Marek's Disease and its Aftermath

[Chickenpax]

I have a flock of 8 adult birds which were hatched at home and also purchased from a local farm and weren't vaccinated for Marek's. Recently I got chicks (now 6 weeks old) from Tractor Supply (they don't vaccinate) and they were being raised by our sweet broody hen. They seemed to be doing great. But then one got sick, with symptoms that seem like Marek's Disease. And then all of the babies caught it.
Our coop setup is that we have a 19 X 10ft run for the adult chickens attached to our protected coop. Within that run, we have a small coop that we put chicks in so that the adult birds are familiar with them while they are growing to be large enough to introduce to the flock. Normally, it's a perfect arrangement.
The broody mama hen is totally fine. She's obviously freaked out and upset about losing 6 babies but she doesn't seem to have any symptoms of Marek's.
I am planning to send one of the poor babies' bodies to a local lab that does necropsies to confirm what killed them. In the meantime, I have been keeping the broody girl in the small coop, to isolate her.
But then I don't know what to do. My instinct is to let her out with other adult birds because they have all probably been exposed to Marek's at this point. They have been inches away from the babies with just a wire between them. And I hate to keep her confined now that her babies are gone.
What would you do?

 

[Eggcessive]

Baby chicks do not get Mareks or show symptoms. How old were the ones you lost? The very earliest a chick would show symptoms is 5-6 weeks old, and usually it is much later, several month’s old. Could they have gotten into some moldy feed or something toxic/poisonous plant, insecticide, etc, or suffered from coccidiosis? Have you added any new birds to your flock from another person recently?

 

[RoyalChick]

Baby chicks do not get Mareks or show symptoms. How old were the ones you lost? The very earliest a chick would show symptoms is 5-6 weeks old, and usually it is much later, several month’s old. Could they have gotten into some moldy feed or something toxic/poisonous plant, insecticide, etc, or suffered from coccidiosis? Have you added any new birds to your flock from another person recently?

Yes this ^
Doubt the Littles had Marek’s if they were less than 10-12 weeks old.

 

[Chickenpax]

My chicks were 6 weeks old. Sorry if that wasn't clear. I'll see if I can edit the post. Again, I'm going to get it formally diagnosed by a local lab.

Regarding eating something toxic, their coop is very protected, there is nothing available to eat that is toxic. Not sure about coccidiosis but they have not been exposed to any other birds, not even wild birds because their little coop is super locked down and within another run.

 

[Eggcessive]

I really doubt that they had Mareks. There can be so many different things that can look like Mareks. Sorry that I didn’t see that they were 6 weeks old. I would suspect coccidiosis, but could you describe what symptoms they had? If I were you, I would let your hen out with the others. Stay with her for a bit since she might get pecked a little, just to make sure that she is not bullied. They really get upset when they are separated or lose their chicks, but eventually get back to normal.

 

[Chickenpax]

I understand that it may not be Marek's. But I am getting them tested so I will have an answer about that. The symptoms were that they became progressively weaker and then were completely limp, legs not working at all, and then death. Their necks also were affected to the point with the first bird I thought it was wry neck until the rest of her body went limp.
In any case, my question is what I should IF they had Marek's, not whether they had it because I will have an answer later in the week because of the testing. I want to know if it makes sense to continue isolating her or if I should just assume they have all been exposed.

 

[RoyalChick]

I understand that it may not be Marek's. But I am getting them tested so I will have an answer about that. The symptoms were that they became progressively weaker and then were completely limp, legs not working at all, and then death. Their necks also were affected to the point with the first bird I thought it was wry neck until the rest of her body went limp.
In any case, my question is what I should IF they had Marek's, not whether they had it because I will have an answer later in the week because of the testing. I want to know if it makes sense to continue isolating her or if I should just assume they have all been exposed.

Personally I would let her out. If it really were Marek’s they have all been exposed most likely.

 

[Chickenpax]

Thanks. That's what I am thinking too.

 

[Eggcessive]

I would let her out since she needs to be with them. Let us know how the testing comes out, and I hope that you get a diagnosis that is not Mareks.