Help!! Marek's Disease??

[Haunted55]

I am still searching for all my stuff on aflatoxins. There was a great thread under Ducks where a bunch of us were trying to pin down the feed companies on what their company policy were on this. I can't find it. I'm still searching.

 

[casportpony]

From: http://www.forthebirdsdvm.com/pages/what-about-plants

Plants: Which Ones Might Be Poisonous?

The following lists have been compiled to help you identify plants that are poisonous. It is important that you know the names of the plants in your home or yard. Your nearest landscape and gardening center can provide you with the names of your plants.
POISONOUS PLANTS
These plants contain a wide variety of poisons and symptoms may range from a mild stomach ache, skin rash, swelling of the mouth and throat to involvement of the heart, kidneys or other organs. Some plants may not cause toxicity unless ingested in large quantities:
Angel’s Trumpet * Arrowhead * Azaleas * Buttercups * Caladium * Calla Lilly * Castor Bean * Daffodil * Delphinium * Devil’s ivy * Dieffenbachia * Elderberry * Elephant Ear * Euphorbia * Four O’Clock * Holly Berries * Hyacinth * Hydrangea * Lilly-of-the Valley * Marijuana * Mistletoe * Morning Glory Seeds * Mother In-Law plant * Mushrooms (Wild) * Narcissus * Nephthytis * Night Blooming Jasmine * Nightshade * Oleander * Pencil Tree * Periwinkle * Philodendron * Poison Oak * Potato sprouts & leaves * Primrose * Privet
NON-POISONOUS PLANTS
The following plants are considered not to be poisonous. Symptoms from eating or touching these plants are unlikely, but any plant may cause an unexpected reaction in some individuals:
African Daisy * African Palm * African Violet * Airplane Plant * Aralia * Aluminum Plant * Asparagus Fern * Aspidistra (Cast Iron Plant) * Aster * Baby’s Tears * Bachelor Buttons * Bamboo * Begonia * Birds Nest Fern * Blood Leaf Plant * Boston Ferns * Bougainvillea * Cactus (Certain Varieties) * California Holly * California Poppy * Camellia * Christmas Cactus * Coleus * Corn Plant * Creeping Charlie * Creeping Jenny * Croton (House Variety) * Dahlia * Daisies * Dandelion * Dogwood * Donkey Tail * Dracaena * Easter Lilly * Echerveria * Eucalyptus * Eugenia * Ficus * Gardenia * Grape Ivy * Heavenly Bamboo * Hens & Chickens * Honeysuckle * Hoya * Ice Plant * Impatiens * Indian Hawthorne * Jade Plant * Kalanchoe * Lilly (Day, Easter or Tiger) * Lipstick Plant * Magnolia * Marigold * Monkey Plant * Nandina * Natal Plum * Norfolk Island Pine * Peperomia * Petunia * Prayer Plant * Purple Passion * Pyracantha * Raphiolopsis * Rose * Sansevieria * Scheffelera * Spider Plant * Star Jasmine * Swedish Ivy * Umbrella Plant * Violets * Wandering Jew * Weeping Fig * Weeping Willow * Wild Onion * Zebra Plant

 

[Zrcalo]

Marek's is herpes.

I know what mareks is. It's just when I was asking for chicks that were vaccinated or asking vets if they provided a vaccine, no-one knew what the disease was and no-one in the state had a vaccine. Mareks is an alphaherpes virus, but pathologically speaking it's more similar to polio to give it a human equivalent.

 

[Zrcalo]

I am still searching for all my stuff on aflatoxins. There was a great thread under Ducks where a bunch of us were trying to pin down the feed companies on what their company policy were on this. I can't find it. I'm still searching.

I dont think the feed companies can be responsible. If anything it would be the store that was storing the feed before purchase, or the individual that is storing the feed after purchase.

"Aflatoxins are a group of chemicals
produced by certain mold fungi. These
fungi, Aspergillus flavus and Aspergillus
parasiticus, can be recognized by olive green or graygreen, respectively, on corn kernels, in the field or
in storage ("

I've seen this in my scratch after the monsoon season. I typically dump it out in the alley for the pigeons to eat, or I throw it away.
But if you get a bag and your birds are reacting to it but there's no visable mould on it? I would be wary of other things in the feed, and definitely take it back to the store and get a different brand.

 

[Haunted55]

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/711263/u-s-drought-fallout-might-it-affect-all-of-our-ducks

If you take some time and check out the links in this thread you will see just how much an aflatoxin poisoning can mimic Marek's. Unless this is some new mutation of Marek's and it could be, I really don't see it being that. Okay, now saying that....you may have Marek's in your flock, but there should and would be other symptoms besides what you have mentioned. Wasting is a normal one. Stunted growth another. Marek's doesn't respond to Duramycin. Secondary illnesses would, but not Marek's, or at least it shouldn't. Aflatoxins can and will cause neurological problems and even death. Paralysis being one of the symptoms, weird stuff with the neck as well. Almost like limber neck symptoms. Inside the body it can cause all kinds of problems, liver issues being one. This is what made you giving the corn and the diarrhea right after start warning bells going off in my head. If I'm correct and that remains to be seen, the corn and maybe even the feed has aflatoxins in it or some other kind of molds that are toxic. One feeding...you probably wouldn't notice unless the levels were extreme. Two feedings and you have birds with a build-up of toxins already in their bodies. You can take it from here.

Scratch the onions if you want and use the garlic powder. I would give them plenty of dark greens and apples. This should help with clearing their systems. There are articles and threads on BYC that cover the flushes as well. You could try if you want but I don't think they'd work well as this is in their bodies rather than just in the gut.

 

[ems chicks]

Thankyou for all your help i really appreciate it, i just checked on her no change from this morning she still tries to stand and is unsucessfull, but thats progress from yesterday, i gave her a banana and noticed she is having a lot of trouble with accuracy of her pecking she kept missing the banana,hopefully tomorrow there will be more progress, i have to get out to the store and get more kale and apples,

 

[casportpony]

Does anyone know if activated charcoal is used to treat Aflatoxin illness?

 

[Haunted55]

Does anyone know if activated charcoal is used to treat Aflatoxin illness?

I'm not sure it would help but it couldn't hurt. The trouble is by now it's into everything in the body, not just the gut. It might help with today's corn but the rest is going to have to be drawn out through normal bodily functions.

 

[seminolewind]

Quote:

 

[seminolewind]

Quote:
It's absolutely amazing that you find more up to date info here on BYC than a lot of vets have. And feed store employees are clueless.