Introduction

[Briseggs]

Hello, I'm new to BYC! I got it so I could get advice and tips to help me raise my chickens and learn the do's and don'ts. I already know a fair bit about how to raise chickens, but I thought it would be good to get a different point of view. I started with 2 hens that I got last year, Patricia(Isa brown) and Dixie(Rhode island red). One day Patricia got broody, so we got her 5 fertilised eggs to sit on and eventually mother. 4/5 hatched, however 2 died, and we were left with our female Barnevelder, Marcell and our Isa brown rooster Lewis. After a few months, Dixie got broody as well, and yes, we got her some eggs, we got 6, sadly only one hatched, but died, and so we went and bought her 5 healthy chicks, a Female speckled Sussex, Dawn, a dorking, Ivy, a Plymouth rock rooster, Xeno, a golden laced wyndotte, Isla and a speckled sussex rooster, Elvis, and yes their names spell Dixie Hehe. Our little family was complete, we had our 9 healthy chickens. As the roosters got older, they started fighting, so we sold Xeno and gave our neighbours Elvis, we stayed with Lewis because he is my little baby. We then bought an Austrlorp hen, her name is Greta. Sadly, Marcell recently died from Mareks disease, and we think Lewis might have it as well as he is almost 1 year old and not developing (Marcell wasn't either). But now we have just 7 chickens who seem happy and healthy.

 

[feathermaid]

Well you have been through a lot of hatching lately! I'm really sorry for your losses. Did you have a necropsy performed on Marcell? The only way to confirm Marek's is with lab tests. If Marek's is on your property, consider all your birds infected. Marek's Disease causes tumors and affects the nervous system. But without lab confirmation, I think her death may have been caused by something else, otherwise your other birds would likely be showing symptoms. I'm definitely no expert, but I'm pretty paranoid of diseases and have researched quite a bit. What makes you suspect Marek's?
The Great Big Giant Marek's Disease FAQ

What do you mean by your cockerel not developing? Is he crowing and mating? I can't see saddle, hackle or tail feathers from your pic. If he's just small, maybe he's a bantam? Sorry I can't be more help.... you can post a new thread here with all symptoms you're noticing and maybe a new photo of Lewis next to your other birds for comparison.

Best wishes with your flock!

 

[clynn23]

I am here for the thread on daughter broke up and parents grieving. Thanks.

 

[Briseggs]

View attachment 1838523
View attachment 1838524 Well you have been through a lot of hatching lately! I'm really sorry for your losses. Did you have a necropsy performed on Marcell? The only way to confirm Marek's is with lab tests. If Marek's is on your property, consider all your birds infected. Marek's Disease causes tumors and affects the nervous system. But without lab confirmation, I think her death may have been caused by something else, otherwise your other birds would likely be showing symptoms. I'm definitely no expert, but I'm pretty paranoid of diseases and have researched quite a bit. What makes you suspect Marek's?
The Great Big Giant Marek's Disease FAQ

What do you mean by your cockerel not developing? Is he crowing and mating? I can't see saddle, hackle or tail feathers from your pic. If he's just small, maybe he's a bantam? Sorry I can't be more help.... you can post a new thread here with all symptoms you're noticing and maybe a new photo of Lewis next to your other birds for comparison.

Best wishes with your flock! View attachment 1838545[/QUO
Hi, thanks for the reply. Early this year, we took Marcell to the vet because she kept falling over and wasn't walking properly, the vet said it was mareks and that she didnt have long to live. However, we also went to see a lady who sells chickens, and we told her about how Marcell kept falling over and she said it could be a vitamin deficiency and recommended that we give her tuna and vitamins. We gave Marcell all of that and more and she noticeably got better, her feathers were shining, she was walking properly, she seemed fine. We recently went away on holiday and left someone looking after my chickens. All was fine until the day before we got back, Marcell was falling over, she could barely walk and one of her eyes had gone a murky grey. The lady looking after them said that she fell over in the morning and didnt get up so she tried to help her and feed her but half an hour later she sadly died. I thought that maybe because no one was giving her all the nutritious stuff I had been giving her, that maybe the disease caught up to her and killed her, but honestly I dont know.

With Lewis, he is really underdeveloped, the two other roosters we had were much more developed and bigger than him even though they were younger. He, like Marcell, struggles to walk, he like stumbles to walk and if he runs he usually falls over, he went through a growth spurt, and he got his crest and wattle bigger than it was and bright red, he also started crowing and tried to mate once but after a few weeks he completely stopped and hasn't since. I'm also not sure why he is like this but its not like he gets bullied, Marcell however did but not too bad because she always followed around Patricia, who is the boss of the flock.

 

[Briseggs]

This is Lewis, when he was very little and when he had his growth spurt.

 

[007Sean]

Howdy and Welcome to Backyard Chickens,

Thanks for joining us!

 

[DobieLover]

Hello and welcome to BYC! Glad you joined.
Sorry to hear about all your losses.
If Lewis's hatchmate developed Marek's, he could most definitely have developed it too.
I assume that you had a necropsy done that confirmed Marek's.

 

[N F C]

It's nice to have you here!

 

[Chick-N-Fun]

Welcome to our FUNomenal community! Make yourself home here at BYC!

 

[rjohns39]

Hi and welcome to BYC We're so happy you've decided to join us