Attempt to Get Long-Term Survival in Mareks Infected Hen

[Haunted55]

I am so sorry you are going through this. I'll tell you what i used and you can decide from there. I use a combination of Bird Powder, which I got from Jeffers and a vitamin/electrolite powder I get from TS. I have survivors that are now 8 months old. They are laying and other than the size difference from what they should be, to what they are, they are doing amazingly well. The thing I found is once you start the vitamins don't stop. I found this out the hard way. Now one thing no one has ever been able to explain....my Dark Cornish, who were in this group, were the least affected. I lost 2 of them, out of 10 birds and the regular chickens, wyandottes, JG, WR, PR, BJG, etc., all but 100% mortality. All but the partridge rock were immunized for Marek's. Didn't matter. Most of them got it and died. There is something about the game birds that helps them. I'm not smart enough to know what it is, just that it is.

 

[centrarchid]

I am not using electrolytes nor vitamin mix with exception of vitamin E enriched oil and chilipowder (vitamin A source). It is assumed most of the needed nutrients are coming from the poultry grower / finisher formulation. A good percentage of mix is made up of the following; fresh spinach, BOSS, saflower seed, millet, oats and occasional chunks of intact animal protein (fish chunks and mealworms). Diet formulation is based on voodoo but has been adjusted with several impacted birds to promote appetite and fecal quality.

 

[Haunted55]

Diet provided is not standard backyard poultry fair. It is dominated by poultry grower / finisher, chopped green spinach, dried oatmeal and powdered whole rice, 3-grain scratch, blueberries, freeze dried meal-worms, and chopped fish (frozen smelt or sardine). Dried ingredients wetted prior to feeding out. Bird cherry picks fish and meal worms but most of balance consumed later. She is fed to excess. Grit is added as part of ration and assumed to be in excess.

I am not using electrolytes nor vitamin mix with exception of vitamin E enriched oil and chilipowder (vitamin A source). It is assumed most of the needed nutrients are coming from the poultry grower / finisher formulation. A good percentage of mix is made up of the following; fresh spinach, BOSS, saflower seed, millet, oats and occasional chunks of intact animal protein (fish chunks and mealworms). Diet formulation is based on voodoo but has been adjusted with several impacted birds to promote appetite and fecal quality.

The only things here I haven't tried are the sardines, spinach and instead of the chili I use cayenne. Voodoo? Okay, works for me, but seems more like common sense when you come right down to it. I've talked with a lot of older folks that raised chickens and the recurring theme is how once they changed the food, [I'm thinking it was when they took the animal protiens out] the birds just didn't do as well. Always sick or something.

 

[centrarchid]

Hen slowly regaining ability to stand. Weight greatly reduced. Left leg which was least affected in begginning is now most affected and was extended backwards but she is starting to be able to to bring it under her but it does not provide support. When I handle her the left leg feels cold but tissue is alive. Over last few days I begun flexing all her limbs paying particular attention to her left leg.

 

[Haunted55]

Have you tried making her a sling? I made one for one of mine so that it could get to the food more readily. I noticed that in the sling the bird moved the leg more on her own. She never did regain total use of her leg, nor did she ever gain the size or weight she should have had. As you know, as she seems to be beating the neurological symptoms, watch for the occular. That seemed to be the way it went with mine. I hope you're on to something that will stop that from happening. I just lost a young roo from a batch of birds hatched from survivor's eggs. He had problems with his right leg but was able to use it a little bit. He would get it underneath himself and then be able to stand and limp around the box I had him in. The other morning I came downstairs and found him dead. No warning.

 

[centrarchid]

As of this morning hen is able to stand for brief periods of time. She also moves about pen when going after food. She also repsonds to pup that watches her. The exercise seems to be doing her good. Leg that was cold yesterday now warm. I will step up greens in diet to improve fecal quality. She is also much better with respect to how wings are held. I doubt she could fly even even under low-gravity conditions since wing movements still not free ranging as normal. At end of day she will be taken out and excersized thoroughly.

Eyesight does not appear impacted.

 

[Haunted55]

If she can move on her own , even if only for short times, she might make it through. I have one who had some paralysis in both legs and one wing. I thought she was all done, but she is still alive at 9 months, laying eggs, even though they are not normal size, they are fertile. She is able to walk and run, fly onto the roost and other than the smaller size you wouldn't know she had ever suffered with Marek's. Her sister never had paralysis, but had the occular form and we had to cull her when she could no longer find the food even when placed right in front of her. I do caution you though to watch for changes to her eyes, again. Some here recovered only to develope the occular form a month or two down the line. I hope you never have this to deal with. Maybe with the diet, yours will be able to get through and past the first part of the disease and live to old age.

 

[centrarchid]

We were down and unable to move for about two weeks. At that time only right wing worked reasonably well. It was during that time interval we had major weight loss. Weight stabilized if not on upswing now. My birds can eat and drink even when blind in both eyes so that itself not a source of mortality by itself. They have to explore by pecking but if feed provided in some sort of bowl they can consume what is needed. Sometimes Mareks also impacts function of digestive tract which can cause death pretty fast.

 

[Haunted55]

That's what happened to this little roo. He was eating and drinking very well but the weight just wasn't gaining for him. with the occular, it isn't just the blindness. I am not sure what it is but usually when the eyes start changing, death soon follows. I wish I had the answers and am afraid that before my odyssey is over I probably will. That's a very scary thought but probably more honest than not.

I am glad you are documenting what is going on. Basically....I gave up and kissed it up to God. With all of the animals I now have and the weather we've been having, I'm having all I can do to take care of them let alone sit down and write it all down while it's happening. You have sparked a lot of memories, which is a good thing. It makes me remember and think. Even if it's on the back burner, the head is still working. I truely wish you and the birds the best. It's a good thing to see one come back and have a life. Culling has it's place but so does allowing nature, with a little help, to take it's course. Personally, I think this is the answer, not just the culling.

 

[centrarchid]

I do not think all Mareks varieties are equal. MIne is seasonal and seems to target only a small number of birds each season and it does not seem to spread horizontally, at least not easily as it generally does with production flocks which may be more stressed than mine. That which impacts production flocks seems to be much more aggressive causing more rapid decline than I have observed. Genetics difference between host populations may also be important as to how infection impacts an individual host. Some of my birds that I am confident have come into contact with virus have never displayed symptoms even though 4 years old now and exposed 3.5 years ago.