Chicken loosing balance only when bending to eat scratch or treats. Mareks?

[CherylNJ]

I am quite fearful that 2 of my girls have been hit with Mareks disease but I can't be sure. I have four girls total.
On May 22, I noticed my Lead hen (Red)under the brush looking dazed and confused. It was a hot day and she just had an encounter with my grandson who was running with a wacky noodle which scares my girls to death.
I cooled her off in a bucket and gave her some water. She drank a good amount and was walking fine just acted a little dazed and confused.
Over the next few weeks we noticed that she had slowed a bit and when we petted her or was feeding scratch from the ground, she would tilt to one side and spread her wings. Kind of like she was tipsy and had balance issues but was still eating and drinking.
In July, my second in line hen (Louise) decided she was taking over the lead and attacked Red violently. We found her standing on Reds back with Red's neck in her beak shaking her violently. Red was dazed, confused and unable to properly walk or stand. We took the aggressive hen out and have her (still) isolated in her own pen on the other side of the yard. At the time we figured Red's decline may have been caused from Louise's aggression in taking over the lead hen spot.
At the time I did not think Mareks at all. Red had lost some weight so we treated the flock for worms and provided vitamin supplements in their water. I also made a wet mash for the girls each day of plain yogurt, crumble, oatmeal, scratch, cheese and meal worms. Red perked up and started to gain weight and she had no more balance issues and still does not. We have noticed that since Louise is no longer in the coop with the rest of the girls they sleep on the floor and not on the roost.
Well last night as I was giving them a treat before bed time, I noticed my Wyndotte (Sunshine) would lay awkwardly on the ground eating the scratch. She would then stand to scratch with her feet for more and then crouch down to spread her wings for balance to resume eating just like Red did in May. She walks fine just crouches weird when she bends to eat off the ground.
I am totally baffled. Could they have Marek's but not severe? I am wondering if I should separate the 2 balanced issued girls and my 2 normal ones.
Let me point out that theses girls have been together since 8 weeks, I purchased them from a reputable breeder and have not introduced any new chickens to my flock.

 

[snow5164]

I don’t know much about the disease , but please don’t let your grandson chase the chickens!! He needs to know he can really hurt them .

They must be taught young to respect all animals and people, in this heat they could die from that ...... good luck with your chickens

 

[CherylNJ]

I don’t know much about the disease , but please don’t let your grandson chase the chickens!! He needs to know he can really hurt them .

They must be taught young to respect all animals and people, in this heat they could die from that ...... good luck with your chickens

My grandson didn't chase them. My grandchildren are incredible with my girls. They clean the coop, collect their eggs, feed and water them. . He was in the pool when the wacky noodle fell out. He retrieved it and ran back on the deck. The girls got startled.

 

[snow5164]

Oh ok, you said “ my grandson was running with a pool noodle which scares her to death “

I guess I misunderstood ...

 

[rebrascora]

How old are your girls?
It is certainly possible that it is a mild strain of Marek's and that they came with it. Marek's has dormant phases and outbreaks are often triggered by stress. That is often the surge of hormones and confusion during adolescence, so age is quite relevant. It doesn't matter how reputable a breeder you got them from, there is a good chance that they have some exposure to the disease in their flock and it is not part of the NPIP testing/certification. Do you know if the chicks had been vaccinated for it when they hatched. I'm not a fan of the Marek's vaccine because it does not prevent the disease, but just limits the effects and there a schools of thought that it may be responsible for the increasingly virulent strains of the disease that are developing, particularly in the USA.

As an aside, I would be very wary of feeding them scratch on a regular basis and if you do, keep the quantity to an absolute minimum.... and then half it! It can lead to a multitude of serious (even fatal) health issues unless it is seriously restricted and it is all too easy for the chickens to train you to feed them with more and more of it.... I know I have been there. Not saying this is related but just trying to prevent further problems in the future. Sadly, it is usually too late by the time you realise that their diet has had an adverse effect on their health, so better to be careful from the start, particularly with young developing birds. Scratch is high in carbs but quite low in protein and their growing bodies need the essential amino acids from protein to develop properly. The more scratch they get, the less of their regular feed they will eat, so the scratch dilutes their overall daily protein intake. If you have sick birds this is more relevant. Scratch is also less easily digested. Try giving them a wet mash of their regular feed or even ferment some for them. It is easy to do and they go at it like it is a special treat.

 

[CherylNJ]

My girls are 3 and a half years old. They have been together since birth and I have not introduced any other girls into my flock. There is no yards close by me that hve chickens
Sadly I lost my sunshine today. She deteriorated rapidly. Yesterday evening she was alive, eating and walking around but still falling. This morning I found her in the run. My Jersey Gold who exhibited symptoms in May has rebounded although she has not layed and egg since May. All three girls have lost weight but they are eating, drinking and acting like chickens.
The scratch I give them is only a handful and we use it to get them back inside the coop after free-ranging. A 30 lb bag lasts me almost a year. I feed them a layer crumble, greens, fruit, meal worms, cooked oatmeal and scrambled eggs.
The breeder I got them from did not inoculate against Mareks 3 years ago. Now they do.
Since this disease lives for long periods of time I will probably take a long break from raising chickens. I would hate to have the next batch suffer the same consequences. I am so sad. I really thought I would have them for a lot longer.