Another silkie baby can't stand or walk

[Lacrystol]

My vet told me to have my chickens burned because if you bury them it could get into the ground and get to the others.

 

[rebel-rousing-at-night]

 

[Frithest]

Orcae, I'm so sorry you're losing chicks.
Best of luck.

 

[<3 N.C Chicken Chick <3]

SOOOOOOOOOO sorry

And for your poor chicklets

 

[Orcae]

My favorite of my chickens, Terk, has passed away from this disease as well. I don't even know how I feel right now.
I'm down to 3 silkies.

 

[hschweitzer]

We have had the same thing, and only with the silkies- all the other (lots and lots of different breeds, many more exotic than silkies) are fine and never came down with it. We've never seen any outside evidence of Merek's like ulcers-- and if it was that, wouldn't some of the others catch it as well, especially if they are sharing pens etc...?

 

[seminolewind]

Orcae, so sorry. I had a horrible summer, gave my silkies 10 Polish eggs to hatch, 8 weeks old, they started to die one by one of Marek's. All 10 died, and one silkie. There is nothing you can do. You have it on your property now. If you want more chickens, hatch them in a bator, then vaccinate and quarantine them for 2-8 weeks. Or get day old hatchery chicks that are vaccinated, and quarantine them. You don't want them to have contact with the grounds at that time.

If you have a flock, some will get it, some won't . They do build resistance with age.

My first silkie got it 2 years ago. I didn't know what was wrong with him. He lived on my patio for a month. We usually euthanize ourselves, but I took him to the vet, I just couldn't. Here he was on my patio, could not aim at food, paralysis from the neck down, one gray eye, and STILLcrowed in the morning. I still get choked up when I think of him. At the time we didn't know what he had.

All I can say is ride out the storm, then hatch or buy day olds, everyone needs to be vaccinated and quarantined from now on. I have 3 silkies that were exposed 2 years ago, and all 6 of their own hatched chicks were born resistant.

I'm so sorry. It's a disease that everyone fears.

Karen

 

[seminolewind]

We have had the same thing, and only with the silkies- all the other (lots and lots of different breeds, many more exotic than silkies) are fine and never came down with it. We've never seen any outside evidence of Merek's like ulcers-- and if it was that, wouldn't some of the others catch it as well, especially if they are sharing pens etc...?

They spread Marek's in their dander.