Chickens and Ducks dying!

[chickens really]

Ducks do not contract Mereks..All animals that have died could have Coccidiosis?...

 

[casportpony]

A virus is really hard to kill. The disease spreads on skin or other material the birds shed naturally. It gets into the soil. I do not think ducks can contract Mereks. Your birds will not necessarily die from the disease but will always be carriers.
I am no expert on it, still learning. Your animals could also be suffering from Coccidiosis. All of those animals can and do contract that. If they were my animals, i would treat with Corid asap! Even the goats can get it. Any diarrhea, listlessness, droopy winged birds?

Coccidiosis is *species specific* and that means that goats get goat coccidiosis, chickens get chicken coccidiosis, and ducks get duck coccidiosis (very rare), so it's highly unlikely that all three species contracted their own coccidiosis at the same time.

 

[casportpony]

Okay so I looked into mareks and I think that is what it is sadly the reality is that most likely my chickens will all die BUT, it is winter her in Maryland and it has been between 5 to 35 degrees and I know bacteria will die when it gets really cold so shouldn't the disease stop spreading?

It would be really helpful if you could post pictures of their coops and runs.
Marek's doesn't usually kill so many all at once, and ducks don't get Marek's, so I doubt it's Marek's.

You said you're in Maryland? I think Maryland does free necropsies on poultry, so you should contact your state lab and make arrangements to have a necropsy done.

This link contains info for your labs:
http://mda.maryland.gov/animalHealth/Pages/healthOffices.aspx

 

[drumstick diva]

as per Casportpony I hope you will have necropsies done and find out what is going on.

 

[EmilyduckTrip]

Coccidiosis is *species specific* and that means that goats get goat coccidiosis, chickens get chicken coccidiosis, and ducks get duck coccidiosis (very rare), so it's highly unlikely that all three species contracted their own coccidiosis at the same time.

Thank you so much there are so many posibilities of what it can be

 

[EmilyduckTrip]

Marek's virus spreads via infected dander dust which is inhaled by other birds. Winter time probably makes it more contagious because the birds are in doors together more often. There is usually a stressor that triggers an outbreak.... perhaps the cold spell. The disease is viral and I'm really not sure about how cold it would need to be to kill it off. I have the idea in my head that viruses may be hardier than bacteria, but I can't back that up with any science. I know that it can lie dormant for several months even after the flock has been culled. It is by no means certain that it will wipe your whole flock out though and you might be best breeding from the survivors that have shown some resistance to it than trying to eradicate it from your property.

That is a really smart idea I will try and bread them

 

[EmilyduckTrip]

I was looking into necropsies on poultry do any of you know what test I would need to have done to find out what is the cause of death.

 

[casportpony]

I was looking into necropsies on poultry do any of you know what test I would need to have done to find out what is the cause of death.

all you have to do is submit the body and they will figure out the cause of death.

 

[rebrascora]

That is a really smart idea I will try and bread them

Don't get me wrong, that this will be an absolute solution if you are dealing with Marek's...... there will still be losses along the way, but in my experience the losses are significantly less than you experience with the initial outbreak and seem to continue to reduce as each year goes past and new generations come through, which to me suggests that there is resistance developing although some people dispute it can happen over just a few years. There are also people who believe that vaccination is the way forward for coping with Marek's but there is research that suggests the vaccine may be responsible for the hotter strains of the virus that are now more prevalent.
You have to do your own reading on the subject and come to your own conclusions based on your own situation.

Getting a diagnosis is surely the point at which to start.