I know, eh?! The preliminary report the day after I sent them in (a week ago today ) said there were lesions on one of the chickens' livers CONSISTENT with Marek's. Totally expecting it to be Marek's and had asked the vet handling this case if it could still be something else. I went over the...
I am sure I could if I showed this to my vet. But my research shows me that antibiotics don't cure just help them get better until the next bout. Do you have some information that can help "cure" them?
Aww thank you. FTR none of the chickens were showing any kind of symptom until last week when I heard a sneeze. That's when I brought them in A five hour drive to the lab.
Yah, I'm so sad about this. I am trying to remember all the symptoms from last year. There were maybe 3 of the original chickens that were sick Dec last year. I removed them immediately and kept them separate. But seriously, if these diseases can come in from birds and rodents, who knows. I'm...
No they haven't. I don't think it's from them. I am thinking, based on the fact the report said ILT was there for a while, they were sick before we bought the farm last November.
Yah, it was quite the shock to see all three. Maybe not all have it, but with winter setting in here and the stress of more indoor time I expect more sickness. I considered waiting but with so many issues, I want to get the opportunity to clean the facilities and surrounding areas. It's just not...
Ok, so I sacrificed 5 chickens to our Animal health care lab. Finally got results back. Turns out my chickens do not have Marek's Disease (yay what a relief).
There were some other unfortunate results though. They have Mycoplasma Gallisepticum, infectious Coryza and ILT.
So, sadly I've...
If you don't mind me suggesting this, could you keep an extra eye open on the rest of your flock over the next several weeks? My experience has been when one dies unexpectedly, without any real obvious symptoms it could be something latent, not yet developed in the others...not always of course...
I feel for you. I too am dealing with this. And it is the tumour type of Marek's. Plus after sacrificing 5 birds to confirm Marek's they discovered that ILT is also in my flock. The BC Animal Health Centre is checking for Coryza and MG as well, just in case (Coryza is going around in BC). Still...
I am by no means an expert but what I've learned from here about lavender is:
It's Very difficult to keep your breeding line clean unless you have lavender hens or don't mind breeding back to your blacks. If you have any first generation chicks from a lavender cock and black hen they'll be split...
But....
I think it's time to downsize. Now I wonder if the first two pullets are not crossed with an Ameraucana hen, but I doubt they'd be that big if they were.
Anyway don't want to waste everyone's time. I really do appreciate your answers, many many thanks to you all.
I added photos in my other reply of the potential fathers. Here are pictures of the "chocolate" offspring. I think they are all pullets, but the first two are about 4 weeks older and have no leakage, they're also huge. Both parents are Orpingtons.
So the chocolate cuckoo has been culled, sadly, but I believe he was single barred, but picture attached. Yes, he lost feathers around his neck from letting the hens peck out his feathers. Baldy is no longer with us.
Randy the blue rooster may have chocolate in his background but I can't be...