Breda Fowl and Marek's Disease

[SuChick]

Wow I am embarrassed and pissed too. A few years ago now I got a dozen+ Black Breda chicks from Waltz's Ark Ranch. They were so gorgeous. But soon they started dying. Why I never considered Marek's, I don't know, but I didn't. I've got Cuckoo Marans and Ameraucanas and these BB's were all separated from them, and all dying similarly. Right, first weak in the legs, and you would have thought I would read enough about Marek's to understand that that was one of the first symptoms, but somehow I had focused on two possibilities: something in the breed itself and something in the area their coop is in. A few months ago I contacted Dr. Waltz and explained the symptoms and she told me she had never seen anything like that and maybe I wasn't giving them enough protein. So, I upped their protein and the dying continued.Well, last week I finally bucked my own laziness and sent my most recently departed hen to UC Davis and guess what: Marek's.

Dagnabbit.
I'm down to one roo and three hens and who knows how long they will last.

I'm thinking there isn't anything really for me to do. As I said, none of the chickens in three other coops/pens/yards have had any similar issues. I guess keeping on as before and NEVER EVER AGAIN starting new chicks from outside my own flock (as I had been doing previously) is all I can do.

 

[RoostersAreAwesome]

Are your marans and ameraucanas vaccinated? If not, it’s a mild strain of Marek’s and/or your original chickens have some resistance to it.

 

[MysteryChicken]

Are your marans and ameraucanas vaccinated? If not, it’s a mild strain of Marek’s and/or your original chickens have some resistance to it.

Marek's Vaccine has little to no prevention against the disease. It only uses a few of the strains. There's 9 different mutations of Marek's Disease, & the vaccine is pretty much useless.

 

[SuChick]

No, my Marans and Ameraucanas are not vaccinated. They've been here for quite a few years now. I just do not know what possessed me to introduce those Bredas. Well, I do: I had hatched some BB eggs (from Dick Horstman) and only one girl made it, I couldn't get more eggs from DH, so I went looking and found Dr. Waltz's site. Boy am I sorry. By the way, that first BB hen is about 3 years old now.

 

[MysteryChicken]

How old were the chicks when you got them?

 

[RoostersAreAwesome]

No, my Marans and Ameraucanas are not vaccinated. They've been here for quite a few years now. I just do not know what possessed me to introduce those Bredas. Well, I do: I had hatched some BB eggs (from Dick Horstman) and only one girl made it, I couldn't get more eggs from DH, so I went looking and found Dr. Waltz's site. Boy am I sorry. By the way, that first BB hen is about 3 years old now.

I’m guessing you have a milder strain then. You should be able to bring in chicks from other sources. Either get vaccinated ones or be prepared for losses. Keep in mind that the vaccine doesn’t prevent a chicken from carrying Marek’s or dying from it, but it does generally reduce deaths. Your bredas either already had Marek’s or got it from your existing chickens.
It sounds like you may be able to breed for resistance with minimal losses, since your original chickens haven’t been impacted much from it. Still, keep in mind that you have to keep a closed flock (no selling/giving away birds) to prevent the spread of this disease.

 

[RoostersAreAwesome]

Marek's Vaccine has little to no prevention against the disease. It only uses a few of the strains. There's 9 different mutations of Marek's Disease, & the vaccine is pretty much useless.

It’s not useless. But you’re right, it doesn’t prevent Marek’s, since vaccinated birds that are exposed to it still carry and spread the virus. I do believe it reduces deaths, though.

 

[MysteryChicken]

It’s not useless. But you’re right, it doesn’t prevent Marek’s, since vaccinated birds that are exposed to it still carry and spread the virus. I do believe it reduces deaths, though.

It's useless against the other strains it doesn't help with is what I meant.

 

[SuChick]

Okay, so I think I understand you to say that my Cuckoos and Ameraucanas most likely have the disease, and that although they have shown no signs of it that they in fact may have infected the Bredas when they arrived ???? Well, that is entirely different from the scenario I had imagined, which was that the Bredas brought it with them.

 

[RoostersAreAwesome]

Okay, so I think I understand you to say that my Cuckoos and Ameraucanas most likely have the disease, and that although they have shown no signs of it that they in fact may have infected the Bredas when they arrived ???? Well, that is entirely different from the scenario I had imagined, which was that the Bredas brought it with them.

Both scenarios are possible. If you’ve had a lot of unknown deaths in your flock(s), then that could point to your birds already having Marek’s.