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Lewis is almost 1 and is very underdevelhoped, could this be mareks disease?

  • Lewis could have a vitamin deficiency.

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • Lewis could just be a late developer

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • Lewis has mareks disease

    Votes: 0 0.0%
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DobieLover said:
Hello and welcome to BYC! :frow 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.
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We actually didnt have a necropsy, the vet saw Marcell and due to the state she was in, she diagnosed her with Mareks, however we are not 100% sure. Say it isnt Mareks, what do you think it could possibly be?
 
Briseggs said:
We actually didnt have a necropsy, the vet saw Marcell and due to the state she was in, she diagnosed her with Mareks, however we are not 100% sure. Say it isnt Mareks, what do you think it could possibly be?
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I've never heard that failure to develop is a symptom of Marek's. A necropsy would have been very informative. I have no idea on why Lewis is not developing.
Does he have trouble walking? Are his pupils irregular? Is he otherwise eating and drinking well?
 
DobieLover said:
I've never heard that failure to develop is a symptom of Marek's. A necropsy would have been very informative. I have no idea on why Lewis is not developing.
Does he have trouble walking? Are his pupils irregular? Is he otherwise eating and drinking well?
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Lewis is completely normal, he eats, drinks, scratches through dirt, pecks the other hens. The only thing irregular is, he stumbles when he walks, falls over when he runs and isn't developing like a proper rooster should. Other than that, his pupils are fine, he has a red wattle and crest, I just don't know whats wrong with him.
 
Briseggs said:
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.
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Marek's is not something to be taken lightly, if one bird has it, they all have it. It's a huge responsibility to take care not to spread it to other flocks in your area... it's spread by dander on the ground, on your shoes and clothes. Some birds can survive contact and develop an immunity but will always be carriers capable of transmitting the disease further. Even vaccinations won't prevent the spread, they only prevent symptoms from showing and birds are still carriers. The only way to eradicate it is to cull the entire flock, wait a year or longer for the virus to dissipate from the property and start over. Some people with Marek's do choose to keep a closed flock and not let any birds leave their property.

Marek's Disease Virus is very easy to misdiagnose, even by a veterinarian. The ONLY way to confirm it IS with a blood test. MDV is not passed from hen to egg, so the fertilized eggs you received couldn't have been the cause. Have you checked with your county extension office to see which strains of Marek's may be in your area?

There are many other illnesses that cause tumors, partial paralysis or appear neurological including a physical injury, kidney disease, West Nile Virus, Newcastle, cancer or exposure to toxins such as weed killer. Here's a link that lists a few more:
https://www.mypetchicken.com/backya...llnesses-with-neurological-symptoms-H395.aspx

I'm still not seeing a rooster in your photos. I'm wondering if Lewis might actually be a pullet with a reproductive disorder or oviduct damage that's causing some confusing rooster traits to come out and prevent egg laying. There could also be any number of reasons for stunted growth, especially with birds from a weak hatch. I would highly suggest sending in a blood sample from your bird in question to rule out Marek's or know for sure. You can find a lab in your area:
http://www.metzerfarms.com/PoultryLabs.cfm
or
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/necropsy-and-disease-testing-lab-info.1236884/

I also advise starting a new thread in the disease/injury/cures forum. The BYC educators and other very knowledgable people visit there frequently and may have better information for you.
 

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