DEFINATELY MAREKS disease.. ANY HELP AND ADVICE NEEDED

[ChurpyChicken]

Hi,

Posted few days back about my hen.

I tried bathing her in warm water to see if an egg was stuck etc. She just got worse.

Someone suggested Mareks and I wasn't 100% sure until I researched it. And now i'm over 100% sure she has mareks disease And my hen is flat out. Wing in the air. Leg out one way.

Plus side: She's eating and drinking out my hand!!!

I have read on here about hypericum.. In the UK is that St. Johns Wort Tablets?? Do they work? Do I just crush them up in water and give them to her? If so I will head straight to the shops in the morning.

Do I need to give this to my other hens

Any help and advice is really really appreciated.

She is wrapped up in a towel by the fire and I'm feeding her every 30minutes and giving her a drink.

She is having poultry vitamins in her water.

Have also tried giving her scrambled egg for protein but she doesn't like it!!

Thanks so much
x

 

[sekinkead]

How old is your hen?

I have heard of some that have had chickens with Mareks that recovered.

I had 2 that I nursed for 5 weeks that seemed to get better, but then got worse again. I ended up having to cull them since they went back downhill. I didn't give anything to any of my others chicks, but mine were all about 8 - 10 weeks old when those 2 got it. My strategy for raisining my chickens is to let them be as natural as possible, no immunizations. That way the rest of my flock should be more resistant in the future as only the strongest survived. But it's up to you how much time you have to care for it. I would make sure to quaratine the sick hen though.

 

[ChurpyChicken]

Hi,

Thanks for the reply.

She is nearly two years old now.

whats cull them mean?

Do you know whether the hypericum works?

x

 

[lilchick]

Cull means to kill her! i have had a few with what I thought was mereks and had similiar symptoms as yours. One leg affected and droopy acting. Some did recover but it takes alot of patience to care for them and wait the disease out. If she is a pet you may want to take the wait and see approach.
Do not know about the hypericum? good luck with your hen.

 

[Clay Valley Farmer]

Sorry, but to be down to earth about it, chances of recovery are very very very low. Frequently enough people do see some improvmnets and if they were treating with a herbal method it is all to easy to think that the herbs cured Marek's. However, these ups and downs are a normal progression of Marek's and the vast majority of chickens will fail to recover from initial onset or later die as a result of tumor formation also associated with Marek's. However, if a vaccinated chicken gets Marek's symptoms it does stand a better chance of a milder illness and the formation of tumors less likely.

Culling is likey the responsible thing to do as a chicken sick with Mareks is just producing more virus that will infect other chickens and potentially wild birds that can spread it outside your flock.

 

[Highlander]

Do you just have one hen with these symptoms? There is a possibility it may be poisoning from mould - I had this issue a few months back. You need to check every square inch of your coop for mould spores. When I did this I found a very tiny amount under the waterer, this was enough to bring 6 full grown brahmas down - it really is that dangerous. Once i discovered what it was I had to clean and disinfect the coop within an inch of it's life. I was told by an extremely knowledeable person to give them selenium and vitamin E capsules. Pierce the capsule and dispense the contents onto a piece of bread or similar. One capsule per chicken per day. I think the selenium dosage is 50mg but I will check that and get back to you. Activated charcoal tablets are also useful - crush a couple and mix in with some mash or porridge.

All but one of my birds recovered in the end - I had to cull one sadly. About 3 months on some are still not laying however so be prepared for full recovery to take some time. Good luck.

 

[Clay Valley Farmer]

Highlander brings a very good point, there are other illnesses that can cause some symptoms that look very much like Marek's. To try to treat it that way can be worth a shot, only downside risk is that if you are right that it is Mareks and try to treat as if it was something else you do keep an infectious chicken around.

If the hen passes or you cull her it might be a very good idea to have it tested for Marek's as it would be about the only way to know almost 100% for certain.

 

[Yashar]

I heard fresh cranberries or a high quality cranberry supplement is extremely helpful.

 

[ChurpyChicken]

Hi Everyone,

I posted some pictures back on another page couldn't find this one again oops.

She's the only bird in the flock showing problems.

The mould one could be very highly likely.

They hens got into the greenhouse the other week and there was mould in there.

I am currently giving her Vitamin E, hypericum, cod liver oil and poultry vitamins, cranberry sauce.

 

[lexinpatch]

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=135247 I found this link on a possible cure... Hope it helps!