I have slowly lost most of my chickens this past year to what I believe is Mereks...I am wondering if it is possible to lose a couple hens every few months to the disease? This has been going on for the past year and they all have the same symptoms.They seem fine and then one day I notice a change in them that gets worse until they stop eating (lameness/lethargy, panting, green poop) and within a few weeks they are dead. I thought when we made it through winter it was over but I have 2 more that are dying now
I am sorry for you. Marek's stays around for a long time and there is no cure since it's a chicken Herpes virus. Routes of infection are usually respiratory/spread by their dander. I would suggest that you get a confirmed Marek's diagnosis from your state lab when you loose the next bird. Check this list for a lab near you: https://www.aphis.usda.gov/animal_health/nahln/downloads/all_nahln_lab_list.pdf Good luck.
I second the suggestion to get a lab diagnosis. It sounds more like a bacterial infection to me, not viral like herpes. If it is, it may be treatable, but you have to know for sure what you are dealing with first.
