18 wk pullet can't walk (UPDATED)

[lindabro]

Sorry to say - that little chookie has died... :-(
She hardly ate all day and I went to check up on her just a few minutes ago and she's passed on.
So I'm surprised Mareks' affects so quickly, but perhaps that's just part of it, perhaps it wasn't mareks' at all.

Anyhow, will keep an eye on the rest of the flock. Have bought disinfectant etc to clean and wash out the cage and coop this afternoon.
Here's hoping the rest of the girls are ok???

Re going forward, if the rest of the girls show no signs of anything over the next few weeks, should I introduce new pullets to the flock, or leave it a number of months/year for any possible virus to be decontaminated???

Not sure where to go from here?

 

[lngrid]

Quote:
I just read that the vaccine comes freeze-dried and is mixed with a fluid dilutant before administering. You have to use it within an hour of mixing, because after that the virus dies and the vaccine is useless. Perhaps something happened and this chick got the vaccine after the Golden Hour elapsed?

 

[cocosandy]

anything is possible with so many chicks. I can see how one might get overlooked or that the vaccine might get old....I dont trust the vaccine anyway, and the isolation terms is so stringent that you could infect a neighbor's flock by accident just by wearing the wrong shoes and going visiting. I suppose that in the best of all possible worlds we would cull the rest of the flock and start over with all vaccinated birds, but honestly, next spring a wild bird could fly over and drop some infection and maybe the vaccine didnt work right....
I dont know if we live in the perfect conditions that the vaccine assumes.
I also have a problem with culling all of my healthy birds who have remained healthy all of these years.
Im not sure what to do and I'd also love to know what the experts think.
The extension vet at uconn says that its definitley mareks, and even tho he says that Im sending birds to be necropsied today...I need to check for other agents and worms just to be sure. mareks is blamed for alot, and according to him, event he bird that died suddenly if an eye infection probably had it...Im not so sure, and Id like some confirmation by medical tests.
I have a big mixed flock of pretty fancy birds, and as much as Ive lost alot of birds this year, I have many old birds who are doing well...do I cull them too? Some of them are beloved pets.
Do I cull the 2 turkeys and the 2 runner ducks as well?
I love the ducks but they mess up the water and such and have kept me on my toes cleaning....and sometimes I think that they have made the birds sick because they put their dirty beaks everywhere...
This is a very hard problem....Id love some advice.
Melina

 

[ArizonaDesertChicks]

Don't cull your flock. Marek's is in most people's flock, even in vaccinated chickens, but most vaccinated chickens don't get any symptoms. Your older, laying hens are past the danger stage and will probably never get sick. If you're concerned about Marek's in the future, just make sure you order vaccinated chicks - the vaccination won't protect every chick 100%, but will reduce the chances they get sick.

My splash orpington hens had symptoms similar to your chicken's - started with sleepiness, started limping, eventually lost the use of both legs, and died. There was never a diagnosis, but there is a chance it was Marek's. This was 3 months ago and all 17 of the remaining pullets & hens have been very healthy - the 6 younger ones that were raised with the orpington have all started laying with no problems. This splash orp was the only "breeder stock" chick I had (only chick to make if from the eggs I ordered) and I wonder if she was just more susceptable or had a weaker immune system or just a co-incidence? None of my chickens have been vaccinated - most of them came from the local feedstore, which does not sell vaccinated chicks (most feedstores don't). The orpington, 1 of 2, that did not come from the feedstore was the only chicken I've had that has ever died (or even been sick).

When I asked my local vet about getting a necropsy, he told me not to worry about losing 1 or 2 chickens . He said that happens (he owns chickens too). He said if I start losing more than that, than I should definitely get a necropsy.