Marek's Disease Questions

[jmfleish]

I know, you guys probably get this question a lot, but here goes. We are new to chickens. We bought a six week old frizzle Serama roo at a parrot fair last May and fell madly in love with him. He was the absolute best pet ever. He lived inside and did everything with us. His name was Dagbert. I have to admit he was completely an impulse buy and we knew nothing about chickens. He seemed healthy to us except every now and then, his stools would look absolutely tar black in color and texture. We never really thought much about it. Right before Thanksgiving of last year, we noticed that he had a golfball sized lump on his right shoulder blade and took him in to our Avian vet at the University of Wisconsin vet school and had it biopsied and it came back as positive for lymphoma. We were asked to find out if he was ever vaccinated for Marek's disease and we were going to have a CT scan done as well as start treatment for the cancer immediately. Unfortunately, he never woke up from the anasthesia and died on the table the day before Thanksgiving. We were devastated and it was almost unbearable to go home to a house without a chicken there, so we went back to the breeder on Thanksgiving and came home with three young Serama hens but she didn't have any frizzle chicks available and we planned to come back in the spring when she had some frizzle chicks available.

Meanwhile, we did have a necropsy done on Dagbert. He was very, very sick and the report said his lymphoma was similar to Marek's but they didn't call it Marek's outright. I'd have to look at the report again to tell you exactly what it said. Our three girls seem very healthy and happy but we are seeing that black tar poop again, just once or twice recently. I've been reading up on Marek's and it appears that it's nearly impossible to get rid of once you have it, as in cleaning the house and coop and such it is nearly impossible to irradicate. We didn't think about this at all when we brought our girls home, so we didn't bother taking any precautions. Our breeder does not vaccinate for Marek's but it almost seems like the vaccination isn't all that helpful because it doesn't guarantee that your chicken won't get the disease it just helps your chicken fight the disease if it comes in contact with it.

My questions are these:
1. How many of you are absolute advocates of not buying chicks that have not been vaccinated for Marek's?
2. Once you have Marek's in your home, can you really get rid of it?
3. Is there a blood test for Marek's or any kind of a test for Marek's?
4. We never once saw a single neurological sign in Dagbert. He seemed very healthy. Did he have Marek's and can we positively know he had Marek's?
5. We're considering getting a forth frizzle Serama. Should we not do this because we may have Marek's disease in our house?
TIA
Jennifer

 

[Mei&Popcorn]

1. How many of you are absolute advocates of not buying chicks that have not been vaccinated for Marek's?
I say don't buy chicks that have not been vaccinated because it's really hard (probably impossible) to get off your property once you have it, and it could also spread to other people's birds, etc.

2. Once you have Marek's in your home, can you really get rid of it?
Nope, and if you do, it will take a long time. You really cannot sterilize every nook and cranny of your house and property...

3. Is there a blood test for Marek's or any kind of a test for Marek's?
Yes, there are blood tests.

4. We never once saw a single neurological sign in Dagbert. He seemed very healthy. Did he have Marek's and can we positively know he had Marek's?
Well, common signs for Marek's are paralyzation of the legs, and difficulty breathing... If you want to be sure, do a blood test.

5. We're considering getting a forth frizzle Serama. Should we not do this because we may have Marek's disease in our house?
If you do this, make sure it's vaccinated. Some recommend raising it (if it's a chick) in a different area that does not have Marek's to let it's immune system build up.

Here's an article about it... https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/the-great-big-giant-mareks-disease-faq

 

[Nambroth]

The vaccine is absolutely useful... especially if you have confirmed Marek's on your property. It is not guaranteed but surely gives them a better chance! And, there is no harm in vaccinating, so why take the chance?
When visceral lymphomas are found in necropsy, the primary suspect is Marek's because it is a common chicken disease. Avian Lymphoid Leukosis can also cause lymphoma tumors.
As mentioned by the prior response, this should answer most of your questions. https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/the-great-big-giant-mareks-disease-faq

 

[seminolewind]

Yes the big FAQ is great.
Don't take a chance with more chicks that may just keep on dying if it's Marek's. Order some chicks from a hatchery that are already vaccinated and keep them separate for at least 3 weeks to build up antibodies.

My Marek's chickens have always at least shown paralysis or wasting away. But the list of symptoms is long.