Eye problems(weird pupil).. egg problems.. etc etc etc

NicoLee1991

Chirping
Dec 28, 2019
42
22
76
This is Snowball a special breed of roo who had some problems as a chick. All seemed well until yesterday he was moving a little slow-today he was found laying in the run, alive, but very out of it. Obviously the other chickens beat him up a bit. He feels a little skinny. His large pupil does not react to light at all. He can stand, for a little bit. He's somewhere near 2 years old.

I just had another rooster die almost seemed similar to this, but i neglected to check his pupils.
my hens are not really laying, again. I guess ill be out there checking pupils tomorrow..

I'm sure this guy will not make it. He ate and drank some when i helped him.. but I think his brain is mush.

id really just like someone to tell me its not mareks..

we are rural, use different shoes to go to the farm store than we do in our coop, like never have visitors, i think our chicks come vaccinated. or we hatch them ourselves..

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I'm pretty sure that's Mareks. It's a contagious disease without any cure so I'd suggest you seperate him from the flock and give him food/water. Unfortunately Mareks usually lasts for life but it won't spread to chicks through eggs like other infections like MG. I'd also suggest you cull him if you're willing too and provide medication to the rest of your flock with natural herbs and calcium, clean your living area for them thoroughly aswell as mareks usually spreads through dust. That'd probably be the best options you have now. Sorry :((
 
I agree with the others, that does look very like Mareks, although the only way to 100% sure is to get a necropsy done.
If it is indeed Mareks, there isn't any point in separating him, as by now they would all have it.
I have Mareks in my flock, and all I do is make sure I don't spread it, (so no selling of giving away chickens, and I am very careful who I give eggs to, to make sure they don't have chickens) and just give them good care.
I'll keep a close eye on them, and as soon as one starts to look sick I'll wait a one or two days incase it can overcome it, and then put them down.
There is not really a lot more one can do, but I still get a lot of fun and enjoyment out of my flocks, and most of them still live good, long lives.
 
I agree with the others, that does look very like Mareks, although the only way to 100% sure is to get a necropsy done.
If it is indeed Mareks, there isn't any point in separating him, as by now they would all have it.
I have Mareks in my flock, and all I do is make sure I don't spread it, (so no selling of giving away chickens, and I am very careful who I give eggs to, to make sure they don't have chickens) and just give them good care.
I'll keep a close eye on them, and as soon as one starts to look sick I'll wait a one or two days incase it can overcome it, and then put them down.
There is not really a lot more one can do, but I still get a lot of fun and enjoyment out of my flocks, and most of them still live good, long lives.
So I've got 2 more roosters down today. One stumbling around and one who seemed fine yesterday was just in the middle of the yard all limp and getting trampled. That makes for like 5 or 6 roosters this year. It just seems like most of them waste away. I think I lost a few hens, but they were like 4 years old so I figured it was old-ish age for a factory chicken. It seems to be all or mostly roosters.. these guys eyes look fine-i didn't check with a flashlight though.
I'd think that I would've had mareks in my flock for quite a while. Does it seem to care what age or anything in your flock? My flock it's been all over the place, but I'm not sure why the rise in deaths all of a sudden. Heat wave maybe? 2 older hens, one younger bird, a ton of roosters.
 

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