were further away and I'm considering moving it, but as only vaccinated chicks and pullets will be joining the flock in future, perhaps it can stay put.
- In the mornings before my shower, the pullets' coop was cleaned out and their water and feed replenished.
- I dedicated an old pair of gardening clogs to the pullets' coop and changed into them before stepping in. I kept the clogs beside their coop and threw them out once it was all over.
- I kept the wheelie bin next to their coop.
- I wore silicon gloves for all the pullets' chores, which were disposed of daily, in a small but airtight bin bag, with their poop and any feathers that had dropped overnight..
- Immediately after doing the pullets chores, I put the clothes in an extremely hot wash with laundry detergent.
- I showered immediately after putting the clothes in the wash.
This method meant the pullets were cared for in a way that reduced (and perhaps even prevented) contamination of the main coop and run.
Once I had the quarantine routine established, I began to think about testing because I needed to know if it had spread.
Eventually, the Marans's symptoms worsened, so she was euthanized after a couple of weeks.
The pullet who had arrived as a chick and had been living with the hens for a few months was tested for Marek's and got a negative. That meant she had not caught it from the older hens, which indicated they hadn't had it.
The Australorp developed symptoms that worsened, so she was euthanised several weeks after the Marans.
The Brahma was tested for Marek's and, amazingly, was negative. This indicated the Marans and Australorp had the least virulent Marek's pathotype, and that the Brahma had had an incredibly lucky escape!
Today, quarantine is no longer necessary and the Brahma (Sarah, pictured) is trying to merge with the older hens. It's going to take a good long while, but she'll get there in the end, as they all do.
If you've had a sudden Marek's contamination, feel free to reach out and I'll share some further details.
