ADDITIONAL INFO: Ugh. My Margo. Again.

[AltonaAcres]

I am so sorry......I found out my flock had Mareks several months ago, and though it really changed everything chicken-related for me, it's not the end of the world. I was not able to show anymore, and stopped selling chickens too. We have had to butcher a staggering amount of roosters that I would have loved to sell. We have lost several amazing chickens to Mareks, but it has really not been as bad as I expected. It has actually been good for me in several ways. I value the chickens more, bc I know that they might not be around as long as they should be. I have higher levels of bio security, and the show chickens I have, that would have had to live in small enclosures to keep them nice for show are now free-ranging happily. My flock as a whole is happier. I am more careful when buying chickens, and I have decided to have a much smaller flock. My case is different than yours, but don't give up yet!! Also, some chickens carry Mareks w/o symptoms.

 

[micstrachan]

I am so sorry......I found out my flock had Mareks several months ago, and though it really changed everything chicken-related for me, it's not the end of the world. I was not able to show anymore, and stopped selling chickens too. We have had to butcher a staggering amount of roosters that I would have loved to sell. We have lost several amazing chickens to Mareks, but it has really not been as bad as I expected. It has actually been good for me in several ways. I value the chickens more, bc I know that they might not be around as long as they should be. I have higher levels of bio security, and the show chickens I have, that would have had to live in small enclosures to keep them nice for show are now free-ranging happily. My flock as a whole is happier. I am more careful when buying chickens, and I have decided to have a much smaller flock. My case is different than yours, but don't give up yet!! Also, some chickens carry Mareks w/o symptoms.

Thanks for sharing this! Actually does make me feel better. Nothing is drastically changing for me, but dreams of ten year old hens are pretty squashed. Right now I’m having a little trouble looking at my flock and wondering who’s suffering.

 

[aart]

I can't believe that was still preliminary. I can't imagine what else they could tell you in the final report.

Probably doing cultures.

 

[Aunt Angus]

I'm so so sorry, Michelle. At least you know now. You had no way of knowing that before you got the new chicks. Don't blame yourself for that. The only way to know if Marek's is present is to test for it. No reason to test for it until Margo passed. Now that you know, you can better care for your flock.

When my ordered chicks all died due to shipping delays, I blamed myself, thinking that if I hadn't I ordered them, they would have survived. But how could I have known? I got 3 new chicks shortly thereafter, and my hubby (just about the least compassionate creature on the planet) said that I wouldn't have gotten my new babies if things had turned out differently, and who knows where my new ones would have ended up if I hadn't bought them? It was his way of telling me that things happen for a reason. It brought me great comfort to think of it that way. I hope you can find some comfort, too.

 

[Mixed flock enthusiast]

The fibrin is likely from a septic infection, which I suspected all along. This is still not the final report, so we’ll see what else we learn.

Thanks for everyone’s support. I’m feeling a bit deflated. I do know it’s not a death sentence. I’ve always tried to give them their best possible lives with top quality feed, fresh water, lots of exercise, veterinary care... I will continue to do everything the same except treats. I always read not to give them more than they could eat in ten minutes. They never got more than they could eat in two, and only when being called in from free ranging. Margo was top hen and may have gotten more than the others. Regardless, there will be no more. And when I seed the yard, they won’t be allowed out until after everything has sprouted. My flock is out free ranging right now for two purposes:
• Slim down
• Keep the stress down

Despite all that, I think the biggest issue is Mareks, since they are immunocompromised. I wonder what the source was? Also, I can’t tell what the evidence of Mareks in the report was. I did not see that spelled out. Did anyone else?

Happy Cheeks (2 week old chick) was doing a stiff leg thing when she died three weeks before Margo. I just didn’t think if Mareks, because I thought they were too young.

They suspect infectious bronchitis, too (I already assumed my flock had that.)

Please, please, please let the chicks all be girls. Or no more than one boy, since I can’t rehome with Mareks in my flock.

From the parts that I read, the only parts that I saw as evidence of Marek’s was:

In the peripheral nerves multiple vessels are cuffed by one to two layers of lymphocytes.

Tumors and/or changes to peripheral nerves are typical to Marek’s, though there are other forms. I know it’s troubling to read this report; Marek’s is such a boogeyman to so many... We have Marek’s too. I wonder how many people would find Marek’s if they really looked for it... It took us three necropsies before we were able to confirm Marek’s. I’ve had necropsied almost all chickens that died or were euthanized and now that our lab knows to look for it specifically in our flock, they find it in a majority of cases.

 

[Aunt Angus]

I wonder how many people would find Marek’s if they really looked for it...

I wonder that, too. I bet many, many of us do.

 

[Kathy Golla]

Thanks everyone for weighing in with these positive perspectives. Jenny Loves Chickens has it (newly) in her flock and says she has learned it’s so endemic she probably could not have prevented it anyway, so instead of trying to beat it she joined it, she goes with it. That perspective resounds with me.
Michelle all of your first flock were vaccinated, right? (Margo) Feed store chicks, so yes?

 

[Kiki]

A chicken can die

Thanks everyone for weighing in with these positive perspectives. Jenny Loves Chickens has it (newly) in her flock and says she has learned it’s so endemic she probably could not have prevented it anyway, so instead of trying to beat it she joined it, she goes with it. That perspective resounds with me.
Michelle all of your first flock were vaccinated, right? (Margo) Feed store chicks, so yes?

Do your local feed stores automatically vaccinate chicks?

I can only speak for mine...mine do not order the vaccine.

 

[Kathy Golla]

Mine do, or rather they told me they did. My exp is the feed stores in Bay Area get vaccinated (only mareks) hatchery chicks.

 

[micstrachan]

I will ask my feed store tomorrow.