Anyone dealt with Marek's??

[Yard full o' rocks]

I have had a SUDDEN rash of deaths in my Barred Rock flock. 2 more today. They seem fine one day and dead the next. These birds are approx 30 weeks old and have just begun to lay. I took 2 up to the state lab today for necropsy. The vet would not be in until next Monday, but the Tech stated that it could be Marek's. Apparently even wild birds can be carriers in spite of the best flock care/sanitation I can provide. If it is Marek's I am trying to prepare myself for what needs to be done.

At any rate, I have never vaccinated for Mareks and all but 4 birds on my property were hatched and raised here.

I have 4 main coops, each attached to an outside covered run. The runs are all adjoining, although the coops are totally separated. The ONLY issues I have had are in my first pen, which has BRs, a White rock, 2 silkies and a blue rock. The only birds affected have been the BRs, which all came from the same breeder that I hatched from eggs. No other birds of any type in that pen nor adjoining pens have been affected.

All of my other birds are at least 30 weeks old and up (to 2 1/2 yrs).

Have any of you experienced a Marek's outbreak in your flock? If so, can you tell me how you dealt with it? I need some help/suggestions/knowledge if you have to offer. The vet is supposed to contact me Monday by day's end

Thanks in advance

 

[snowbird]

I can not say for sure but mareks does not work this way. The bird will usually go off in a wing, leg and live for several days.

Are you sure you do not have laryngo or cocci ? There are no signs of anything bothering them such as breathing Hard, real lethargic, just standing around hunched up. Don

 

[Yard full o' rocks]

Quote:
Thanks Don

I did have a bout with cocci back late spring when it was so wet/humid. I treated ALL the birds and did not lose any. At that time I did notice a few hunched up, laying around. This recent issue has been VERY strange. Little to no symptoms at all. Most recently, my 2 best BR cockerels (planned to use them for breeding) were out free ranging with the flock one day, acting completely normal...eating, fighting, crowing ,etc, etc, then the next morning I found them BOTH dead by the back coop door. i haven't noticed any paralysis, no greying of the eyes like Marek's symptoms. Really weird. I need to do some research on laryngo, but I have had no respiratory issues or symptoms at all....so I don't know. As much as I hate the thought, I have considered euthanizing all the remaining birds in this pen in hope that WHATEVER it is doesn't spread to my other birds.

This has been going on (off/on) for about 4-6 weeks so I would hope that the others "should" be ok.

 

[snowbird]

Yard full o' rocks :

Quote:
Thanks Don

I did have a bout with cocci back late spring when it was so wet/humid. I treated ALL the birds and did not lose any. At that time I did notice a few hunched up, laying around. This recent issue has been VERY strange. Little to no symptoms at all. Most recently, my 2 best BR cockerels (planned to use them for breeding) were out free ranging with the flock one day, acting completely normal...eating, fighting, crowing ,etc, etc, then the next morning I found them BOTH dead by the back coop door. i haven't noticed any paralysis, no greying of the eyes like Marek's symptoms. Really weird. I need to do some research on laryngo, but I have had no respiratory issues or symptoms at all....so I don't know. As much as I hate the thought, I have considered euthanizing all the remaining birds in this pen in hope that WHATEVER it is doesn't spread to my other birds.

This has been going on (off/on) for about 4-6 weeks so I would hope that the others "should" be ok.

One thing to remember is that when you bring in eggs sometimes you can bring in disease with the eggs. If you have had the problem this long they would already be exposed to whatever it would be. I have not heard anything about anything to give them once they are exposed to Mareks. I do my birds when I take them out of the incubator. I just do not believe you have Mareks though. Don​

 

[Yard full o' rocks]

Quote:
Thanks Don

I did have a bout with cocci back late spring when it was so wet/humid. I treated ALL the birds and did not lose any. At that time I did notice a few hunched up, laying around. This recent issue has been VERY strange. Little to no symptoms at all. Most recently, my 2 best BR cockerels (planned to use them for breeding) were out free ranging with the flock one day, acting completely normal...eating, fighting, crowing ,etc, etc, then the next morning I found them BOTH dead by the back coop door. i haven't noticed any paralysis, no greying of the eyes like Marek's symptoms. Really weird. I need to do some research on laryngo, but I have had no respiratory issues or symptoms at all....so I don't know. As much as I hate the thought, I have considered euthanizing all the remaining birds in this pen in hope that WHATEVER it is doesn't spread to my other birds.

This has been going on (off/on) for about 4-6 weeks so I would hope that the others "should" be ok.

One thing to remember is that when you bring in eggs sometimes you can bring in disease with the eggs. If you have had the problem this long they would already be exposed to whatever it would be. I have not heard anything about anything to give them once they are exposed to Mareks. I do my birds when I take them out of the incubator. I just do not believe you have Mareks though. Don

Don....thanks again

Seems you speak from a position of many years of knowledge. Once the vet contacts me, I might PM you with his results to see what you recommend. Would that be ok? BTW - haven't I seen you on the PRFC forums? Maybe that's where I've seen "snowbird"....???

As far as vaccinations go, seems everyone has a different viewpoint. I don't show my birds, but I have some exhibition quality birds that I am trying to raise. Any suggestions for vaccinating? I just recently got a trio of Col Rock LF from Canada and I want to do everything possible to raise more and properly care for them all.

THANKS

Scott

 

[snowbird]

Yard full o' rocks :

Quote:
One thing to remember is that when you bring in eggs sometimes you can bring in disease with the eggs. If you have had the problem this long they would already be exposed to whatever it would be. I have not heard anything about anything to give them once they are exposed to Mareks. I do my birds when I take them out of the incubator. I just do not believe you have Mareks though. Don

Don....thanks again

Seems you speak from a position of many years of knowledge. Once the vet contacts me, I might PM you with his results to see what you recommend. Would that be ok? BTW - haven't I seen you on the PRFC forums? Maybe that's where I've seen "snowbird"....???

As far as vaccinations go, seems everyone has a different viewpoint. I don't show my birds, but I have some exhibition quality birds that I am trying to raise. Any suggestions for vaccinating? I just recently got a trio of Col Rock LF from Canada and I want to do everything possible to raise more and properly care for them all.

THANKS

Scott​

Scott, Would like to know the verdict from the vet. I have rock bantams and a few large fowl, I have Marans and my main breed is Buff Brahma bantams, Long time breeder of many breeds . Don

 

[Little Ameraucana Mom]

Desn't sound like mereks to me either. We have REALLY wet , rainy springs, I lose a random few which act normal then are dead just like yours. I've always just presumed it had something to do with weather.

 

[speckledhen]

That only BRs are falling dead and only from one breeder would make me think that it's something passed down through the egg from the parent stock, however, why did they live this long if that's the case? I'm stumped.

Seems like a genetic "kill-switch", doesn't it?

 

[halo]

Did you just switch to a new brand or bag of feed?

 

[PepsNick]

Quote:
I don't think that is true. In my experiences with Marek's, it's sudden death after no signs of illness. Whenever I get a flock, I vaccinate for Marek's. I think 2/4 of mine are vaccinated but I'm not sure. I'll just have to see how it goes. I'll PROBABLY get lucky. Knock on wood! But Marek's is a lot more common in chicks and younger birds. Maybe it could be newcastle disease? That's more common in adults and can be treated with the right antibiotics. The vaccination is pretty rare. Cocci is what I'd guess your flock has. Is there bloody poop? This sounds like my cocci encounters. Do they drool when you pick them up? That could also mean cocci or a respiratory disease. If I were you I'd get some corid on hand.


Hope I helped. Here is a link about Marek's. https://www.backyardchickens.com/LC-diseases-Mareks.html

And you can read about cocci, newcastle and other diseases on here. http://www.amerpoultryassn.com/respiratory_disease.htm

Sounds like your flock has one of these. Are roos dying, too?

ETA: Marek's is UNTREATABLE.