2-week-old chick showing leg weakness and lameness. Too young for Marek's onset?

[GardenerGal]

My 2-week-old chicks have been completely healthy until today, when I noticed one chick is unable to stand, and sits back on its hocks. It's feet seem lame and limp though it can run a little before plopping down.

The chicks were vaccinated for Marek's at the hatchery, but I swear the symptoms look just like Marek's, which, alas, has been in my barn for a long time. All of my flock are either vaccinated or naturally resistant. The chicks are being kept separately, but the bedding was from a bale of shavings in the barn, so it could be contaminated.

All of the things I've read say that Marek's doesn't show up in chicks until they are 4 or 5 weeks old, and this chick is only 2 weeks old. Anyone seen Marek's in such a young chick?

Could it be something else?

 

[pwand]

Its possible the chicks may have vitamin deficiency. I use poly-vit, it depends where you are, it goes into the drinking water. I have read that chicks need two weeks for the vaccine to take full affect in there systems before being exposed to Mareks.

 

[GardenerGal]

Thanks pwand.
I have been putting vitamin/mineral supplement in their water. Just the one chick is showing the symptoms right now. I hate to think that Marek's could already have infected the chicks, but certainly I could have contaminated them. There are no references to chicks under 5 weeks showing signs of Marek's, but there's a first time for everything. I can only hope that the rest don't start exhibiting symptoms.

The last time I had a broody hatch chicks in the barn, only one of them, a pullet chick, came down with Marek's and I had to cull her. She was at least 5 weeks old and living in a Marek's contaminated barn. The others had to have been exposed from day-one but didn't get sick. So strange.

 

[pwand]

Hopefully your not dealing with Mareks in your chick. There is another disorder called Rickets I believe. Unfortunately the waiting part is hard. Hopefully you will see improvement.

 

[GardenerGal]

Thanks! I'll stay hopeful.
If anyone else sees this and has any insights, I'd appreciate hearing them.

 

[GardenerGal]

It looks more like something else, not Marek's. The symptoms appear to me the ones associated with epidemic tremor. Especially as two weeks is generally too soon for Marek's symptoms to show up, and since epidemic tremor apparently does develop in the first couple of weeks after the chick hatches. None of the other chicks show any signs of being affected. Maybe this chick was from an infected hen and had the condition in the egg.