I am so sorry. I just read this last night and have been watching to find out what the results were. This seems like a very extreme case of aggressive Mareks, I am so sorry that you have to go through this. Thank you so much for posting all this so that others like myself may learn more.
So sorry, it's so sickening but take heart, it will get better soon. Once the dark clouds leave, the stress of losing birds would make you stronger and you would know what to do next time.
I'm speechless at the task before you. I'm so so sorry.
Left brain mode: The bird that brought this to your flock? Can the source be reported to the CDC or USDA (I hate to get the government involved but geez) you'd want to stop the spread of this. If you're willing to do the right and impossibly difficult thing, the source of this strain of the virus needs to be stopped as well.
We quarantine 30 days, isolate etc...just mistook the first 2 afflicted ones as injuries as they came from an EXTREMELY reputable source...we have a lot of work ahead of us...this will take time to get over.
I have some breeds I am going to see if we can do a blood test to see if they have it... the amount I am losing is phenomenal..figures...the one year I splurge
I had a 10 week old pullet develop paralysis. She hung on 2 months but in the end I had to have her put down. I did have a necropsy done and it only really showed a possible prior gut infection. No other birds in the flock ever showed symptoms. I thought it could have been Mareks because she did have the spilt leg symptoms and wasting but that came back negative for mareks. I still do not know what was actually wrong with her bit thank goodness, no other bird in my flock ever showed these symptoms!
I am so sorry you are going through this with so many of yours! I hope you get it pinpointed for sure!
We quarantine 30 days, isolate etc...just mistook the first 2 afflicted ones as injuries as they came from an EXTREMELY reputable source...we have a lot of work ahead of us...this will take time to get over.
I have some breeds I am going to see if we can do a blood test to see if they have it... the amount I am losing is phenomenal..figures...the one year I splurge
my 6- 100% English orp chicks cost me $375 alone
that, coupled with feed costs and emotional toll
So about that reputable source the two birds came from (sorry if you've mentioned it earlier in the post), you've contacted them about this? What did they say? The usual? "Didn't come from us!"
You know, 30 days is great for most things but it does seem that Mareks hides...OR we excuse it away as another problem. With us we thought she had worms and/or she was anemic from all the lice on her.
Insult to injury, huh? Your heart AND your money. I hope some of your birds test clean or with immunity. There has to be silver lining here somewhere...somewhere!
We quarantine 30 days, isolate etc...just mistook the first 2 afflicted ones as injuries as they came from an EXTREMELY reputable source...we have a lot of work ahead of us...this will take time to get over.
I have some breeds I am going to see if we can do a blood test to see if they have it... the amount I am losing is phenomenal..figures...the one year I splurge
my 6- 100% English orp chicks cost me $375 alone
that, coupled with feed costs and emotional toll
So about that reputable source the two birds came from (sorry if you've mentioned it earlier in the post), you've contacted them about this? What did they say? The usual? "Didn't come from us!"
You know, 30 days is great for most things but it does seem that Mareks hides...OR we excuse it away as another problem. With us we thought she had worms and/or she was anemic from all the lice on her.
Insult to injury, huh? Your heart AND your money. I hope some of your birds test clean or with immunity. There has to be silver lining here somewhere...somewhere!
I KNOW where it came from....and yes, "we have had no losses" and "we don't have that problem" (well, along those lines) was said BIG BUT HERE.....I have an email from an earlier correspondence that said they had a Mareks issue
dh will be handling this but he wants DEFINITE answers, final lab results, before he contacts them again. He doesn't like to do anything half-cocked
I lost the little guy wasting away. We had named him Frank.
. My theory of the wasting away is that Marek's has affected one of the nerves having to do with moving the food along thru the body. Like paralysis of the digestive system. He will be going to the lab on Monday.