How to manage the flock after potential loss with Marek's?

[Salty Cookie]

I just lost a 2.5-year-old hen to probably some kind of neurological issue. She started losing balance and stumbled as she was walking in the beginning, then she started to fall from the head as she stood up and tried to walk. Her feet were not paralysed. She could stand up. She had a good grip. A part of the comb was dark. We kept her in a crate in the house. I gave her vitamin Bs and other immune booster stuff but she died last night about 10 days after started showing the symptoms. She gained a bit of strength but I noticed that her crop was full and didn't get smaller two days before she died. The last night, her breath was a bit stinky. My guess is the stuff in the crop was fermenting... And I found her dead the next morning. After a bit of research, I decided not to send her body for necropsy but bury her next to her friend's grave. So I will never know if it was Marek's or something else. I have 22 chickens, and nine of them including her are vaccinated as a day old. None of the others have shown any symptoms so far.
Here are questions:
If it were Marek's, would the others start dying soon?
How long should I monitor the rest of the birds?
How long should we wait before we get new birds (we have three two-months-old RIR bantams as my daughter's pet flock, now and she wants to get some more bantams)?
My daughter wants to enter four of our chickens at the Fall Fair next month (in four weeks) but should she cancel it?

 

[Shugercube]

I’m not a total expert, but from all my research I’d say that since you’re unable to rule out Marek’s, that you now have to treat it as though it were Marek’s. Which means you need to close your flock, no birds leave your property, and you (and others from your property) should take extra care when going to feed stores or other shared spaces with other chicken owners such as fairs and swaps, so that you don’t spread it to others (don’t wear contaminated clothing, shoes, etc). Make sure any new birds you bring home are vaccinated and do a full-blown super strict quarantine for a minimum of three weeks before trying to introduce them to your flock.

 

[Shugercube]

@Eggcessive thoughts??

 

[Salty Cookie]

I’m not a total expert, but from all my research I’d say that since you’re unable to rule out Marek’s, that you now have to treat it as though it were Marek’s. Which means you need to close your flock, no birds leave your property, and you (and others from your property) should take extra care when going to feed stores or other shared spaces with other chicken owners such as fairs and swaps, so that you don’t spread it to others (don’t wear contaminated clothing, shoes, etc). Make sure any new birds you bring home are vaccinated and do a full-blown super strict quarantine for a minimum of three weeks before trying to introduce them to your flock.

Thanks! I wish I sent the body for necropsy... My daughter was devastated and refused to send the body. I will do so if I lose another. I just feel terrible for my daughter. She has four RIR as her project animals for 4-H and now she cannot show her birds and she is very upset

 

[Shugercube]

Thanks! I wish I sent the body for necropsy... My daughter was devastated and refused to send the body. I will do so if I lose another. I just feel terrible for my daughter. She has four RIR as her project animals for 4-H and now she cannot show her birds and she is very upset

I feel that! I have a Roo who had a bout of suspected Marek’s, but he didn’t pass away. Since there isn’t really a reliable test to confirm other than a necropsy I’m in this weird limbo of having to do everything as though it’s in my flock, until he passes or another suspected case pops up and passes away from it. I’m devastated because I really wanted to be able to sell hatching eggs and chicks at some point once I had narrowed down my very best chickens, and also I really wanted to rehome my extra Roos because I just can’t bring myself to cull them. But unless I can confirm with 100% certainty it’s NOT Marek’s, I wouldn’t feel comfortable at all rehoming or selling any of my flock. Which means my extra boys are gonna have to get the axe

 

[RoyalChick]

You can test for Marek’s while the bird is alive.
You can take a throat swab and a lab can do a PCR test. Just like a Covid test.
I have used these guys. They were very helpful at explaining everything over the phone.
https://www.vetdna.com/

 

[Salty Cookie]

You can test for Marek’s while the bird is alive.
You can take a throat swab and a lab can do a PCR test. Just like a Covid test.
I have used these guys. They were very helpful at explaining everything over the phone.
https://www.vetdna.com/

You can test for Marek’s while the bird is alive.
You can take a throat swab and a lab can do a PCR test. Just like a Covid test.
I have used these guys. They were very helpful at explaining everything over the phone.
https://www.vetdna.com/

Looks good.... Gotta find one like that in Canada!!!

 

[RoyalChick]

Looks good.... Gotta find one like that in Canada!!!

The one I posted can serve Canada I believe.

 

[Eggcessive]

I really don’t think that you can make any plans about management until you get a diagnosis. There are a number of things that may look like Mareks. The best method for diagnosis is to get a necropsy by an experienced lab vet on a bird with symptoms. The second is to get home testing on blood from a trimmed toenail which the link above for RAL lab or another, such as U of Georgia. In Canada University of Guelph or other university vet lab might be an option.

Many people have Mareks in their flocks, and manage it. There may be some of those people who post on your thread. Here are some articles that list symptoms and other things that look like Mareks:
http://csu-cvmbs.colostate.edu/Documents/vdl-mareks-disease-fact-sheet.pdf

https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/the-great-big-giant-mareks-disease-faq.66077/