Help :( sick silkie. Hopefully not merek"s

[alaskanchicken]

First off...none of my other chickens have any symptoms. I have one silkie who can not stand, her legs are "floppy" It started out as one leg, now it is both. She is still eating and drinking. It is possible she has eaten some moldy corn, also possible she has a vitamin deficiency. If it were merek's wouldn't my other chickens have it? I have a mix of half-and-half vaccinated chickens, about twenty of them.

 

[WeBeCluckin]

I just went through something similar. I'm waiting on lab results to further confirm Marek's disease though I'm really hoping it's not. The pullet that we had put down was the only one with symptoms and I'm holding my breath for the rest of my flock. She was also vaccinated from the hatchery. From what I've read, infant vitamin drops without iron might help. Vitamin E with selenium and a vitamin B complex also. Unfortunately, all the remedies we tried (including Hypericum Perforatum) didn't work for our girl. Hope your chick pulls through. The whole Marek's thing is horrible.

 

[seminolewind]

You are very smart to send yours for a necropsy. Always better to know earlier. Except for a whole hatch of chicks, my Marek's chickens have died one every few months or sometimes I'll go 6 months with no deaths. Most of my chickens that have gotten it have wasted away. In the end it seems they can't aim at the food. Paralysis is usually in younger birds. Usually. Please post the report when you get it.

I hope its not Marek's.

 

[WeBeCluckin]

You are very smart to send yours for a necropsy.  Always better to know earlier.  Except for a whole hatch of chicks, my Marek's chickens have died one every few months or sometimes I'll go 6 months with no deaths.  Most of my chickens that have gotten it have wasted away.  In the end it seems they can't aim at the food.  Paralysis is usually in younger birds.  Usually.  Please post the report when you get it.

I hope its not Marek's.

How disheartening. I'm trying to pull back from my attachments to our birds as kind of an emotional self defense I guess. It's hard though. I never thought one could become so attached to chickens! Really, I bought them with the intention of a steady food supply but they quickly stole our hearts and before long they all had names. And in my family, if it has a name we're not eating it. The honey jokingly grumbles about all the "livestock" we can't eat. And how they'll have a nicer house than US! Who knew though? Anyways, I'll be sure to post the results. Thank you for sharing your experiences. Helps me to know what more to look for. My son noticed one of the other pullets seeming to miss the scratch yesterday...this is really gonna suck.

 

[seminolewind]

You're not the only one who's chickens went from pot pie to pet! I don't think it helps distancing from them. It still hurts . Just enjoy them and know they had a nice life no matter how long it was.

 

[Lady Badlands]

Mareks is curable with Colloidal Silver which acts as an anti-viral. I've cured two chickens with it. Here's where I posted their two stories.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/566250/more-on-colloidal-silver-and-mareks

It's important to keep Colloidal Silver in your medical kit. It is an amazing product.

 

[WeBeCluckin]

Mareks is curable with Colloidal Silver which acts as an anti-viral.  I've cured two chickens with it.  Here's where I posted their two stories.  
https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/566250/more-on-colloidal-silver-and-mareks

It's important to keep Colloidal Silver in your medical kit.  It is an amazing product.

Thanks for sharing your story! Where do you buy it?

 

[Eggcessive]

I really don't think there is a cure for Mareks disease. There may be some things to try to decrease symptoms such as St. John's Wort and others, but if there were a cure, there probably wouldn't be a dozen threads a day on new cases of possible Mareks.

 

[chickengeorgeto]

.... none of my other chickens have any symptoms. I have one silkie who can not stand, her legs are "floppy" It started out as one leg, now it is both. .... It is possible she has eaten some moldy corn, also possible she has a vitamin deficiency. If it were merek's wouldn't my other chickens have it? I have a mix of half-and-half vaccinated chickens,...

Since Mareks is a form of cancer, the effects of Mareks are dependent on the sight of the tumors and how aggressive they grow, it is therefor impossible to definitely rule out Mareks Disease otherwise known as Range Paralysis. Your other chickens are perfectly capable of having Mareks Disease and not expressing any symptoms.... that is until the tumors become large enough to affect a nerve or organ group. The classic expression of Mareks Disease is of a young pullet or cockerel with one or both legs extended and useless. Some of the big Animal Rights charities use pictures of Range Paralysis stricken chickens and incorrectly say that this condition is a result of commercial and backyard chicken keepers poor husbandry practices. The Mareks virus is everywhere, There are several strains or types of Mareks viruses and each and every one must have its own dedicated vaccine. I hope this helps clarify your questions.

Which begs the question, is your Silkie one of the lucky vaccinated chickens?

By the way Mareks Disease is incurable, however you can depress the symptoms. When this happens the infected bird appears healthy, but it still sheds or releases Mareks' viruses into your healthy chickens' environment.

Good luck!

 

[seminolewind]

Mareks is curable with Colloidal Silver which acts as an anti-viral. I've cured two chickens with it. Here's where I posted their two stories.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/566250/more-on-colloidal-silver-and-mareks

It's important to keep Colloidal Silver in your medical kit. It is an amazing product.

Colloidal silver does not cure Marek's. I have yet to see a positive pcr turn into a negative pcr on official paper.

PCR is something like a specific marker in the blood, I think casportpony or Eggcessive can explain it better.