Marek's and what to do?

[seminolewind]

Quote:
You can put the dead bird in a bag in the fridge. Call the Bronson animal disease lab in Kissimmee at 321-697-1400. They will send you the forms and how to pack the bird. It costs $30.

Even if it was euthanized by axe? I just culled about an hour and a half ago.

YES!!!! But it should be as fresh as possible. And you could probably drive it to the lab in an hour from Tampa

 

[Lucysmom002]

I got Dixie and Diamond in March of 2010. So she is 18 months old. She is a Buff Orpington by the way. unknown if vaccinated
I got 9 other chickens later spring of 2010. I still have 2 of them. unknown if vaccinated

March 2011 I got 7 chicks from a 4H kid. unknown if vaccinated
May 2011 got 25 pullets from McMurray all vaccinated, sold half of them
July 2011 got 5 hens from the fair from the 4H kids, was told all the birds are tested, vaccinated (for what, I don't know) I assumed they'd be safe if they were allowed to show at the county fair

August 2011 Dixie molts and this all started.
She was laying around for over a week. Stopped laying eggs. Then I noticed the limping and how skinny she is.
I hand fed her and rested her, gave ACV and she improved a LOT. She was eating great, grazing, walking almost perfectly and talking again. 2 days ago she went downhill again. Today she cannot use her leg almost at all.

2 days ago, I noticed my Black Cochin rooster is limping... didn't think much of it until reading all this stuff

 

[seminolewind]

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there are so many things wrong with the above.

it has NOT flipped. large chicken factories ARE STILL the folks with the main issues concerning mareks. sheesh. show me one study saying otherwise? moreover, a lot of people, maybe even most?, get their backyard flock from hatcheries. they are safe.

also, you should NOT be selling OR BUYING chickens. not only for mareks but for several reasons. but, if you do sell a chicken you are not selling them into death. oh my goodness. that is.....wow.

people, you gotta get off the internet. seriously. stop being so paranoid. read the actual research. if it happens to ten backyard flocks, that doesn't make it common. geez.

I already know how to manage my exposed flock. And I can still buy and sell eggs, eggs do not carry it.

Oh, and yes, I DID get off the internet to gather MY actual research.

 

[Lucysmom002]

Also, I did have one of the pullets from McMurray just suddenly die one night. I found her in the morning laying under her roost.

 

[seminolewind]

Quote:
I think we should just wait and see what happens with the Cochin. There's nothing you can do anyway. If you got the July hens 6+ weeks before Dixie's symptoms, that's probably where it came from if it is Marek's. But I would think that you would lose a younger bird first, but my first 2 losses were actually adults.


I had one 10 wk old who went paralyzed, got better, a week or two later was paralyzed again. I've noticed with the paralysis sometimes it looks like they're pecking at treats on the ground, yet they never aim right.

How skinny is your roo? You may want to feel all your chickens for their weight.

 

[eggdd]

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there is nothing you just said that indicates mareks. i know it's hard when you have a few people telling you about mareks - - discussions like this one. but, the truth is it is rare. i have been around farming my entire life and never met anyone in real life who battled mareks. and most here can say the same thing. there will be the few, apparently a very vocal few, who will tell you the horror stories. they are the minority. don't freak out. find out what injury your chick has to her leg. did she get bitten? did she get stuck? is there an open wound?

what's the saying? usually the most obvious is the reality? something like that. it sounds like your chick has an injured leg.

if you can't find a vet, your state vet will know of vets who see and treat chickens.

 

[Lucysmom002]

If she passes away, how should I be prepared to send her for testing? I want to know what this is.

Everything that I've been reading says that Marek's lives everywhere. I'm sure the flock has been exposed if that is what we have here. It sounds to me like it is very common and can't be avoided and vaccination is the only way to go.
Sadly, we have only had chickens since last year in March, I would've had them vaccinated if I had known. Poor Dixie. Why does it happen to the nicest ones?

 

[eggdd]

Quote:
I think we should just wait and see what happens with the Cochin. There's nothing you can do anyway. If you got the July hens 6+ weeks before Dixie's symptoms, that's probably where it came from if it is Marek's. But I would think that you would lose a younger bird first, but my first 2 losses were actually adults.


I had one 10 wk old who went paralyzed, got better, a week or two later was paralyzed again. I've noticed with the paralysis sometimes it looks like they're pecking at treats on the ground, yet they never aim right.

How skinny is your roo? You may want to feel all your chickens for their weight.

her chicken isn't paralyzed. it's limping. are you listening to her? what has she said that makes you think there's even a chance of mareks?

 

[Lucysmom002]

Actually I noticed that the chickens I got from the fair were very meaty. My older hens, Dixie and Diamond and 2 others were meaty too. The pullets that are now 17 weeks old are kind of thin. They rooster cochin is light and a bunch of feathers. I can feel their breast bones. I don't know if that is good or not???

I feed them starter grower, layer, scratch feed, they eat in the yard, they get fruit and whatever,, they love bread.

so, if it is Marek's, I was going to vaccinate anyway, someone said it might possibly help??? is that true??? or the st johns wort?? any help? or is it hopeless?

 

[BrattishTaz]

18 months is a bit old to be suffering from Marek's disease. From what I understand (and I am no expert), chickens are most likely affected by Marek's at point of lay....say 25ish weeks old. Molting can also be very hard on a bird. It is very possible your bird's primary issue is a leg injury combined with the ill effects of molting. I usually place birds with leg injuries in a dog crate for a week or so. My injured chickens have always recovered with some R&R. Add some scrambled egg to her diet for extra protein. Gatoraid will often increase appetite and help rehydate. Only give strait Gatoraid for 1 day, then dilute with water for another day or two.

If you notice wing paralysis developing or you see other birds with symptoms, Marek's may be the culprit. I think it may be too soon to tell at this point.

Edited to add: I would cut the scratch and bread out of their diet until you have everyone healthy again. These foods do not have the nutrients they need.