Marek's Disease

[MetallicBlue]

I believe we've just encountered Marek's disease. A couple weeks ago one of my 3 month old chicks all of a suddenly couldn't walk. No signs of injury or attack. We took her into the house to help her but she slowly deteriorated and died a couple weeks later. Now her last surviving sister is presenting with the same symptoms. I didn't know Rural King did not automatically give the vaccine. Live and learn but yeah, this sucks. What all should I do in order to keep the rest of the flock okay. I have come to find out that only one of my birds is vaccinated. I just spoke to the Rooster's previous owner and he is not and the other two were bought at Rural King, so I don't think they were vaccinated either. They are all over a year old. Do I vaccinate now? Is it too late? The little ones and the big ones never really shared a space because the big ones liked to roost up higher than the little ones could get to. Suggestions welcome.

 

[slordaz]

if it's mereks, it's to late, the flock will be carriers for life, your flock should be closed, no birds in or out until you know for sure. Best way to find out is put the recent demised in double bags and put in the fridge, then contact your state vet to either take bird to them or send it to them for a necropsy. Sorry for your losses.
@Eggcessive
@Texas Kiki
@casportpony
@azygous

 

[Mixed flock enthusiast]

I believe we've just encountered Marek's disease. A couple weeks ago one of my 3 month old chicks all of a suddenly couldn't walk. No signs of injury or attack. We took her into the house to help her but she slowly deteriorated and died a couple weeks later. Now her last surviving sister is presenting with the same symptoms. I didn't know Rural King did not automatically give the vaccine. Live and learn but yeah, this sucks. What all should I do in order to keep the rest of the flock okay. I have come to find out that only one of my birds is vaccinated. I just spoke to the Rooster's previous owner and he is not and the other two were bought at Rural King, so I don't think they were vaccinated either. They are all over a year old. Do I vaccinate now? Is it too late? The little ones and the big ones never really shared a space because the big ones liked to roost up higher than the little ones could get to. Suggestions welcome.

So sorry that you lost your pullets! We lost all of the pullets from an unvaccinated group we had last year. We then lost some of our older chickens that were acquired earlier. We just acquired vaccinated pullets this past summer and are waiting to see how they do, so far so good, but only one is laying. Point of lay seems to be a particularly difficult time. The disease is spread in feather dust, and it’s likely that the virus is all over your property, if your birds did die of Marek’s. Your adults may or may not contract the disease, since young chickens are most vulnerable. However, there’s no point in vaccinating your existing birds now.

 

[BigBlueHen53]

I am sorry for your losses.

 

[MetallicBlue]

Thanks, that answers my questions.

 

[ChocolateWingTheRooster]

Our local hatchery offers vaccine for marek’s... but only for chicks you get there...

 

[ronott1]

I am sorry that you lost them!

You can send in a feather or skin sample to a lab to see if it was mareks. There are a lot of illnesses that fit the symptoms posted here.

A Necropsy would tell you what killed them too. You would treat or change husbandry based on the test results

http://www.metzerfarms.com/PoultryLabs.cfm

https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/necropsy-and-disease-testing-lab-info.1236884/

fecal float test: https://www.statelinetack.com/item/...epperjam&publisherId=21181&clickId=2464987830

 

[Eggcessive]

I agree with getting a necropsy on one if it dies, to get a proper diagnosis to confirm Mareks. If it is Mareks, all should be considered carriers, and must not be rehomed ever. It is too late to vaccinate these birds, but if you decide to raise more chicks or breed your own, the vaccine can be ordered and given to the new chicks at once. Then they must be kept away from the chickens, and any dust and dander for 2-3 weeks until they develop immunity. They would still be carriers and test positive, but they are more likely to survive without having the disease symptoms. Here is a good article to read:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/the-great-big-giant-mareks-disease-faq.66077/

 

[annaBsChick]

There is no point in vaccinating them now, its already in the environment. But not all chickens exposed to the virus develop disease. Some are immune to the effects for whatever reason. Here is more info on Mareks - http://www.poultrydvm.com/condition/mareks-disease