Cleaning coop after Marek's disease

[pattyz]

Please help - my 4 pullets died of Marek's disease and I don't want to bring in new ones until the coop is cleaned - how do I do that and where do I buy the cleaning solution? Marek's is very sad to watch happen and I don't want that to ever happen again.

 

[Boyd]

I do not know much about marek's but in general, if all birds are gone, I'd start out with bleach water. You can also order birds from the hatchery with a Marek's vaccination.

 

[ZooMummzy]

I wish I had saved the link but there is a thread in this section with the name of a cleaning chemical used to disinfect. The link said studies have been done showing that bleach is not effective against marek's. The name of the chemical started with oxy...... I'm sorry, I wish I was more help but if you search for marek's, lots of information will come up.

The name is Oxine....though in the thread I found it (a different one than the original one), it said it wouldn't work. The bottom line was once you have Marek's, you have Marek's. I guess even if you tear everything down, it it still there. The advice they gave was to vaccinate everything you bring in. This was a great article link on that thread http://www.firststatevetsupply.com/poultry-health/mareks-disease.html

I'm sorry you are dealing with this

Such a horrible disease.


**edited to give the name of the disinfectant

 

[LarryPQ]

I read on one university's site Marek's can live in the soil for up to 65 weeks. So get out the backhoe, the flamethrower, and go to town--just in case.

Have some new dirt brought in, if you can.

 

[pattyz]

Thanks for all of your help. I was afraid that once I had Marek's I would always have to deal with it.

Thankfully I can buy some chicks that have been vaccinated. I can take out much of the top layer of soil and bring in some fresh soil and I will scrub the structure of the coop. What a bummer for my first experience with chickens.

 

[LarryPQ]

by the way. My manners are terrible.

Yes it is a bummer, but it could be worse. At least it was 4 and not 40. Not that we BYC enablers encourage such a thing