Marek's Disease in Liege Fighter Chickens?

[Csumner]

I have a problem with my chickens and was hoping someone might be able to help. I presently have 7 Buff orphingtons, 5 Barred Rocks, and 8 Liege Fighter chickens. All around the same ages, give or take a couple weeks. The domestic chickens I hatched in incubator from my own stock. The Liege Chickens I got on a rare breed auction and came to me at a few days old,( I believe vaccinated for Mareks) I kept the Liege in quarantine for 8 weeks. I put all the chicks together in a large... outdoor poultry run, 12ft by 50ft, after the 8 week mark. The Liege Fighters are 16 weeks old this week and the others slightly older. A couple weeks ago, I noticed a liege pullet having hard time walking, looking like she had broken legs. Not able to support her own weight. Moved her into a isolation pen. Same week a Liege Roo, same problem, but he could still wobble around, then this week , two more Liege roos, with leg issues. I got 8 of these birds in the auction and 5 out of the 8 look like they have some sort of leg/lame issues. All the other domestic chickens are totally fine. I researched nutritional defeciences and started supplementing all birds with vitamin water, in case their diet was lacking. I dusted everything and all areas in coop and outdoors with DE. I'm stumped as to what the issue is. All my other poultry is fine.. And now one of the affected roo's has been plucking out the feathers of the two other birds in QT . The Liege are large game fowl birds and growing fast, was wondering if they could get some sort of growing pains because they are growing at such a fast rate?

 

[Folly's place]

Welcome!
What are you feeding, and what are the mill dates on the feed bags?
Have you checked the birds at night while roosting, with a flashlight, looking for mites or lice on the skin?
DE won't kill parasites, if that's the issue.
If you have a dead or dying bird, have it necropsied at your state veterinary lab. We can all guess, but having a diagnosis is best!!!
Mary

 

[Kiki]

Welcome to BYC.
What do you feed these birds?

 

[Csumner]

Since I had them penned with regular chickens I was feeding a standard 16 % grower mix, with scratch grains, and some cracked corn mixed in. Since this issue started a couple weeks ago, I switched them to a high protein 26% gamefowl feed, and put vitamins in their water

 

[Elsveta641]

Since I had them penned with regular chickens I was feeding a standard 16 % grower mix, with scratch grains, and some cracked corn mixed in. Since this issue started a couple weeks ago, I switched them to a high protein 26% gamefowl feed, and put vitamins in their water

I believe its a genetic defect causing circulatory atrophy. My rooster needed surgery to remove a toe because of this. (See picture)Ive heard several other people have problems with walking/atrophy of toes and even seizures. I suspect inbreeding depression because there isnt a big enough gene pool?