Does my hen have mareks?

[CrazyChickLady64]

So when a hen gets sick with mareks are they able to move their legs at all? Do they continue to lay eggs? I suspect mareks but not sure. She is a Ayam Cemani 25 weeks. Started out walking slow and looked bloated and was only pooping 3-4 times a day and the first one in the morning is very large looks normal. I first thought it was a crop issue because it would be hard and about the size of a golf ball. She also had some mites and I have treated that. Her crop feels normal but she has no feathers in her breast. She eats crumbles and has some scratch and fruit or eggs sometimes as treats. She has grit and oyster shells available. Her crop feels normal now. This all started 7 days ago and she was not eating or drinking a lot. 3 days ago she started have trouble standing the last 2 days she can't stand at all. I sit her but she either goes over onto her side with her feet in front and will kick them a bit like she trying to stand up. Or she goes forward into her face then into her side and kicks around trying to get up. She is laying eggs almost daily.
She is eating and drinking and now is very alert compared to when this first started. I have given her nutra drench directly into her beak and electrolytes in her water. I have also given her Epsom salt baths and when she is the water after a few minutes she start kicking like crazy to get out.
The picture of the poop the 1st was about 5 days ago the 2nd is this morning it was stuck to her feathers is this the emerald green color? Do you think this is mareks? The rest of my flock is fine so far will they start getting sick if it is mareks and how soon? TIA

 

[Eggcessive]

If she is still laying daily, the missing feathers on her breast does not indicate that she is broody. Chickens with Mareks can lay eggs. It is good that she is kicking her legs while in the bath, but the lameness is concerning. Is her crop empty early in the morning now? Is she eating and drinking? I would limit her diet to just layer feed now without the scratch or other things, since she needs the balanced diet, vitamins, and minerals. A little cooked egg is fine as well. I would give her some human vitamin B complex 1/2 tablet daily, and some vitamin E 400 IU could also help with neurological issues. Mareks can look like this, and her age is common for it to show up. I would make sure no one is picking on her, and separating her in a wire dog crate near her food and water would be good. A chicken sling can be helpful to get her up and in front of food and water throughout the day with time out of the sling for rest and sleep. Attach food and water to the front. Those can be made at home. Some chickens will not tolerate them, but many do. Here is a good example of chicken slings:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/versions-of-chick-chairs-please.1166308/

 

[LaFleche]

In addition, consider deworming if it is quite a while since the last time as worms deprive their host of important nutrients and B vitamins.

 

[HollowOfWisps]

I agree with the others. I would worm your flock and then I would dose with a b complex before assuming possible Mareks. I use Durvets livestock b complex along with poultry cell for deficiencies.

 

[CrazyChickLady64]

If she is still laying daily, the missing feathers on her breast does not indicate that she is broody. Chickens with Mareks can lay eggs. It is good that she is kicking her legs while in the bath, but the lameness is concerning. Is her crop empty early in the morning now? Is she eating and drinking? I would limit her diet to just layer feed now without the scratch or other things, since she needs the balanced diet, vitamins, and minerals. A little cooked egg is fine as well. I would give her some human vitamin B complex 1/2 tablet daily, and some vitamin E 400 IU could also help with neurological issues. Mareks can look like this, and her age is common for it to show up. I would make sure no one is picking on her, and separating her in a wire dog crate near her food and water would be good. A chicken sling can be helpful to get her up and in front of food and water throughout the day with time out of the sling for rest and sleep. Attach food and water to the front. Those can be made at home. Some chickens will not tolerate them, but many do. Here is a good example of chicken slings:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/versions-of-chick-chairs-please.1166308/

View attachment 3865882

Thank you yes she is eating and drinking and seems very alert. I have her in the house because our temperatures have been in the 90s here and I feel like the heat is not helping. I do bring her out in the evenings when it starts to cool down so she can get fresh air and a little sun. I don't want to give up on her at the same time if it is mareks I don't want her to suffer.

 

[CrazyChickLady64]

In addition, consider deworming if it is quite a while since the last time as worms deprive their host of important nutrients and B vitamins.

I recently dewormed with ivermectin the day after she first showed signs of being sick. I also treated her for mites as she did have a few in her. But I don't see any now. Thank you

 

[CrazyChickLady64]

If she is still laying daily, the missing feathers on her breast does not indicate that she is broody. Chickens with Mareks can lay eggs. It is good that she is kicking her legs while in the bath, but the lameness is concerning. Is her crop empty early in the morning now? Is she eating and drinking? I would limit her diet to just layer feed now without the scratch or other things, since she needs the balanced diet, vitamins, and minerals. A little cooked egg is fine as well. I would give her some human vitamin B complex 1/2 tablet daily, and some vitamin E 400 IU could also help with neurological issues. Mareks can look like this, and her age is common for it to show up. I would make sure no one is picking on her, and separating her in a wire dog crate near her food and water would be good. A chicken sling can be helpful to get her up and in front of food and water throughout the day with time out of the sling for rest and sleep. Attach food and water to the front. Those can be made at home. Some chickens will not tolerate them, but many do. Here is a good example of chicken slings:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/versions-of-chick-chairs-please.1166308/

View attachment 3865882

Hello so Sam is still kicking a lot but I hadn't realized she is not moving her wings. And the feathers on her chest were all missing now it's her entire belly. She must be plucking them and eating them because when I clean out her bedding there are no feathers in it.

 

[LaFleche]

Hello so Sam is still kicking a lot but I hadn't realized she is not moving her wings. And the feathers on her chest were all missing now it's her entire belly. She must be plucking them and eating them because when I clean out her bedding there are no feathers in it.

Do you treat her with vitamin B complex and vitamin E as suggested earlier?

I would give her some human vitamin B complex 1/2 tablet daily, and some vitamin E 400 IU could also help with neurological issues.

 

[Eggcessive]

Is she eating her chicken feed? Sometimes they will eat their own feathers if they are lacking enough protein or experiencing a crop problem. Does her crop feel empty in the morning, then fill up during the day? I hope that she starts to improve, but it sounds like she is worse. If you lose her or decide to put her down, there are 4 locations of the state poultry vet in TX that will do a necropsy and testing to look for Mareks or give a diagnosis. Keep the body cold, not frozen, and take it in or ship with with a label from the lab. Here is a list of labs for a necropsy:
https://www.metzerfarms.com/poultry-labs.html

 

[CrazyChickLady64]

So when a hen gets sick with mareks are they able to move their legs at all? Do they continue to lay eggs? I suspect mareks but not sure. She is a Ayam Cemani 25 weeks. Started out walking slow and looked bloated and was only pooping 3-4 times a day and the first one in the morning is very large looks normal. I first thought it was a crop issue because it would be hard and about the size of a golf ball. She also had some mites and I have treated that. Her crop feels normal but she has no feathers in her breast. She eats crumbles and has some scratch and fruit or eggs sometimes as treats. She has grit and oyster shells available. Her crop feels normal now. This all started 7 days ago and she was not eating or drinking a lot. 3 days ago she started have trouble standing the last 2 days she can't stand at all. I sit her but she either goes over onto her side with her feet in front and will kick them a bit like she trying to stand up. Or she goes forward into her face then into her side and kicks around trying to get up. She is laying eggs almost daily.
She is eating and drinking and now is very alert compared to when this first started. I have given her nutra drench directly into her beak and electrolytes in her water. I have also given her Epsom salt baths and when she is the water after a few minutes she start kicking like crazy to get out.
The picture of the poop the 1st was about 5 days ago the 2nd is this morning it was stuck to her feathers is this the emerald green color? Do you think this is mareks? The rest of my flock is fine so far will they start getting sick if it is mareks and how soon? TIA

Hello everyone I wanted to give you an update on Sam. I am so thankful I didn't give up on her! She is recovering from what ever this was. She is take few very wobbly steps at a time and she starting to move her wings. She sitting up now instead of laying with her legs out. I did order a Marek's test but still have not received it. I still plan to have her tested for several things just to rule them out. I have 11 other hens and a rooster all under 30 weeks that were exposed to her and so far they are all healthy. I wanted to share what I did. I gave her B complex Vitamins D and E and some selenium 2 x a day for 5 days along with giving some poultry cell and nutra drench with a dropper daily. And I added 12% food grade hydrogen peroxide 1-2 drops 2 x a day for 7 days then I just did all of them 1 x a day since she became sick except the D and selenium I stopped. I hope this helps someone who wants to try and nurse their fuzzy butt baby back to health. I added the Hydrogen peroxide because it is known to kill viruses and is safe to ingest in moderation. You can find articles about about it being used in treatments on humans so I figured it may help with my hen.