horsejody, thanks for chiming in. I've read some of your posts on other threads concerning this disease, and I'm grateful to have your input.
Although my mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother all kept chickens for the better part of their lives, this is my first flock that I've raised myself. I ordered the chicks through the mail from the hatchery, picked them up at the post office, and unpacked them into a clean, prepared stock tank brooder in the house. They stayed inside until they were about 3 weeks old, then went out in the coop. I started letting them outside to play about a week later. So I think they were probably sufficiently quarantined. I was careful to wash my hands before and after handling them (I work in a hospital, so I'm paranoid about hand-washing).
I hope it's not Marek's too, but I don't really know what else it could be. We've had leg paralysis starting on the left, stilted gait progressing to minor neck paralysis and a few red and swollen feather follicles. No signs of injury or illness otherwise. My one 10-wk-old pullet has been like this for 5 wks. They're too young for lymphoid leukosis, and if it was botulism they'd have been dead a long time ago. I've treated for every type of nutrient deficiency I could think of. I would be willing to believe it was some kind of spinal injury or something if I hadn't had a second chick that started showing the same symptoms, which really leads me to believe I'm dealing with some kind of disease. If anyone has any ideas about what this could be other than Marek's, I'd love to hear it.
horsejody, have you ever had birds that recovered from Marek's? I really want to know if recovery is possible or if it's a lost cause.
Also, I've read in several places (and chickenzoo also wrote) that the vaccine doesn't keep birds from becoming infected, but will keep them from developing tumors (about 95% of the time). Do you know if the tumors cause the neurological symptoms or if they develop as the disease progresses? If my bird has been sick this long, do I assume that she does have tumors? I'm just trying to get my information straight, and it's proving to be a little confusing.
And on a lighter note, is that a Haflinger in your avatar?