Disinfect coop after Marek's?

[Smccau3]

My hen acted almost, lethargic, for about a month. Her tail and wings were always pointing down. She didn't roost, instead she would sleep on the ground. At one point, I was worried she was losing her eyesight, because she would sometimes miss the food, even if I was holding something in front of her face.

Yesterday, when she went south fast, she was squawking loudly, like she was in distress. I went out to her and she was flying haphazardly around the run. I took her out and she had cuts on her comb and beak from running into the wire so much. I brought her inside and she couldn't really stand up. She kept falling over and going backwards, the whole time squawking in distress. It was a really hard thing to watch, and I knew it was her time.

 

[leadwolf1]

I'm not sure that those symptoms necessarily point to Marek's. Marek's usually doesn't take that long to kill a bird from symptoms through demise. I've had 30 + birds die from Marek's in the last 9 months and none of them have exhibited those symptoms. Not to say that it isn't, I'm just trying to give you a glimmer of hope. Marek's is a terrible disease and no amount of tractor moving across the lawn will save your other birds. Only the small hope of natural immunity will do that. Had you recently purchased/brought in new birds? Have you had this bird since she was a chick?

I'm only asking to try and figure out if this could have been Marek's...if you don't want help, just let me know and I will butt out. I am a little obsessed with this disease.

 

[Smccau3]

Thank you for your help. I am very new to owning chickens at all, so any advice is greatly appreciated.

I got all 4 of my hens as chicks, and they were all raised together. They are now 14 weeks old.

 

[leadwolf1]

and, you say that this one was sick from about a month ago? With the original symptoms you described, I would say that she was battling coccidia. 8 weeks old is too young for symptoms of Marek's to be seen. It takes 6 - 8 weeks for symptoms to appear from date of infection. Just to be on the safe side with the rest of the girls, I would disinfect and treat all of them for coccidia with Corid...that, you can find at Tractor Supply.

 

[Smccau3]

Thank you so much for your advice. I did think it was coccidia at one point, but because I had fed them medicated feed and she had no issues with her poop I knocked it off the list of possibilities.

 

[littlethorn]

Those symptoms don't sound like Marek's to me either as any birds I have had come down with this terrible disease showed progressive paralysis rather than agitation.

I would also say that though that disinfecting the coop is of limited use if you have a tractor you moved around the yard as well as other birds. All your other birds would already be exposed and the virus would have been shed around your entire yard as you moved the tractor. They would have already built immunity or would come down with the disease.

Sorry for your loss. I know how hard it is being new to chickens and having this happen. When hubby and I first got chickens several years ago we bought from a source I later learned was "questionable". (Had I checked the local chicken group boards I would have seen that everyone who got birds from this source had them come down with Marek's.) We ended up having to cull them all one by one as they came down with symptoms. It was just heartbreaking.

If it is any consolation, we have never had another outbreak so don't lose hope.

 

[leadwolf1]

I wish that every source that lists bloody poop as a sign for coccidiosis would change their wording to read as follows:

The main symptoms of coccidiosis are listlessnes, poofed up appearance and wing drooping. Young birds exhibit these symptoms long before there are changes to the droppings. If coccidiosis is left untreated for a long amount of time, blood can be seen in droppings but, at this point, severe damage has been done to the intestinal wall and treatment may not make a difference to the outcome of the disease. Most chicks will succumb to the disease far before blood is ever witnessed in the droppings.

I read on here so many times that people don't want to treat for coccidia because they don't see blood...when, in fact, once you see blood it is often too late to treat.

So sorry that this advice came too late to save your other baby.

Thank you so much for your advice. I did think it was coccidia at one point, but because I had fed them medicated feed and she had no issues with her poop I knocked it off the list of possibilities.

 

[Suzierd]

Thank you all for the suggestions. Will they have oxine at Tractor Supply?
We decided to cull her so suddenly there was no opportunity to even look for somewhere to do a neceoscopy. I believe she had mareks after reading many forums on byc. I'll never be 100% sure about that, but I know she was suffering immensely.
I'm lucky enough to have a chicken tractor that we move around the yard almost daily. As soon as we culled our sweet hen, the coop was moved to the farthest part of the yard, where the coop had never been.
I have not seen any symptoms in my other hens but am keeping a close eye on them.

Very sorry about your hen. I bought my Oxine off amazon.

 

[SamNCheryl]

Hello. I just read your post from a couple of years ago regarding disinfecting your coop after Marek's. I have the same situation in my flock. We had to cull a hen today and the necropsy results indicate tentative Marek's Disease. We will know for sure next week when the pathology report comes back. In the meantime, I was going to disinfect my coop in efforts to help save my other birds. Did you have success? Did any of your other birds become infected? I'm curious to know your outcome so I can better prepare myself. Me and my family are devastated over this. We love our chickens around here and want to do all we can to help the others survive.

 

[Laceykk]

I'm not sure that those symptoms necessarily point to Marek's. Marek's usually doesn't take that long to kill a bird from symptoms through demise. I've had 30 + birds die from Marek's in the last 9 months and none of them have exhibited those symptoms. Not to say that it isn't, I'm just trying to give you a glimmer of hope. Marek's is a terrible disease and no amount of tractor moving across the lawn will save your other birds. Only the small hope of natural immunity will do that. Had you recently purchased/brought in new birds? Have you had this bird since she was a chick?

I'm only asking to try and figure out if this could have been Marek's...if you don't want help, just let me know and I will butt out. I am a little obsessed with this disease.

Are you still obsessed with Marek’s? I could use advice.