Lets talk about Mareks ugly step cousin Lymphoid Leukosis

[wolfwalker]

I've not been around for the past month as I have been dealing with Lymphoid Leukosis brought in with some hatchery chicks to the farm.

The good thing is having 230 acres means some of the barns are 1/2 a mile apart.

The bad news, I had to de-populate the grow out barn which is half a mile from the breeding coops.

The saving grace, my bio-security routine is beyond extreme so only that barn was infected. 208 rare heritage breeds that were just starting to lay and ready to move to the breeding pens. A good thing I had a suspicion something was not right with them and kept them in that barn.

Lymphoid Leukosis is also called Chicken Wasting Disease in the commercial world and is passed on to chicks through the egg.

I will probably do an article on all the research I did, but the main differences is instead of affecting the nervous system like Mareks, it attacks the organs causing massive lesions to form and pretty much destroy the organs.

The first sign you have it is a perfectly normal acting bird drops dead with no outward sign of sickness and when you go pick the body up it ways ounces and is skin and bones.

Next week the barn will be fogged and sprayed with Virkon S a Viricide and Bactericide that is clinically proven to kill both Leukosis Viruses.

Why have I mentioned this disease to bring it to peoples attention like this, Because of the business model that all hatcheries currently follow. This disease is passed through the eggs of pullet layers until they have gone through 2 true molt cycles and a normal hatchery has already replaced their breeders before they go through their second true molt.

I am so lucky that I now live within 90 miles of a veterinary school and pathology lab so it did not cost a fortune. Though it did cost me an adult bird of each flock on the farm, sick or not to clear everyone else.

 

[Iluveggers]

Was the disease brought in by a particular breed, or hatchery, or hatched eggs bought from a hatchery?

Thank you so much for posting.

 

[Perris]

I will probably do an article on all the research I did

please do.
I'm really sorry to learn of your misfortune with this, but glad your biosecurity is such that only a part of your flock - albeit a large number of young heritage birds - and premises was infected. I'm sure there are valuable lessons for us all if you can write it up.
Will the hatchery that supplied the infected chick(s) compensate you for your losses, or is it impossible to prove what was the source of infection?

 

[FunClucks]

Hi @wolfwalker any updates to this thread?

Which hatchery did your LL chicks come from, or is it a problem across all hatcheries, in your opinion?

I have a small backyard flock (<20) originally from Hoover's via Rural King, and am about to be getting an order of chicks from Murray McMurray. With all the testing Murray McMurray does, they do not test for LL. I specifically called and asked. I plan to breed green and olive eggers, and maybe do some local sales of chicks and eggs, and I didn't want to start with chicks that might have LL (if it's not in my flock already - they're all a year old with no signs of illness, and my year old rooster processed a week ago showed no signs of disease on his organs).

Do you know of any hatcheries that do test for LL?
Any breeders?

One of the reasons I was looking at McMurray, besides the Whiting True Blues they carry, is because they test for everything else I am concerned about (that I know to be concerned about).

 

[wolfwalker]

Have had a few health issues so have not been around.

This is something you test for post mortem as it is done mainly through a microscope, so hatcheries don't test for it unless they have to do necropsies.

It was a small hatchery in NM, and I am not going to state their name in an open forum as they did not own the egg stock they hatched out. They contract with several growers to buy hatching eggs and that is how it entered their facility.

It is not a problem with most hatcheries, BUT it could be in the future as they have a policy of replacing their breeding flocks every year and if you do any research you will see if a hen is infected and survives her third molt, second year of production, she will not pass the disease on in her eggs. So the practice of hatching from new pullets every year is one day away from a disaster in my opinion.

 

[FunClucks]

Have had a few health issues so have not been around.

This is something you test for post mortem as it is done mainly through a microscope, so hatcheries don't test for it unless they have to do necropsies.

It was a small hatchery in NM, and I am not going to state their name in an open forum as they did not own the egg stock they hatched out. They contract with several growers to buy hatching eggs and that is how it entered their facility.

It is not a problem with most hatcheries, BUT it could be in the future as they have a policy of replacing their breeding flocks every year and if you do any research you will see if a hen is infected and survives her third molt, second year of production, she will not pass the disease on in her eggs. So the practice of hatching from new pullets every year is one day away from a disaster in my opinion.

Thank you, wolfwalker. Hope you get to feeling better very soon. Health issues suck!!!

Appreciate the information. Doesn't sound like there's much I, as a small backyard flock owner and hobby breeder, can do to keep it out of my flock except keep a closed flock and be really vigilant with biosecurity (assuming my flock does not already have it). The eggs from hens after their third mold may not be infected, but if I hatch them and keep them in an infected flock, the chicks will obtain the disease from older flockmates after hatch. If my flock comes down with it, I can either try to breed for resistance (and keep a closed flock), or send everyone to freezer camp, sanitize everything, and start over.

I had heard that, how hatcheries get around the issue by replacing breeding flocks before the disease would become apparent. I understand why they do it, but it doesn't seem right to me.

It's good to know my options. Thanks for the response.

 

[TheresHensInThisHouse]

Have had a few health issues so have not been around.

This is something you test for post mortem as it is done mainly through a microscope, so hatcheries don't test for it unless they have to do necropsies.

It was a small hatchery in NM, and I am not going to state their name in an open forum as they did not own the egg stock they hatched out. They contract with several growers to buy hatching eggs and that is how it entered their facility.

It is not a problem with most hatcheries, BUT it could be in the future as they have a policy of replacing their breeding flocks every year and if you do any research you will see if a hen is infected and survives her third molt, second year of production, she will not pass the disease on in her eggs. So the practice of hatching from new pullets every year is one day away from a disaster in my opinion.

You can test for this via blood tests on a live chicken. No need to cull. Look up Research Associates Laboratory In Allen Texas

 

[TheresHensInThisHouse]

Thank you, wolfwalker. Hope you get to feeling better very soon. Health issues suck!!!

Appreciate the information. Doesn't sound like there's much I, as a small backyard flock owner and hobby breeder, can do to keep it out of my flock except keep a closed flock and be really vigilant with biosecurity (assuming my flock does not already have it). The eggs from hens after their third mold may not be infected, but if I hatch them and keep them in an infected flock, the chicks will obtain the disease from older flockmates after hatch. If my flock comes down with it, I can either try to breed for resistance (and keep a closed flock), or send everyone to freezer camp, sanitize everything, and start over.

I had heard that, how hatcheries get around the issue by replacing breeding flocks before the disease would become apparent. I understand why they do it, but it doesn't seem right to me.

It's good to know my options. Thanks for the response.

You CAN test for ALV on live chickens through PRP blood tests, without having to cull. Research Associates Laboratory in Allen TX

 

[lisa69]

Hi @wolfwalker any updates to this thread?

Which hatchery did your LL chicks come from, or is it a problem across all hatcheries, in your opinion?

I have a small backyard flock (<20) originally from Hoover's via Rural King, and am about to be getting an order of chicks from Murray McMurray. With all the testing Murray McMurray does, they do not test for LL. I specifically called and asked. I plan to breed green and olive eggers, and maybe do some local sales of chicks and eggs, and I didn't want to start with chicks that might have LL (if it's not in my flock already - they're all a year old with no signs of illness, and my year old rooster processed a week ago showed no signs of disease on his organs).

Do you know of any hatcheries that do test for LL?
Any breeders?

One of the reasons I was looking at McMurray, besides the Whiting True Blues they carry, is because they test for everything else I am concerned about (that I know to be concerned about).

I've called around. no hatchery does surveillance testing for AVL , except for those big production layer franchises. like Novagen. you can't buy directly from them eccept in mass quantities. You need to get their birds from local franchises which expose the birds. The only thing you can do, is buy laboratory quality hatching eggs, that they make vaccine from. You will probably be stuck with leghorns