Chickens for 10-20 years or more? Pull up a rockin' chair and lay some wisdom on us!

[therapydoglady]

Marek's is a highly contageous virus. It has Herpes virus tendencies (there are about 27 different strains of Herpes virus). Birds that are infected with the Marek's virus, though they may not show symptoms, can shed the virus for their entire life. The virus is shed in the dander and feathers of an infected bird(s). Vaccination is the only known preventative, unless they've come up with something new fairly recently. Chicks are usually (in commercial hatcheries) innoculated in the egg before hatching. Chicks can be innoculated as early as 1 day old with a subcutaneous (just under the skin) injection. Hope this helps.

Oh yeah, clean your pen!!! I usually don't use bleach around my chickens, but, if I had Merek's present, I certainly would. A 10% bleach solution will kill parvovirus, distemper, and even the HIV virus in humans, so I don't see why it wouldn't kill this virus as well.

 

[NYREDS]

The Marek's virus is in the environment & there's no way to keep birds from being exposed. Some have a natural immunity, some don't. As to your current birds there would be no reason you couldn't eat them if they weren't symptomatic.
Actually, I'm not sure there's any objective reason to not eat them after they are symptomatic but I probably wouldn't just because of the yuk factor. here's no reason you couldn't eat their eggs.
There's no reason you couldn't add new birds to your existing non-symptomatic birds. Like the birds you have now they will either have immunity or they won't. Assuming you ever plan to breed from your biirds starting with birds with natural immunity will ultimately result in a flock with natural immunity.
I agree that the symptomatic bird should be killed immediately if for no other reason than to end it's suffering. IMO soaking it in gas & burning it is a bit of an overreaction. I haven't had a Marek's loss in some time but when I did have an occasional case I took the carcasses up in the woods & left them for the Coyotes.

 

[Achickenwrangler#1]

Yes! A good broody hen is great, a good rooster teaches them too.

 

[chicken curious]

whoa, slow down.

deep breaths, deep breaths, deep breaths... ok, I'm working on being calm. I really appreciate your help and I knew I was asking on the OT thread. I probably should have mentioned my set-up to help you help me. I guess I just started thinking that I never even got an egg and then some crazy virus comes along and ruins my chance of having chickens.

Yes I would want to get rid of it completely, but, I see I erred...you have a different set up...I have no disease here. You may be fine to let natural immunity occur, then you can vaccinate new members or only get older chickens, not chicks..you know this could have come from practically anywhere and how close is the nearest backyard flock? So likely it can happen again. You can wait and see.

so if natural immunity occurs in the remaining hens, we should be able to eat the eggs and eventually the hens?

Eat it? I would Never eat a diseased animal. Are you 100% certain what it is? Ug! Mad cow...need I go on?

um, yeah, when you put it like that...

thanks for the perspective!

 

[Achickenwrangler#1]

Gotta share this, I half way buried the shot feral cat in the woods (ground too hard, I am lazy) well guess who ate it...my chickens. (Poetic justice here we go) my so tossed a dead snake over the hill, far from the house, guess who ate that..the buzzards. See where I am going. Destroying the carcass and the virus is the responsible way to go...I only forget that many are not allowed to burn. Third, if i draw in a coyote I will have to kill it.

 

[chicken curious]

Marek's is a highly contageous virus. It has Herpes virus tendencies (there are about 27 different strains of Herpes virus). Birds that are infected with the Marek's virus, though they may not show symptoms, can shed the virus for their entire life. The virus is shed in the dander and feathers of an infected bird(s). Vaccination is the only known preventative, unless they've come up with something new fairly recently. Chicks are usually (in commercial hatcheries) innoculated in the egg before hatching. Chicks can be innoculated as early as 1 day old with a subcutaneous (just under the skin) injection. Hope this helps.

Oh yeah, clean your pen!!! I usually don't use bleach around my chickens, but, if I had Merek's present, I certainly would. A 10% bleach solution will kill parvovirus, distemper, and even the HIV virus in humans, so I don't see why it wouldn't kill this virus as well.

Thank you for helping me understand it better. I tried finding factual studies, but I was in a heightened anxiety state and couldn't follow the science (despite my science degree!).

I got my chicks from a local right after hatch and we never discussed Mareks so I'd assume they were not vaccinated.

I don't even have bleach LOL, but I can go get some. I can take out all the pine shavings and then spray down the walls, floor, and roosts. What about the run or the yard where they forage? it's mostly deep leaf litter from years of build-up, but I guess I could spray the wooden fences.

 

[Achickenwrangler#1]

You can eat the eggs!! You can eat the chickens that aren't actively ill...once you get through this. If all you want is a closed flock you can do it..

 

[Achickenwrangler#1]

Viruses need warm moist dark areas. Bleach kills everything absolutely and it evaporates so it's nontoxic. It doesn't need to be strong, think, swimming pool. Get a yard sprayer, but clear out the litter-right. Just mist the surfaces. Six hours is about the life span of a virus in dry conditions. Don't bleech yourself, you don't want to breath it in. K? Don't blame your concern I would have freaked too (well, on the inside) for sure.!

 

[Kassaundra]

I missed the post of how you know it's Mareks???

 

[bj taylor]

Unfortunately there are only so many things to say about chickens....

How's this? ~I fed my CX on fermented feed this spring and I simply LOVED the absence of smell in the coop. No flies, no smell, decreased use of feed and increased overall health. I'm cleaning out the deep litter today~90 degrees here today~and there is still no smell in the bedding. I raised 50 CX for 11 wks on $168 of feed and free range(the last 3 wks they were penned in the coop and fed the fermented feed exclusively).

How's that for interesting?

why did you keep them in the coop for 3 wks? was it something particular to your situation, or was is like penning cattle & feeding them corn?