Do all chickens with mareks have the discolored eye symptoms?

[browning6]

I have a chicken that is weak and wont stand. It is laying with both feet on the same side. Most of my chickens (40) have come down with the avian pox. I lost a couple already that were young. This rooster has has a resp. issue for over a month. He wheezes and coughs. I assume it is the avian pox. But just to rule out mareks, I looked up some symptoms and the eye discoloration was listed. My roosters eyes still look 100% healthy. Could it still be Mareks?

 

[Wyandottes7]

I believe that not all birds with Marek's will show discolored/irregular/unresponsive eyes. There are three main types of Mareks: that which affects the nervous system, ocular Mareks, and feather follical Mareks. A bird infected with Mareks might show all three types, or it may only show one. Your bird can have Mareks and not show the strange eyes of an infected bird.

 

[browning6]

I believe that not all birds with Marek's will show discolored/irregular/unresponsive eyes. There are three main types of Mareks: that which affects the nervous system, ocular Mareks, and feather follical Mareks. A bird infected with Mareks might show all three types, or it may only show one. Your bird can have Mareks and not show the strange eyes of an infected bird.

Thank you for sharing your knowledge. Even as readily as info is available on the internet it can be hard to channel all of it together.

 

[mithious]

For more info on BYC about mareks, if you use the top search bar and type in marek's in flock, not an emergency, and start at the end of the thread, where it is most active, many others that have mareks in their flocks can help you.

There are actually quite a few more strains of mareks, ocular is just one of them. Marek's is from the herpes virus. If you would like some info from those going through this now, check out that thread and best of luck with your flock...it's hard to have a whole flock down sick!!!