Attempt to Get Long-Term Survival in Mareks Infected Hen

[Haunted55]

Supposedly it can be spread by infected dust or dander coming from infected birds and such vectored virus have a long lifetime. At close range a sneezing bird can also spread virus as aerosol.

Birds with differing health issues I quarantine from each other to prevent more than one problem infecting and already compromised bird.

Truth to this. A lot of the times it's not the Marek's that takes out the birds. It's the secondary illnesses because of their weakened state. Though all of mine have been exposed to marek's at this time, I still end up separating birds who become symptomatic. And seriously, I have to start spraying the birds and buildings with the Oxine. Winter is very hard on them as they refuse to go outside. I can't blame them, there's nothing to eat and it's cold and icy. Even though their houses are aired each day the Oxine is only going to help.

 

[CottonGinWaste]

Its been a week . . . how is your hen doing?

 

[missnu01]

I had 2 chicks come down with what I think was marek's. We had to put them both down. I have heard that marek's is present in most flocks with adult chickens, and that it really doesn't affect them all...Perhaps it would be better to kill all the chickens when one gets it, but it is just too expensive and sad. I would rather take my chances with a couple having to be culled each year. My adult birds, and the other chicks in the hatch are doing just great. Looking good, eating good, walking good laying well....the 2 affected were similar but different. One barred male started limping on his left leg, and keeping the toes curled in all the time...then he got to where he could walk just fine even with the limp...then another started limping int he same way, but she soon fell prey to both legs, one going front and one back...within a few weeks she couldn't move at all...she still seemed healthy and chipper, but I couldn't watch her flop roll to the food and water anymore...so we culled her, and then 2 days later my guy that had been doing awesome lost his ability to hold up his head...so he was pretty much sitting on his own head and again had to flop roll to get around, so we had to cull him too. As I said no other birds are affected. I think the Marek's was probably already in my flock because I started my flock with buying used chickens off of craigslist. Then I got the babies, and they couldn't handle it, or at least 2/7 couldn't. The others are fine. Is it not possible that it is beneficial to keep a flock that has been exposed to marek's but lived? Won't that make their offspring more likely to fight off the disease, kind of like a vaccination? I am getting all of our new chicks vaccinated, but the vaccine can take up to 2 weeks to start working I have read, so I will still have to cull some I am sure. But then all my chickens will be basically immune to whatever strain is here in my neck of the woods. Whatever isn't immune won't make it to breeding age, so eventually I will have a flock of totally unaffected birds that i hope will pass on that skill to their young.
Neither of my birds looked like they were going to die on their own anytime soon..they were still rolling to the food and water, but I just couldn't look on anymore. It was too sad. And I know they wouldn't have made it. The coop is dry, and oddly enough they both seemed more mobile when it was very cold, on warmer days (40-50) they would just sit or lie down, but when cold they would regain a bit of mobility. It was strange. I feel like they would have eventually died of starvation and that is just too awful. it is very sad to see though. Which is why I am hoping to have a whole flock of resistant birds, so I don't have to see it anymore.

 

[centrarchid]

Hen can now stand although left leg still not able to bear weight. Feed intake is improving and weight is coming back on.

Missnu01, by all rights hen would normally be culled by terminaton and that is my normal way of handling such. She would not have survived anywhere near this long without my intervention. Intent was first to see if she could even be brought around to get back on her feet. She will always be kept at a different location a few hundred feet from balance of flock. I would like to see if her offspring are more susceptable to condition than average. If not, then infection with symptoms is somehow a random event.

 

[Haunted55]

I had 2 chicks come down with what I think was marek's. We had to put them both down. I have heard that marek's is present in most flocks with adult chickens, and that it really doesn't affect them all...Perhaps it would be better to kill all the chickens when one gets it, but it is just too expensive and sad. I would rather take my chances with a couple having to be culled each year. My adult birds, and the other chicks in the hatch are doing just great. Looking good, eating good, walking good laying well....the 2 affected were similar but different. One barred male started limping on his left leg, and keeping the toes curled in all the time...then he got to where he could walk just fine even with the limp...then another started limping int he same way, but she soon fell prey to both legs, one going front and one back...within a few weeks she couldn't move at all...she still seemed healthy and chipper, but I couldn't watch her flop roll to the food and water anymore...so we culled her, and then 2 days later my guy that had been doing awesome lost his ability to hold up his head...so he was pretty much sitting on his own head and again had to flop roll to get around, so we had to cull him too. As I said no other birds are affected. I think the Marek's was probably already in my flock because I started my flock with buying used chickens off of craigslist. Then I got the babies, and they couldn't handle it, or at least 2/7 couldn't. The others are fine. Is it not possible that it is beneficial to keep a flock that has been exposed to marek's but lived? Won't that make their offspring more likely to fight off the disease, kind of like a vaccination? I am getting all of our new chicks vaccinated, but the vaccine can take up to 2 weeks to start working I have read, so I will still have to cull some I am sure. But then all my chickens will be basically immune to whatever strain is here in my neck of the woods. Whatever isn't immune won't make it to breeding age, so eventually I will have a flock of totally unaffected birds that i hope will pass on that skill to their young.
Neither of my birds looked like they were going to die on their own anytime soon..they were still rolling to the food and water, but I just couldn't look on anymore. It was too sad. And I know they wouldn't have made it. The coop is dry, and oddly enough they both seemed more mobile when it was very cold, on warmer days (40-50) they would just sit or lie down, but when cold they would regain a bit of mobility. It was strange. I feel like they would have eventually died of starvation and that is just too awful. it is very sad to see though. Which is why I am hoping to have a whole flock of resistant birds, so I don't have to see it anymore.

I have babies from Marek's survivors. It can be done. I have lost just one from this group of 9 to praralysis. The others act and look like 'normal' chickens and are thriving. Will this continue? I hope so but have no idea. I take it day by day. There are 6 forms of Marek's and there are mutations as well. I am telling you this not to discourage you, but to let you know that there are a lot of variables at work here. You may get a flock that is in fact immune to the type of Marek's they have been exposed to. If they become exposed to another form of it or a mutated strain, chances are they will get it and you'll go through the losses again. The ones left are your breeders. No matter what, you have to go forward.

If you, like me, are going to get new stock, you will need to keep them seperated from the others for as long as you can. I'm talking a year here as optimal. Anything less and you are taking a chance. Lol, yeah, like you haven't already? Seriously though, the longer you can keep your new babies away from your original flock the better your chances. I will be brooding any new chicks here in my turkey house. One of the vaccination given for Marek's is the live turkey Marek's. Keeping your chickens with turkeys can mitigate the chances of your chickens getting marek's in the first place.
New birds will be in my house for the first 4 weeks, then they will be moved into a brooder inside of the building that houses my turkeys and peafowl. They will stay there for as long as I can keep them there. I hope to have a new building built by the time I need to get them into a more room situation. Is this the right thing? Who knows! I have talked to researchers who are working on a new Marek's vaccine, hatchery owners with years of experience, others on BYC facing this same situation. I've got the info, I am trying to use it correctly.

 

[centrarchid]

Hen is getting stronger, slowly. She is having a mite problem to be treated tomorrow.

 

[Haunted55]

Hen is getting stronger, slowly. She is having a mite problem to be treated tomorrow.

This is great news! Mites, in the overall scheme of things, are nothing.

 

[ChiniakChicken]

I realize that this thread has been dormant for a bit but wanted to add my story. It's not yet resolved - but I am hoping for the best.

First, I'm new to raising chickens. I purchased 8 one-day-old chicks in October but only one survived the shipping; I’m in Alaska, the box stalled in Anchorage due to PO incompetence or understaffing. The end result was that I was left with one barred rock chick (who had been vaccinated for Marek’s at the hatchery). I immediately ordered hatching eggs as I was worried our one chick would be very lonely. I had 5 eggs hatch, 2 andalusians, 1 ameracauna, 1 hamburg, and 1 black australorp. I did not vaccinate the chicks I hatched from eggs. At about 2 months old the australorp (Fannie) became wobbly, she could still walk but was shaky and teetered from front to back, I called it the tea-pot teeter since she never fell side to side just front to back. For about 2 weeks she could still get herself up on the perches (even my high one) to be with her chicken pals at night. Finally she got shaky enough that she couldn’t make it to the perches. Because she didn’t have the classic paralysis signs I took her to the vet (we only have one here and Fannie was the first chicken patient, the vet was literally googling chicken info as we waited in the exam room). I was hoping it was just some sort of inner ear infection and the vet was nice enough to give me antibiotics to try, but she did not improve. Next I tried vitamin supplements for about 5 days with no change. Sometime around week 3 or 4 into the illness she started showing the more classic signs of Marek’s – partial leg paralysis where she flops down on her belly with her legs pointed out to the sides. By this time Fanny had moved back in the house. She has a cage she sleeps in in our office, our 3 dogs keep her company during the day, we put her in a sling in a box in the evenings when she’s not cuddling with us. Her left leg seems to work almost perfectly but her right leg is twisted outward and although she can still move it she has only partial control. It’s been almost 3 months now, she can stand for brief periods and has never lost her appetite or shown any other problems. We are not against culling or killing meat birds, but we have become emotionally attached to Fannie and have decided to give her a shot at surviving.

The other chickens have rejected her, and will kill her if we put her back in the coop, so I’m building a chicken tractor for her so that when the weather turns nice she can be outside, it will also be nice to have her out of the house. None of the other birds have shown any signs of illness. Interestingly enough the neighbor behind us has had chickens for over 3 years – and recently told me about a chicken that his daughter was nursing that couldn’t walk, so, if it is Marek’s, I think it could have come from that route, or possibly from my barred rock that I got as a vaccinated day-old chick.

I’m hoping that since her illness had a slow onset, and she has shown no other issues that she may recover. I will try and attach a photo of Fannie in her box. I have read everything I can find on chicken illnesses, but Lauren Scheuer’s Scatch & Peck blog was very uplifting and gave me some great ideas for caring for Fannie.
Hope this might help others nursing a chicken through any sickness.

 

[realsis]

she could NOT caught the virus from the vaccinated chick. vaccines do NOT use the actual Marek's virus. I did a bit of study on this before I vaccinated mine. I did my own vaccinations. it IS likely that she caught it from the neighboring flock especially since you said Marek's was present there. Marek's is a HIGHLY contagious airborne disease and just because the others show no symptoms they CAN still be carriers. sadly even vaccinated birds can get Marek's I believe its 5 % that do. this is such a terrible and prolific disease . I'm so glad your girl is doing well! you are very courageous to be dealing with this and I wish her a long happy life with you.! I believe one thing to watch for is wasting. waisting happens ALOT in Marek's flocks.the birds continue to eat and eat quite hardily but sadly they still loose weight and begin to get emancipated. that's something to watch for. hopefully her paralysis will 'cease and she can walk again some day! I really admire what your doing and how well your carding for your girl. you give inspiration that there is life after Marek's. if I ever have to deal with this disease I just pray I'm as courageous as you are! no ones safe from Marek's sadly its EVERYWHERE!! and there's really no protection from it! thank you for sharing your story and may God bless you and your flock! stay strong. again thank you for sharing. your a inspiration..