Mareks experience needed. prelim results pg 9

[mysilkiebrood]

i too have scoured the internet to see if this is a problem in my flock, i have lost several young chicks around 4 months some younger. it usually appears as in most with a blind eye just sort of covers the eye area, and swells my last chick i tried neosprin since it hadnt got that bad yet, did this for 4 days new i was gonna lose him when it started to distance its self it would trip over itsself and just lay where he was. others over time would develope crooked beaks , sometimes with the blindness some not and would just go off and die. i had 2 at the same time reveal symtoms segregated them, found that they were covered in very light coloured mites. cleaned out both coops , washed them all down with dawn diah soap, allowed them to air dry then sprayed pymitherin on all walls and floors of the coops , same day i sprayed each chicken with pymitherin, racked all the mulch in the coop right down to an inch of the floor. again i sprayed , and then used 7 dust on the ground. when dry i replaced all the mulch. they eat purina flock raiser, and sunfresh scratch, they are given oyster shell that they can eat when they want. i have gotten same chicks and eggs from an chicken auction. did i bring something to my coop. if this sounds like mareks or something else can anyone tell me???? lost 2 today, a young dominiqe bantam, and 4 month old arucana. also should add most of the deaths have occured in my black cooper marans. 10 chicks, and a dozen eggs i hatched.

 

[seminolewind]

It could be. There is a strain that causes a cloudy/distorted pupil/blind eye. Do they die from it?

 

[mysilkiebrood]

after reading all the posts here i have got a gut feeling i have mareks, in answer to your question yes i have lost about 10 chickens over a year period all died after displaying the blind eye/eyes, or the crooked beak which comes about quite quietly. the chickens have seemed fine eating drinking socializing , and then a few days before dying they seem lathargic, if picked up they will just lay in your hand , no that i think about it they do start to lose coordination. i had only one adult die she was a four month old black astrolope. we though she hurt her leg, she limped around and stayed off it. it wasnt broke she just seemed to have pulled it. that was a while back. about a week and half had gone by and we found her dead.

 

[mysilkiebrood]

what course of action can you take. i have sixteen in another pen away from these. can all or just the chicks be vaccinated

 

[kelar]

I think vaccination has been addressed on other threads, but you can start by vaccinating every bird on your place. It will not help exposed birds, or birds incubating the disease, but at least you cover all your bases and it won't hurt them. Clean everything thoroughly, keep chicks away from adult birds. I vaccinate at hatch, raise separately in the house for at least 2 weeks while immunity develops and then move to brooders in the garage where adults are never kept. Birds do not get exposed to the adult flock until they are at least 3 months old. It may take a while to reduce the incidence of disease & you may still have adults who will later die from it, but I now follow a course of immediate culling for suspected mareks cases and usually send them out for necropsy and histopathology. Seminole is right, it can attack any age group older than about 3 weeks and unless you want to cull your whole flock and start over, the only way to combat it is to vaccinate and isolate the youngsters. If there's one thing I've learned about Mareks it's that it is completely unpredictable in its course and symptoms. BTW, the crooked beaks are not a symptom of disease, but rather a genetic problem that is being passed on to the chicks. It is not apparent usually at hatch, but develops over time.

 

[klf73]

Quote:
well, I can't mail out my bird until at least monday, I talked to the lab and she is sending me a shipping label, for some reason the AG ext didn't have one...
she said it will be fine in the fridge, if I experience any more losses between now and then I have extra specimen bags.
I have decided that if this comes back as Marek's I will still keep all these birds separate, vaccinate everything, and then cull any bird with sypmtoms. When these rare breeds mature I will hatch(read this doesnt' spread through egg?), vaccinate chicks and eventually cull the original flock once I have replenished my stock. This is a heck of a lot more work and $$ than I was asking for.....whatever it turns out to be...hopefully once I have an answer from the lab the seller will make good on this and we can continue to be "friends".

 

[seminolewind]

I live in Florida and have looked for hours and can't find any directions to mailing to a lab, or a lab, other than a commercial lab.

What are specimen bags? Where do you get supplies, and what do you need?

I think I want to send a specimen and stop guessing, even tho my reading is including all the symptoms I'm having. And I am sticking to reading more scientific reading .

Krista, I think I know where you got your SLB's, and I am sorry you have lost any. They were real hard to get. As well as the Tolbunts.

 

[seminolewind]

Quote:
Thanks for all the input, Kelar. It's really pushed me into researching further. I would have never know that there was more. Marek's appears to be a name of a group of ailments caused by several different strains of virus, rather than one virus that produces very specific symptoms and a specific time period.

 

[klf73]

Quote:
look for your state vet. he gave me the number to the lab so I could call them to let them know the bird was coming.

I would call here first Sem
Dr. Thomas Holt – Director, Division of Animal Industry
850-410-0900 Office
850-410-0915 Fax
[email protected]

go to this website and find your closest AG office(in your county), that is where you should be able to get a box(with specimen bags)
http://www.floridagardener.com/countyext.htm

 

[seminolewind]

Krista, I called, I spoke to the pathologist. I got instructions. DH is picking up a cooler and ice packs. This is thru the USDA, and I was suprised to find it's $30.00 for necropsy, microscopic exam, bacterial culture and viral culture. So I will wait for the next demise.