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

[Kiki]

@Rubygrace I'd like to know as well, I wish folks would come back and finish threads, it would be really helpful for the rest of us.
I, too, had marek's confirmed, via dna test and symptoms. The vet wasn't able to do a necropsy because they were booked up, and it has to be done within 48 hours, and they are closed on Sunday.
Two more birds dead yesterday, one expected, a young one that had the leg issues, and one unexpected, an over a year old hen. One is in recovery, she'd gotten the leg paralysis, but now she is walking again! If a bit stiffly.
We have over 100 birds because, before I knew we had the disease, I was working on a breeding project for olive eggers. I'd sent eggs to folks for them to hatch out because in 2021 I was going to sell confirmed olive egger chicks (I was testing the crosses). One of the worst things was having to contact each person and say my flock has confirmed Mareks, it does not transmit through the egg to the chick, but if there is any dander on the egg...:/
Now I have a ton of roosters from the project I don't know what to do with. I don't want to cull them (deadify) but I also don't think anyone would want to give them a home unless they knew they had the disease as well. They live at my mom's place because she has the space, and she says I need to do something with them. I have four beautiful isbar roosters, and a lot of cute mixes. It sucks so much.
There is a disinfectant you can use to clean up coops and such, not so sure if it would kill the disease in the ground/organic matter. I can't recall the name of it right now.

It would be wrong to continue to sell eggs or birds.


Are you looking for Virkon?
https://virkon.com/en/products-applications/disinfectants/virkon-s/

 

[Grace2020]

Oh so sorry you are going through this. Our state poultry lab came out and euthanized my entire flock (4 left). It was the hardest thing but I couldn’t handle seeing them all go through what my little hen went through. What a horrible, horrible disease. The state lab confirmed they all had Marek’s and tumors throughout. Even though I wasn’t seeing symptoms in the others it was good to know I did the right thing. I now believe it came from the hatchery bc they were not exposed to the outside long enough to show the symptoms my hen did in the amount of time they had been outside. It broke my heart, but I believe the best thing is to humanely let them go and save them the horrible effects of suffering. Some birds will get the paralysis and then recover but they still have the disease and will transmit it. You never know which birds will get sick and suffer and which will just be Carriers. I wanted to have a clean start so my next group will be vaccinated and I’ll do some things differently like keep them enclosed until they are past 6 mos to give them a better chance to fight the disease. The cleaner I used was called Oxine and it’s used in commercial poultry houses. I’m letting everything air out for at least 4 mos before any birds go back into that area. It’s all I can do and then just hope and pray they will not get sick. It’s so hard to know what to do, but in the long run I think if we want to do what’s best for the birds, then it’s a little easier decision. Based on the necropsy results my birds were full of tumors in their ovaries. They would never had been able to lay eggs even if they did survive for a little while. I wish more than anything I had known what I know now before I brought those little babies home.

@Rubygrace I'd like to know as well, I wish folks would come back and finish threads, it would be really helpful for the rest of us.
I, too, had marek's confirmed, via dna test and symptoms. The vet wasn't able to do a necropsy because they were booked up, and it has to be done within 48 hours, and they are closed on Sunday.
Two more birds dead yesterday, one expected, a young one that had the leg issues, and one unexpected, an over a year old hen. One is in recovery, she'd gotten the leg paralysis, but now she is walking again! If a bit stiffly.
We have over 100 birds because, before I knew we had the disease, I was working on a breeding project for olive eggers. I'd sent eggs to folks for them to hatch out because in 2021 I was going to sell confirmed olive egger chicks (I was testing the crosses). One of the worst things was having to contact each person and say my flock has confirmed Mareks, it does not transmit through the egg to the chick, but if there is any dander on the egg...:/
Now I have a ton of roosters from the project I don't know what to do with. I don't want to cull them (deadify) but I also don't think anyone would want to give them a home unless they knew they had the disease as well. They live at my mom's place because she has the space, and she says I need to do something with them. I have four beautiful isbar roosters, and a lot of cute mixes. It sucks so much.
There is a disinfectant you can use to clean up coops and such, not so sure if it would kill the disease in the ground/organic matter. I can't recall the name of it right now.

@Rubygrace I'd like to know as well, I wish folks would come back and finish threads, it would be really helpful for the rest of us.
I, too, had marek's confirmed, via dna test and symptoms. The vet wasn't able to do a necropsy because they were booked up, and it has to be done within 48 hours, and they are closed on Sunday.
Two more birds dead yesterday, one expected, a young one that had the leg issues, and one unexpected, an over a year old hen. One is in recovery, she'd gotten the leg paralysis, but now she is walking again! If a bit stiffly.
We have over 100 birds because, before I knew we had the disease, I was working on a breeding project for olive eggers. I'd sent eggs to folks for them to hatch out because in 2021 I was going to sell confirmed olive egger chicks (I was testing the crosses). One of the worst things was having to contact each person and say my flock has confirmed Mareks, it does not transmit through the egg to the chick, but if there is any dander on the egg...:/
Now I have a ton of roosters from the project I don't know what to do with. I don't want to cull them (deadify) but I also don't think anyone would want to give them a home unless they knew they had the disease as well. They live at my mom's place because she has the space, and she says I need to do something with them. I have four beautiful isbar roosters, and a lot of cute mixes. It sucks so much.
There is a disinfectant you can use to clean up coops and such, not so sure if it would kill the disease in the ground/organic matter. I can't recall the name of it right now.

 

[JennyHeidewald]

@Kiki Yes, that looks like the one, thanks!
I'll probably just figure out where to put a bachelor roo pen, since there are way too many roos for the hens. Maybe ask my BIL to harvest them. Maybe let them free range.

@Grace2020 Thank you and I'm so sorry you had to go through what you did, too. It is so hard, I wish the vet didn't charge an arm and a leg for euthanasia, or that there was a better way than cervical dislocation.

I think one of the biggest issues is that Marek's comes out in times of stress, they might be a bit stressed because there are quite a few of them, though the areas are quite big. We've stopped letting them free range because a dang coyote came in and got two of our favorite favorite hens (why can't they nab a rooster? Sheesh).
Our little Newt is a fighter, I know she will be a carrier, but I figure they all have it. I am not optimistic about the place ever being Marek's free.

It's mentally exhausting, once the flock gets to a smaller size that is where it will stay. So many birds, love them all, but it has been one issue after another, and, since I don't live there with them any more, I can't tend to them as well as I used to.

Why couldn't I have liked a cat or a dog...something that doesn't die so much. I don't care if they stop laying eggs, or as many eggs when they get older, I'd love a bird to get past three years.

 

[Grace2020]

@Kiki Yes, that looks like the one, thanks!
I'll probably just figure out where to put a bachelor roo pen, since there are way too many roos for the hens. Maybe ask my BIL to harvest them. Maybe let them free range.

@Grace2020 Thank you and I'm so sorry you had to go through what you did, too. It is so hard, I wish the vet didn't charge an arm and a leg for euthanasia, or that there was a better way than cervical dislocation.

I think one of the biggest issues is that Marek's comes out in times of stress, they might be a bit stressed because there are quite a few of them, though the areas are quite big. We've stopped letting them free range because a dang coyote came in and got two of our favorite favorite hens (why can't they nab a rooster? Sheesh).
Our little Newt is a fighter, I know she will be a carrier, but I figure they all have it. I am not optimistic about the place ever being Marek's free.

It's mentally exhausting, once the flock gets to a smaller size that is where it will stay. So many birds, love them all, but it has been one issue after another, and, since I don't live there with them any more, I can't tend to them as well as I used to.

Why couldn't I have liked a cat or a dog...something that doesn't die so much. I don't care if they stop laying eggs, or as many eggs when they get older, I'd love a bird to get past three years.

It would be easier to not love them all! I can’t bear to see them die. People will say their “just chickens”, I guess they’ve never spent time with one sitting in their lap or a whole flock following them like puppies!

@Kiki Yes, that looks like the one, thanks!
I'll probably just figure out where to put a bachelor roo pen, since there are way too many roos for the hens. Maybe ask my BIL to harvest them. Maybe let them free range.

@Grace2020 Thank you and I'm so sorry you had to go through what you did, too. It is so hard, I wish the vet didn't charge an arm and a leg for euthanasia, or that there was a better way than cervical dislocation.

I think one of the biggest issues is that Marek's comes out in times of stress, they might be a bit stressed because there are quite a few of them, though the areas are quite big. We've stopped letting them free range because a dang coyote came in and got two of our favorite favorite hens (why can't they nab a rooster? Sheesh).
Our little Newt is a fighter, I know she will be a carrier, but I figure they all have it. I am not optimistic about the place ever being Marek's free.

It's mentally exhausting, once the flock gets to a smaller size that is where it will stay. So many birds, love them all, but it has been one issue after another, and, since I don't live there with them any more, I can't tend to them as well as I used to.

Why couldn't I have liked a cat or a dog...something that doesn't die so much. I don't care if they stop laying eggs, or as many eggs when they get older, I'd love a bird to get past three years.

 

[Myrshine]

Can the ocular form of Mareks turn into a different strain? Or cause death? Or just blindness?

 

[Grace2020]

My understanding is the ocular form causes blindness and that’s it. There is also a form that causes paralysis but they recover within a couple days. My flock had the very virulent form which our poultry lab said was the most common (classic Marek’s).

Can the ocular form of Mareks turn into a different strain? Or cause death? Or just blindness?

It would be easier to not love them all! I can’t bear to see them die. People will say their “just chickens”, I guess they’ve never spent time with one sitting in their lap or a whole flock following them like puppies!

 

[JennyHeidewald]

Can the ocular form of Mareks turn into a different strain? Or cause death? Or just blindness?

I'd been wondering the same thing, because mine were showing different symptoms, so I asked the lab: "Thank you for the quick results, I'm sad it is what I thought it was. I just had one question, is there a difference in the DNA results with the different strains of Mareks? Sweetpea had ocular (misshapen iris) and feather (skin lymphomas), but was still walking, Digger Baby's legs are paralyzed, but I didn't see any other signs."

The lab: It’s not a matter of strains. Individuals will react differently. Strain differentiation is a very complex genetic differentiation process. That is better left to research papers than diagnosis.

It would be easier to not love them all! I can’t bear to see them die. People will say their “just chickens”, I guess they’ve never spent time with one sitting in their lap or a whole flock following them like puppies!

I feel ya. It is the worst, that and when I can't help them.
Some people will never understand, how many would say "it was just a dog/cat" but I can see how it would be, I didn't really think much about chickens until I had my own personal ones, and then you see their personalities, the lap chicken, or the one that likes to cuddle... or the one that thinks your head is The Place To Be, the one that will come over and peck you in the butt when you have squatted down to pet others, then runs off when you turn around to try and pet her, the one that is always underfoot, though I don't know how she can see anything with her crest. I have favorites, and I have favorite favorites, and also I have favorite favorite favorites.
I have to face the fact that I'm likely to have my heart broken about 109 more times. I think that is how large the flock is, I get the feeling I miscounted, it only seems like maybe 50 chickens...
But, better to have loved and lost, than to never have had chickens at all. ( so I tell myself when I am crying over another one)

 

[Grace2020]

Yes, enjoy the “gift” for as long as you have it. It’s funny how many different opinions are shared by the vets and labs. My lab told me that there are different strains and some are more virulent than others-each causing the different symptoms. I guess it’s just a wait and see. I never imagined there was a disease out there like this. Can anyone keep chickens without losing them to this? My mom has chickens and several of my friends do as well. None of them have ever seen Marek’s. I don’t get it. My first flock....I lose them all to it????

I'd been wondering the same thing, because mine were showing different symptoms, so I asked the lab: "Thank you for the quick results, I'm sad it is what I thought it was. I just had one question, is there a difference in the DNA results with the different strains of Mareks? Sweetpea had ocular (misshapen iris) and feather (skin lymphomas), but was still walking, Digger Baby's legs are paralyzed, but I didn't see any other signs."

The lab: It’s not a matter of strains. Individuals will react differently. Strain differentiation is a very complex genetic differentiation process. That is better left to research papers than diagnosis.




I feel ya. It is the worst, that and when I can't help them.
Some people will never understand, how many would say "it was just a dog/cat" but I can see how it would be, I didn't really think much about chickens until I had my own personal ones, and then you see their personalities, the lap chicken, or the one that likes to cuddle... or the one that thinks your head is The Place To Be, the one that will come over and peck you in the butt when you have squatted down to pet others, then runs off when you turn around to try and pet her, the one that is always underfoot, though I don't know how she can see anything with her crest. I have favorites, and I have favorite favorites, and also I have favorite favorite favorites.
I have to face the fact that I'm likely to have my heart broken about 109 more times. I think that is how large the flock is, I get the feeling I miscounted, it only seems like maybe 50 chickens...
But, better to have loved and lost, than to never have had chickens at all. ( so I tell myself when I am crying over another one)

 

[FluffyBottomBantams]

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

 

[JennyHeidewald]

@Grace2020 The other flocks probably have it, too. I just wonder why some flocks get hit so hard and others not. I think a lot of people's flock have it and don't know. I'd read online that there is one vet that assumes all flocks/chickens have it. I didn't know about the disease before I got my own personal chickens (outside of my moms), and then every time one looked funny I would think "is it Marek's?" The symptoms are a lot of different things, and then it could be something else that just looks like Mareks. They never really touch on it in the "You Can Raise Backyard Chickens!" articles.

@FluffyBottomBantams I'm doing case by case in mine, too. I figure it is hard to eradicate, and it just "blows in on the wind", so why not let the ones live that will live, and I am too fond of them. I'll be letting the flock reduce in size before I think of getting chicks, if I do get any. I am trying to figure out how to keep them apart from the flock until they get their immunity up. Even with the vaccine, it is a "leaky" one, they can get the disease, and spread it, but not die from it.