HELP!!!!!!!!!!!!! drunk Pullett

[fishnet1971]

all 9 are still alive and kicking this am, so i must have done it right........

 

[fishnet1971]

It has been a few weeks since I lost the two babies, the last baby (now a pullett) is still strong as a horse. The other 9 seem to be doing ok. Think I am out of the woods yet?

 

[Haunted55]

I would vaccinate them all. You can find the vaccine online. Here is the link to the place I get mine.

http://www.twincitypoultrysupplies....in_page=product_info&cPath=46&products_id=574

Some will tell you that you can't vaccinate adult birds or, birds that have already been exposed. While doing research, I came across some studies that showed the opposite. It said to vaccinate all birds, young and old, symptomatic and asymptomatic. It can provide immunity no matter the age. In birds that are showing symptoms, it has been shown to help boost their immunity. To me, there was never a doubt, I vaccinated everyone. Six months later, I gave them a booster. I've lost 40+ birds. I would do anything to put a stop to this disease!!! I've studied it extensively. Even using my flock as subjects. There isn't enough information about Marek's for me, I had to know more. I'm still working on it and learning every day.

If you are planning on getting more birds:

1. Purchase hatching eggs. If you can find some from a Marek's infected flock, this is best. It has been proven, by many, that chicks that hatch from birds that are Marek's carrier's hatch with immunity. Upon hatch, vaccinate. Keep hatchlings isolated for 6 weeks - 6 months. The longer the isolation period, the better.

2. Purchase only vaccinated chicks from a hatchery then, follow the isolation procedure above.

If you have another bird get sick, have a necropsy performed. Then you will know for sure what you are dealing with and how to protect your future flock.

Good luck! If you have any other questions, feel free to ask

Thank-you for this Leadwolf. I got hit with Marek's this year and have lost 60 birds and counting. I just lost 3 more in the last 2 days. At least the info about using the eggs from these birds gives me hope. Finding out that even though most of the birds were vaccinated doesn't ensure they won't get it was very disheartening.

 

[Haunted55]

It has been a few weeks since I lost the two babies, the last baby (now a pullett) is still strong as a horse. The other 9 seem to be doing ok. Think I am out of the woods yet?

For giggles, if it were me, I would give them a dose of antibiotic. Just to ensure that there are no secondary infections going on as well. I know that some of mine started to develope respitory issues because they were already weakened by the Marek's. Another thing to remember, anything that poultry gets seems to have a lot of the same symptoms. As was said before by Leadwolf, without a necropsy you will never be sure but like her, I also think it's Marek's. Ecoli will also give a lot of the same symptoms, as is another reason to try the antibiotics. Wouldn't it be wonderful if it was as simple as that? Hope springs eternal and at this point you have nothing to lose and everything to gain.

If another does die, you can do the necropsy yourself if there is no Vet available. There are plenty of pics online to show you what to look for. I am so sorry you are losing birds. It truely is an awful thing when you don't know why or how. Good luck and I hope it's just an infection that can be cured with antibiotics.

 

[leadwolf1]

It was 16 weeks between my first loss and my second. Marek's has a slow incubation time. I hope that your nightmare is over!

It has been a few weeks since I lost the two babies, the last baby (now a pullett) is still strong as a horse. The other 9 seem to be doing ok. Think I am out of the woods yet?

 

[leadwolf1]

Thank-you for this Leadwolf. I got hit with Marek's this year and have lost 60 birds and counting. I just lost 3 more in the last 2 days. At least the info about using the eggs from these birds gives me hope. Finding out that even though most of the birds were vaccinated doesn't ensure they won't get it was very disheartening.

This spring, I purchased 9 vaccinated pullets. I isolated them for 12 weeks. I only have four left. Two of those are showing symptoms. I found a great article in The Poultry Magazine vol 3 iss 8 jul/aug 2012. It was updated unlike a lot of the other information that I have found on Mareks. I do disagree with some of the information but, overall it is a great article. The best I've seen.

It touches on the fact that the Marek's virus is mutating and the new strains are not covered by the vaccine. I believe this is what I am dealing with and with your losses, I would think that you are dealing with the same. The only option that we have at this point is to breed for immunity. Out of 17 chicks that I hatched from my own chickens, I only lost 1...far greater success then with the regular vaccinated birds. More then half of my birds that I lost were vaccinated at the hatchery.

I am so sorry you are in the same position.

 

[Haunted55]

This spring, I purchased 9 vaccinated pullets. I isolated them for 12 weeks. I only have four left. Two of those are showing symptoms. I found a great article in The Poultry Magazine vol 3 iss 8 jul/aug 2012. It was updated unlike a lot of the other information that I have found on Mareks. I do disagree with some of the information but, overall it is a great article. The best I've seen.

It touches on the fact that the Marek's virus is mutating and the new strains are not covered by the vaccine. I believe this is what I am dealing with and with your losses, I would think that you are dealing with the same. The only option that we have at this point is to breed for immunity. Out of 17 chicks that I hatched from my own chickens, I only lost 1...far greater success then with the regular vaccinated birds. More then half of my birds that I lost were vaccinated at the hatchery.

I am so sorry you are in the same position.

One good thing that has come out of this, if you can call it that, I am much smarter now and know the many faces of marek's. You know I read about the vaccine as well and it doesn't cost much more to make the new one so why aren't they? The hatcheries, the last I checked, are the only one who can get it but they aren't. Another thing to be positive about now, our eggs, if I can get any from the ones exposed and who survive, will be if not immune, better able to deal with any mutations that will still come.

I bought 12 birds from TS this spring that I was told were vaccinated for Marek's. They weren't. They came from Mt. Healthy. I have one little Partridge Rock left from that group. She is growing but isn't much bigger than a softball. She's a sweety and always seeks me out and 'sings' to the other birds while on the roost at night. The others I lost were some of my own hatch, not vaccinated, never thought about it when I was hatching. They came from my birds right? I figured like humans, they would have immunities. All of the others and the ones still dying have been immunized at the hatchery. It's crazy. Not all of my hatch died. I'm really beginning to believe the bit that some birds are naturally immune to marek's. I am going to gather all of the eggs from my hatched girls and get them going in the incubator. For all I know they may still die [just had to cull one 2 wks ago because she went blind with the occular form] so I think time is against me here.

Oh well, I think you and I could go on here all day. We've been there and know. And who knows? Maybe we should start a thread and tell about all of the things we've seen and done. If it'll help one person deal it's worth it. Thanks so much again Leadwolf, you've given hope where I thought there was none.

 

[leadwolf1]

The way I've read it, the virus is mutating too quickly for the vaccine makers to keep up. People euthanize their birds too quickly and don't have them examined and the vaccine makers have no real idea what is happening in backyards. They can't make a vaccine cover what isn't known. It's sad but, true.

When I hatched my group, I vaccinated at day 1. I keep them isolated for 9 months. They were not allowed contact with the other birds. They lived in my basement. I have just now, they turned 9 months old today, put the group of bachelor's in their own coop beside the original flock. I'm petrified Carrying full grown chickens out in different groups during the day was so much work. But, they are alive and prospering. They are all normal sized and there are no runts. They are mostly barnyard mixes but, at this point, I'll take a healthy mixed chicken over an unhealthy purebred chicken any day. Here is a pic of the boys in their new run...

 

[fishnet1971]

I have used Tylan 50 and Tylan 200 before on the girls with no problems. How about a shot of Tylan50 IM for a few days? The more research I am doing on Mareks (no where NEAR what you two have done) I am tending to agree, it was Mareks I think. I am going to take your advice about finding Mareks lain eggs in the spring as my numbers are way to low, but I do not want to stress the girls out any more than the last two months have done to them.

Maybe we can share eggs come spring? I have never hatched my own before. THAT would mean I wuold need to buy an incubator...... hmmm..... chicken math is ticking already......

You guys are the best.

 

[leadwolf1]

I would love to share some eggs. At that point, I should have some interesting mixes going on Such as NN X serama...my little guy just loves those big woman Frizzled polish X blue andalusian...those I can't wait to see

Good luck getting this all under control...any questions please feel free to ask!