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dealing with Mareks yet again looking for additional treatments / info

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AHappychick

AHappychick

Wanna-be Farmer
11 Years
Dec 16, 2008
5,772
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westchester
For those that have read my threads I made a big mistake back in Feb and bought chickens from someone and although they were put in a separate coop they shared the same airspace with others and my bio security was flawed at best. Shortly after one of the birds showed all signs of mareks, I should have noticed it when I bought it since a pupil was misshapen but did not, another big mistake.

I did a mass culling a few days later but the damage was done.

For months all my juveniles hatched in December and early Jan have been battling it. What I got is a strong strain apparently and very deadly.

I have spent a lot of money proving this all with necropsies and vet visits.

Now my favorite EE splash has it and I can bear it no longer.

Her symptoms are difficulty walking with one foot in front of other and one pupil is dilated at all times but not misshapen or gray.

I have been giving treatment from info from moodychicken's mareks post and do believe it is helping.

I am also giving yogurt and other foods to help boost her immunity to fight it.

I should also add that in my battle with this I have not had one survivor once symptoms presented


ok here is my question I am desperate to get this particular bird through this if anyone has any other suggestions or treatments they think could also help, any at all I am open to it I am hoping with the constant increase of members that maybe there is someone else that has some trick or cure
 
If this bird does survive, & some do, she will always be a carrier & your problem will be ongoing.
If you keep & breed from only birds that were never symptomatic you will develop a flock that is naturally resistant to Marek's. If you keep & breed from birds that survive or are "cured" you will develop a flock that is still susceptable to Marek's.
As is so often the case the right thing to do is the hardest thing to do.
 
Quote:
Are you saying that birds who are exposed and do not come down with
symptoms are resistant, not carriers?

I thought if they got marek's and survived, they were resistant to the disease, not a carrier.
hmm.png



Here is some info. http://www.shagbarkbantams.com/page9.htm

Mareks is extremely contagious but does not spread vertically (to the egg). Youngsters should develop a natural immunity (called 'age resistance'), by the time they're five months old. This is one of the reasons it is important to raise your youngsters separately from your oldsters. The older birds that have encountered Mareks and have managed to survive are carriers. New birds coming in from other flocks are always potential carriers.​
 
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I have thought the same thing I realize she will be a carrier and will delelope a resistence to it, it is my understanding that mareks is everywhere and that the damage to my birds is probably done. My adults have never showed signs of it but then again they are older and not with these but they did all share the same garage airspace as the infected ones so I kind of figured the adults had the immunity. The birds suffering were never vacinated (I hatched them) so I sort of also feel that is why they get it so easily.

I really dont want to cull her is that really what is best here?
 
Isnt mareks disease in the dirt/ground?

Just found this:
This is because the Mareks virus is virtually everywhere, travels on the wind, and can be anywhere in your environment.

Overall, the easiest way by keep Mareks out of your flock (but not the most effective), is to promote 'age resistance' by keeping your youngsters separate from the adults and away from the poultry shows until they're over 5 months old.​
 
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Mareks is extremely contagious but does not spread vertically (to the egg). Youngsters should develop a natural immunity (called 'age resistance'), by the time they're five months old. This is one of the reasons it is important to raise your youngsters separately from your oldsters. The older birds that have encountered Mareks and have managed to survive are carriers. New birds coming in from other flocks are always potential carriers.

So birds that develop an immunity are not carriers?
Older exposed birds are carriers?

I don't get this.​
 
neither do I and I have read quiet a bit on it and still do not understand. I cant tell you how hard my EE splash is fighting she takes her meds from a straw all I do it put it by her beak, she can walk just not well and she has an appitite the others never did they went from seemingly fine to critical very fast. I feel like she is really fighting if anyone has anymore links to any info on mareks please keep it coming i am doing searches as well and have been for months but you never know....
 
Mareks is everywhere. Any unvaccinated bird can be a carrier even if the disease has never manefested itself in that bird.

ETA: Marek's is caused by a herpes virus and that is sometimes the nature of such viruses.
 
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