Marek's. Do I cull them all???

[RevlisRemmah]

Call me crazy, or a softie, but if my flock had mareks I do not think I would cull the flock. I’d just deal with it case by case. Some birds can go their whole lives and not be affected by it and just be carriers. (Which means no eggs or birds sold, and being very conscious about where you could be spreading it) and as I bring in chicks, I’d vaccinate them. Best wishes to y’all and your flocks

Can you still eat eggs from a flock with Mareks?

 

[JennyHeidewald]

Can you still eat eggs from a flock with Mareks?

Yes, the eggs and the meat.

 

[FluffyBottomBantams]

Yes you can

 

[Modern Doolittle]

Well, here's my thing - Let's say I have all the birds tested, (which I'm guessing will be expensive for 20+ birds) and some don't have it, and I then choose to move them to my new house...
What about the feeders and watering containers I have in their coops? Do I have to throw them out and get new ones? What about the cages and kennels I have used in my attempts to nurse sick birds back to health? Toss them? What about the shoes that my 4 children have worn in and out of the coops, and all around the yard...won't they bring the virus to my new house, unless I throw away and repurchase every pair of shoes they own? Will I really be able to remember and destroy/disinfect everything a sick bird may have come in contact with? Can I really get rid of every trace of the virus? I'd hate to cull all my beloved birds, only to take the virus with me and reinfect a new flock.

H

Hayduke27 has a good point - from what I understand, once Marek's is on your land, your whole flock are potential carriers, even if they don't show symptoms. However, you could cull your whole flock, move to a new place, and find that Marek's is also present in your new place even before you arrive - that is just a chance you have to take. It's an awful decision to have to make, and I really feel for you MamaManda.

I think that as always, in the end it comes down to personal choice. If you want to breed, sell etc. then culling and starting again in a new place at least gives you a chance of starting from scratch and possibly avoiding Marek's. However, if you are happy to keep your girls as "pets with perks", and to operate a closed flock (accepting new, vaccinated birds, but never letting birds from your flock go elsewhere - keeping them until you cull them or they die of old age) then there is no reason why you should not keep your existing birds, and only euthanise when you can see that the disease is beyond treating in each individual.

I agree that it is absolutely heartbreaking to have to cull a bird, but if you are doing it because they are suffering then it is a lot easier, because you know that you are actually helping them rather than let them continue to suffer. To cull them if they are not showing active symptoms of illness is a much harder decision to make. Even if it is not something that I could do myself, I will never criticise anyone who chooses to do so - it is not an easy decision, and we all have our own methods of flock management and our own reasons for what we do.

At the end of the day, each one of us has a duty to our flock to be as informed as possible, look at our reasons for keeping chickens, and make the decision that will cause us the least heartbreak in the long run. No-one can make the decision for you, MamaManda - it is one of those life decisions that ultimately rests on your shoulders - but you should know that whatever you decide the BYC community will support you - that is what we are all here for, after all.

I'm dealing with the same problem unfortunately.... it's definitely heartbreaking, I just had two, six week old chicks die and it broke my heart watching the disease run it's course. We also had them in ICU and for two days they looked like they made an amazing recovery back to complete normal health just to wake up the third day to them dead.... We just stripped are entire coop an washed EVERYTHING with bleach water and apple cider vinegar. All new bedding too. My flock has been ravaged by Marek's over the past year. Id say we had in the vicinity of 25 birds die in a year! An they all supposedly came vaccinated! Luckily are ducks haven't been affected.....yet! It's a horrible disease that I pray they come up with better solutions for. I'm all ears to any advice and I'm sorry for anyone dealing with this horrible disease!