i think its Marek's Disease please HELP!!!!!

[AHappychick]

OK i posted earlier about having a new chicken from a group I got (all from the same guy) who was sneezing, I seperated him.

Now I just checked my birds and one of the others in lying unresponsive and one eye is weird. The pupil is mishapen and does not reflect light. All of these chickens were sharing the same airspace as my ducks and other chickens although they were in a sepoerate coop. I know DUMB DUMB DUMB

please what do I do I have put the sick bird in a cat crate outside it does not look like it is going to make it.

I am freaking out WHAT have I done!!!!!

please I am tyrying to read all about it but there is so much info on it and I know I need to act fast.

 

[AHappychick]

i just cheacked the eyes of all the other ones in the coop with that bird. all of them seem ok and their eyes look ok too.

is there anything I can do now or is it too late?

 

[MoodyChicken]

Don't worry, Marek's isn't as bad as you think. If your chickens breathed as chicks, it's safe to assume that they have Marek's; it's found in the soil. The respiratory thing is a greater threat. There is a treatment for Marek's Disease. You can find it on my website (linked in my sig). Moody's Bantams > Poultry Health > Supportive Therapy about half way through the page. Keep your birds stress free and try to boost their immunity right now with electolytes, vitamins, and a healthy diet. If you treat early for Marek's, they'll recover just fine. I could blabber on for hours about Marek's, but it would take... well, hours. If you have any more questions, please don't hesitate to ask.

 

[AHappychick]

this bird looks like it could die any second I am not sure if it will even eat I will try though. They are all on high quality feed with apple vinager in their water, clean coop, I will ad vitamins to the water as well.

I thought I had seen posts where people lost their whole flock to this. I dont see any breathing problems and the sneezing chicken is doing it less and still seems totaly healthy, his eyes are fine too. i checked again.


BTW this bird seemed fine yesterday

 

[MoodyChicken]

It's probably too late for your one bird, but not too late for your others (try to help it anyways, I've saved Marek's birds that looked just as bad). People lose their whole flocks to it because they either don't know how to treat it or they don't bother to treat it. Catch a bird when it first shows symptoms, begin treating, and it can recover within 1 day. Delay treatment and the bird will either die or treatment can take several months. Marek's Disease is only fatal when there are internal tumors or when the bird starves. Trust me, it really isn't as bad as people make it out to be. If you take good care of your birds, you're likely to lose a few birds a year, but not your entire flock. This may sound brutal, but let the weak die and only bree those that don't show symptoms. Then you'll breed for resistancy. All chickens have Marek's Disease, only some succomb to the symptoms. Symptoms are induced by stress or genetic weakness. The incubation period is 2 weeks. Watch for symptoms, they can be very broad; here's a few: sudden death (not too common), depression (common), paralysis (most common).

 

[AHappychick]

Quote:
ok I understand is this the only disease that does that particular thing to the iris, can I at least be somewhat sure this is what I am dealing with??

Thank you so much by the way I dont know what I would be doing right now if you had not told me all of that.

 

[MoodyChicken]

Marek's Disease is the only disease that causes the pupil to become misshapen or, more commonly, the iris to turn gray. Genetic factors can do that too.

Glad to help!

 

[AHappychick]

ok so that means that this is probably mareks

ok I have put vitamins in everyone's water, gave all chickens yogurt, and looked them over again. Because of the cost of electric and the plan I have with the gas/electric company it is cheaper for me to run lights at night so my chickens are on a funny schedule they think it is day when it is night. This is why I tend to notice things after evening when they are awake and not during normal day hours.

The infected chicken will not eat anything even when I put the tip of its beak in yogurt. it seems miserable I feel so bad for it but don't know what else to do. I guess this is nature but that does not make it much easier. I will try one more time before I go to bed.

 

[MoodyChicken]

How is the sick bird's weight? Can you feel any funny lumps in its abdomen (feel behind the legs into the body cavity)? Was this a gradual deterioration, or sudden?

Force feed her. She needs to eat. Get a small tube, a syringe, and baby parrot food. Oil the tube with vegetable oil and force it down the throat into the crop. Fill it. She will have diarrhea, but at least she'll get food. Definitely put electrolyes in the mix.

 

[AHappychick]

it seems sudden but I just got the bird 2 days ago so I dont really know. It feels a little boney. I dont have parrot baby food but will get some tomorrow I cant imagine shoving a tube in him but I have a syringe with out a needle that I use to give my son his meds could I put yogurt in it? or is there something better?

I read your other post and will go to the health food store tomorrow as well.