Help!! Marek's Disease??

[Haunted55]

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/759125/methotrexate-use-in-poultry-for-mareks

 

[Haunted55]

I think you'd find that with any cancer drug on the market today and what is Marek's but chicken cancer. This may come across as totally heartless, but if your birds, start showing the paralysis of Marek's.....let's face it, life expectancy has dropped down near the negatives anyways. If I could get my hands on it, I'd try it in a heartbeat. Now since that isn't going to happen, since I doubt any of us can get this medication, I think what we need to do is research where this drug originated from. What plant compound or whatever. That would be the key to us lay people.

 

[realsis]

wow marked is such a terrible disease and it scares the heck out of me. tell me if I've got this correct; vaccinated birds still get marked but are unlikely to get tumors unless your that unlucky 5% of vaccinated that do. also then the vaccinated bird is more of a carrier when if he is infected? did I understand this right? this is a very scarey disease just trying to understand a bit better also trying to understand where and what happens to the infected vaccinated bird. it must help with something doesn't it? or does it only help with lessening the shed of the disease? what's your take on the infected vaccinated bird? I read if I read right the 5% that are infected after vaccine.? so many questions. take it easy on me OK as I know forums can get touchy and I'm just trying to learn a bit more. hope that's OK here..

 

[Nambroth]

wow marked is such a terrible disease and it scares the heck out of me. tell me if I've got this correct; vaccinated birds still get marked but are unlikely to get tumors unless your that unlucky 5% of vaccinated that do. also then the vaccinated bird is more of a carrier when if he is infected? did I understand this right? this is a very scarey disease just trying to understand a bit better also trying to understand where and what happens to the infected vaccinated bird. it must help with something doesn't it? or does it only help with lessening the shed of the disease? what's your take on the infected vaccinated bird? I read if I read right the 5% that are infected after vaccine.? so many questions. take it easy on me OK as I know forums can get touchy and I'm just trying to learn a bit more. hope that's OK here..

I am no expert, but my understanding is:

Quote: Vaccinated birds can get Marek's if exposed to the virus, but are unlikely to develop the fatal tumors. Unless it is a strain that they are not vaccinated against. Scarily, Marek's seems to be mutating and so sometimes it's 90% safe, sometimes less. I apologize if this is confusing, but it is not a straightforward disease.


Quote: If the bird is vaccinated, and then later exposed to Marek's virus, the bird can then become a carrier and shed the virus. It is thought that vaccinated birds that pick up Marek's tend to shed less virus than an un-vaccinated bird. A chicken that has been properly vaccinated will only shed the virus if it is later exposed to "chicken's" Marek's virus. The vaccine alone does NOT make the bird shed the virus.


Right now I have 7 hens that were vaccinated by a hatchery for Marek's as day old chicks. I had an un-vaccinated rooster come in later, and he died of Marek's. I can assume that all of my vaccinated hens have now been exposed and are carrying and shedding the virus, but are (thankfully) immune and will probably be okay. So, the value of the vaccine is that all of my hens are much more likely to live normal lives even though they have been exposed. It is not a guarantee, but they have a much better chance because they have been vaccinated.

The trouble that some members are having is that the virus seems to mutate, and they might have a new strain of Marek's.
In such a case... there is really not much to be done about it yet. The best thing is to concentrate on biosecurity, which for new chicken owners might mean vaccinating regardless. Because my chickens are pets, I will always choose to vaccinate, and hope that they are not exposed to strains that they don't have immunity to. There's not much else to be done just yet.

It is also important to note that it seems that there are different strains of the virus out there, and there is more than one type of Marek's vaccine. I am currently in the process of trying to learn more about this, and learn which vaccine(s) were used on my hens, and am trying to see if I can find out which strain of Marek's my rooster had. If it seems complicated... it is, and it's a really difficult thing to pin down.


(By the way, if I ever say anything incorrect, please do feel free to correct me. I will not be offended and would appreciate the correction. I am trying to learn as much as I can about this nasty virus.)

 

[realsis]

thank you so much for your answers its very much appreciated! I have a flock of only four. all have had mareks vaccine and coryza vaccine. I was very curious about the mareks. that's all they have been vaccinated for. I wonder if I should vaccinate for something else also? I really love my birds and want to do my very best to protect them the best I can. I wonder what else others have vaccinated for or what's a typical vaccination schedule?

 

[ems chicks]

Well i had hoped i would have hood news to, share with everyone here on this thread, but my hen is still getting worse, one of her eyelids is closing again and she is really really skinny, this may be the end of the road for her weel see what tomorrow brings.

 

[realsis]

I'm sooo sorry! my thoughts are with you! here is a hug for you: ((hug)). if you need to talk I'm here for you. again I'm so sorry.

 

[Haunted55]

Nambroth, ya done good! If I may add a couple of things to what you said....Never put birds from one vaccinated group from this hatchery with another vaccinated group from another hatchery, when they are still chicks. "The" Marek's vaccine most widely used is the Turkey vaccine. This is the one available to us at home and all the hatcheries use this as well. There are a couple of the hatcheries that also use the other 2 vaccines during peak season as well. Here's where it can get interesting, if you want to call it that. The vaccines take between 2 weeks to 6 weeks to fully develop immunity in the birds. Some can take even longer to get to that point. Depends on the bird and their general health. If during this time frame you add another form of the Marek's into the equation, such as that from the other 2 vaccines......yup, I told you it gets interesting...you can have total melt down. You now have such a mutated strain of Marek's going on, that mortality is through the roof.

Going back to your hens and their possible shedding of the virus, I'm not so sure about that. I've been told it's possible but not likely. Same as the vaccinated chicks, they could be contagious during the 2-6 week time frame while the vaccine builds the immunities in their bodies, but after that, after all I've learned, I would say no. This is just my belief and experience so far. Does that mean it would be the same for you and your flock? Who knows, to be honest. There are just too many variables with this disease.

 

[Haunted55]

Well i had hoped i would have hood news to, share with everyone here on this thread, but my hen is still getting worse, one of her eyelids is closing again and she is really really skinny, this may be the end of the road for her weel see what tomorrow brings.

Oh I am so sorry. Like I said before, if this is Marek's, it's the secondaries that could be showing and that's what this sounds like. With the wasting and no change with removing the corn...truely, I am so very sorry. Have you had the chance to find and speak with your state's Veterinarian? The necropsies I had done on mine were right around $20. plus the shipping. I don't know your situation, but if it's at all possible to do, please have it done. A necropsy will give you the answers you will not find here and help you make your choices for the future.

 

[realsis]

how is she doing this morning? I'm thinking of you.. just wondering about her..,