Adding to a Marek's infected flock?

[sylviethecochin]

Alright, @sylviethecochin, I'm doing it! I'm going out to the breeder on Monday and getting 6 (non-vaccinated) chicks of various breeds and ages 5 days to 2 weeks old. I'm using the mother hen pad and keeping them inside for a few days, just to keep a watch on them before I put them out. Then they're out in the run, separated and safe from the big girls until it's time to integrate. Do you usually keep your chicks indoors or do you do an in-run brooding? It's how I did my last batch and the integration went so smoothly I swore I would never do it differently. But that was before the Big-M diagnosis so I'm not sure if it really matters - they'll be exposed sooner or later, right? I'm just curious what you do...

I do in-run brooding when I can, but I do live in PA, so if I brooded most of my chicks outdoors from the start, they would just die (I prefer not to use electricity in the coop.)

I really prefer broody hens, partially for that reason.

Though I've been told that chicks are more susceptible to Marek's than adults are (haven't built up any natural immunity) I've only ever had one get it as a chick. I'd probably just brood them in the run.

Good luck!

 

[JennyHeidewald]

I would probably go with option one, actually. But I sell birds and I would not feel comfortable selling a bird that might carry a really dangerous strain of Marek's. Because my birds aren't vaccinated, I know they carry the mild local strain.

@sylviethecochin How do you tell if a strain is mild? By how many die?I recently had two birds tested for Marek's, and both came back positive, they were showing symptoms. The one died a few hours before I was able to get the swab for the test (she had ocular and skin, she was able to walk and stand. She was my first chick I hatched ever ), the other one is walking again now, unsteadily, but walking! We had another one that got the leg paralyzed version, who died yesterday. Found one of my over a year old BCMs dead yesterday, too, no symptoms ( but she had broken her beak a bit, looked like a cross beak, wasn't acting off at all).
My main issue is, I was hatching chicks this year, and I did this before I knew there was Mareks in the flock. Now I have a BUNCH of roos I don't know what to do with, I don't want to cull them (as in deadify), they need to find new homes, but how do I go about that? I read Marek's is so common some vets assume that all BYflocks have it, but...
I was thinking of posting an ad "they have been exposed to Marek's, but are not showing signs" But whoever gets them would have to have a Marek's positive flock too, and how many people actually test. I don't want to be unethical, but my mom wants them gone (I am not a minor, the flock lives at her place, I had to move), I had a plan for them before I knew they had the disease.
This just sucks so much, super frustrating.

Another thing to note, I'd given one of my little Partridge cochin chicks to someone right before I knew. She had her flock tested, including the little guy I'd given her, they came back negative. None of them are showing signs. I can't afford a $20 test for a bird that won't even recoop that cost though. I was also under the impression that it can be a fugitive disease.

 

[sylviethecochin]

@sylviethecochin How do you tell if a strain is mild? By how many die?I recently had two birds tested for Marek's, and both came back positive, they were showing symptoms. The one died a few hours before I was able to get the swab for the test (she had ocular and skin, she was able to walk and stand. She was my first chick I hatched ever ), the other one is walking again now, unsteadily, but walking! We had another one that got the leg paralyzed version, who died yesterday. Found one of my over a year old BCMs dead yesterday, too, no symptoms ( but she had broken her beak a bit, looked like a cross beak, wasn't acting off at all).
My main issue is, I was hatching chicks this year, and I did this before I knew there was Mareks in the flock. Now I have a BUNCH of roos I don't know what to do with, I don't want to cull them (as in deadify), they need to find new homes, but how do I go about that? I read Marek's is so common some vets assume that all BYflocks have it, but...
I was thinking of posting an ad "they have been exposed to Marek's, but are not showing signs" But whoever gets them would have to have a Marek's positive flock too, and how many people actually test. I don't want to be unethical, but my mom wants them gone (I am not a minor, the flock lives at her place, I had to move), I had a plan for them before I knew they had the disease.
This just sucks so much, super frustrating.

Another thing to note, I'd given one of my little Partridge cochin chicks to someone right before I knew. She had her flock tested, including the little guy I'd given her, they came back negative. None of them are showing signs. I can't afford a $20 test for a bird that won't even recoop that cost though. I was also under the impression that it can be a fugitive disease.

I would consider that a strain of Marek's that I do not want in my flock, so I would not want to get your birds. You could try the ad with disclaimer, but I think most people lack the disease education to think anything other than "she has really sick birds." I suspect that if you do the disclaimer, you'll end up having to sell them for meat.

 

[JennyHeidewald]

I would consider that a strain of Marek's that I do not want in my flock, so I would not want to get your birds. You could try the ad with disclaimer, but I think most people lack the disease education to think anything other than "she has really sick birds." I suspect that if you do the disclaimer, you'll end up having to sell them for meat.

Thanks for getting back to me! Yeah, I was thinking the same, that folks would just be, "She has sick birds". I'd of likely done the same back when I didn't know my flock actually had it. Ignorance is bliss.

Before I knew, I'd taken a bunch of roos to a farm store and they managed to sell them, they sell a LOT of roos in the city. I don't know who would get a bunch of roosters unless they were using them for something else (some cultures use them for religious things). They give the roo owner half of what they sold them for, and I got $8 each, so I wonder how they manage to sell roosters for $16 when I've had a hard time even giving them away in my area. I might just ask them if they can hook me up with someone who would use the roos for meat or what, broker a deal.

It's a shame, I have some gorgeous Isbar roosters, and some cute olive egger mixes. The three crested cream legbar eggs that I KNOW are from my Sweetpea (the one who died from ocular/skin mareks) all ended up being roos. I don't know if any of her chicks turned out to be a pullet, I need to peer at my egg shell photos I took after they hatched.

 

[sylviethecochin]

Thanks for getting back to me! Yeah, I was thinking the same, that folks would just be, "She has sick birds". I'd of likely done the same back when I didn't know my flock actually had it. Ignorance is bliss.

Before I knew, I'd taken a bunch of roos to a farm store and they managed to sell them, they sell a LOT of roos in the city. I don't know who would get a bunch of roosters unless they were using them for something else (some cultures use them for religious things). They give the roo owner half of what they sold them for, and I got $8 each, so I wonder how they manage to sell roosters for $16 when I've had a hard time even giving them away in my area. I might just ask them if they can hook me up with someone who would use the roos for meat or what, broker a deal.

It's a shame, I have some gorgeous Isbar roosters, and some cute olive egger mixes. The three crested cream legbar eggs that I KNOW are from my Sweetpea (the one who died from ocular/skin mareks) all ended up being roos. I don't know if any of her chicks turned out to be a pullet, I need to peer at my egg shell photos I took after they hatched.

Yeah, if you find the meat market that takes roosters at more than $5/each, great. Possibly some sort of farm-to-table restaurant?

I'm trying to find the guy who bought my extra drakes at an auction for $29/ea. I only brought two, and I have about fifteen more where that came from, at a bulk discount of... $15/ea? $10? For what that guy paid, I'll bring them to him.

 

[JennyHeidewald]

Yeah, if you find the meat market that takes roosters at more than $5/each, great. Possibly some sort of farm-to-table restaurant?

I'm trying to find the guy who bought my extra drakes at an auction for $29/ea. I only brought two, and I have about fifteen more where that came from, at a bulk discount of... $15/ea? $10? For what that guy paid, I'll bring them to him.

Wow, that is a good price! I hope you find him, I agree that is worth it to bring them to him. Maybe you could have an ongoing deal. Last year I priced how much it would cost for one place to process chickens, it was $10 and up. After seeing on here in various thread how it was $5 ish in general, that was a sticker shock. I do grant them that processing chickens is probably a lot of work, I've seen some processing ( via youtube) not something I'd want to do myself (besides being vegetarian, I tend to like the birds, unless a roo becomes aggressive).
I'll have to look into the farm to table, I know there is one place like that, also a meat market.

 

[sylviethecochin]

Last year I priced how much it would cost for one place to process chickens, it was $10 and up. After seeing on here in various thread how it was $5 ish in general, that was a sticker shock. I do grant them that processing chickens is probably a lot of work.

I'm really slow, but my brother and I can completely process (live to soaking in brine) six in an hour. Most people are much faster (to be fair, I don't have a lot of practice) So, no. Not really a lot of work, once you get used to it. And I assume they have an automatic plucker, too? I smell a rip-off.

 

[JennyHeidewald]

I'm really slow, but my brother and I can completely process (live to soaking in brine) six in an hour. Most people are much faster (to be fair, I don't have a lot of practice) So, no. Not really a lot of work, once you get used to it. And I assume they have an automatic plucker, too? I smell a rip-off.

Wow, that is pretty fast! Yep, they mentioned an automatic plucker. I think they have a guy that comes in to do it once a month. Maybe he is trying to pay off the plucker?