Hello...I'm a newbie! New to chickens and a new member. I have joined because I have a chicken problem and believe that I may have a six month old speckled sussex with Mareks. She is part of a group of five that were vaccinated and have been part of our small flock since July. She has been symptomatic for about two weeks but there are no signs that anyone else is infected. Her symptoms started as a slight limp, which progressed to a major limp after about three days. I kept her in a small coop outside with her mates, but let the mates out during the day. She eats and drinks as per normal. Her limp has now progressed to her tripping over her wing and getting stuck on her side periodically. There are no visible lumps or bumps, no discoloration, nothing that seems broken. It is confusing and reading through all the info is not making it less confusing! At this point I need to know is it worth stressing her out by completely separating her from the flock? I know if it is Mareks the entire yard and flock will already have been contaminated. Should I just euthanize her and get her tested? Not sure what the best course of action is and can only hope that I have not thoroughly contaminated my flock and all ideas of starting my small hatchery. Any advice is appreciated. Cheers!
Glad you joined us! I'm sorry about your sick hen. Unfortunately, it does sound like she may have Marek's disease. I would post about her in the Emergencies section of the forums, where I'm sure members would be glad to offer as much help as possible: Emergencies / Diseases / Injuries and Cures Good luck!
Welcome to BYC. There are currently a couple of threads in the Emergency forum with Marek's discussions going on. Feel free to join in the discussions.
Nambroth (user name) has compiled a very, thorough thread on Mareks. I believe it is called something like The Great big mareks thread. In any case if you put Mareks thread in the search box it should pop up. She had one bird come up with Mareks and it details all she has done to protect the rest of her flock etc.
Welcome to BYC So sorry to hear about your hen troubles. It does sound like it may be Mareks. But to make sure, here is an excellent read on the disease: https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/the-great-big-giant-mareks-disease-faq and one of the threads on it: https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/741957/not-an-emergency-mareks-in-the-flock/0_30 I think euthanising and sending the hen off for necropsy may be a good idea. Here is a how-to go about doing that: https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/799747/how-to-send-a-bird-for-a-necropsy-pictures/0_30 Fingers crossed
Hello there and welcome to BYC! I am so sorry about your baby. It is never easy to watch them go downhill, especially with Mareks. Definitely stop by our emergency section for some help and support. I am so sorry.