Mareks in my flock?

[casportpony]

Quote:

Thanks for posting!

 

[jenniferlamar70]

https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/the-great-big-giant-mareks-disease-faq
Thanks I read the whole thing. It was very helpful.

Read this because it's the most thorough piece of information we have (thankyou Nambroth). 
Your necropsy looks like it says your roo had worms.  Worm your flock on a regular basis starting with Valbazen, which is still noted as being excellent and then again 10 days later.  I don't think the worms had anything to do with the Marek's.

However, since Marek's weakens the immune system, the worm damage made it possible for all those bacteria to kill your roo.  Marek's exposed birds, symptomatic or not, suffer from immunosuppression.  Marek's uses the immune system to manufacture it's virus.  So bacteria overwhelming happens frequently.  The bacteria killed the bird because there was very little resistance to the bacteria, which entered the bird in massive numbers through the worm damage.

In the future, worm your birds regularly, and IMO!!!!!!!  if you have Marek's in the flock, and someone looks sick, I jump to worming, and then antibiotics and an anticoccidial  asap.  People may blast me for heavy antibiotic use in this situation, but the alternative is death. 

But read the FAQ.  It's easier for everyone to help and for you to understand after reading this.

You did the right thing in antibiotics and Corid.  However, it looks like Marek's tumors were already overwhelming the bird.
Very sorry.  I've lost many to Marek's.  Any future chicks need to be vaccinated for Marek's and quarantined for 3 weeks minimum. 

The pathologist called me back to explain the results. The parasites were coccidia. She didnt say anything about worms. She said the mareks was very advanced in her lungs and that she was septic from an infection. She also said she tested positive for e coli but Tue sample was done in her lungs so she couldn't tell me if it would effect their eggs? She told me the same thing as you about her being immune suppressed from the mareks. She said she could have died from any of the secondary infections but for sure mareks. Or sorry I mean he. We still were unsure. We do treat regularly with ivermectin for worms but were looking at other options cause I know it doesn't cover everything.

​Thanks sweetie!  To my dying day I will help anyone with Marek's in their flock.  It's very sad, and there's a lot of misinformation out there.

This is absolutely heartbreaking to me. I've been crying all morning.

Thanks for posting!

Thanks for all the help. I couldn't have got through this without it. You've been so helpful from the start. Thank you from the bottom of my heart!

 

[Fire Ant Farm]

Here is @jenniferlamar70 's necropsy report:










Maybe @Fire Ant Farm can add her comments?

Yes, it sounds from the report as if there was overwhelming infection (the proximate cause of death) in the setting of a lymphoproliferative disease (aka, chicken form of leukemia/lymphoma) that suppressed the immune system and reduced the bird's defenses.

I have a living Cream Legear with ocular Mareks (never tested, but quite classic appearance of the eyes). I have also lost two hens (mother and daughter) to Avian Leukosis, caused by ALV (avian leukosis virus). I did the necropsy on the mother, and when the daughter died at POL, I was prepared so that I could get a necropsy at the Texas poultry vet lab. Had a long discussion with the bird pathologist there - he explained that the differential diagnosis is Mareks vs Avian Leukosis - both caused by viruses, both have masses with abnormal lymphocytes, key to the diagnosis of one vs another (minus some really detailed expensive testing) is the distribution of the lesions. Mine had involvement of the bursa, major involvement of the liver, and tumors in the abdomen, with NO nerve involvement, consistent with ALV. Nerve involvement is consistent with Mareks.

I needed to know because I needed to know whether I had to destroy the daughter's hatch mates - ALV is passed in the egg, Mareks is not.

Does that help at all?

- Ant Farm

 

[Fire Ant Farm]

This is absolutely heartbreaking to me. I've been crying all morning.

I'm so sorry - I've been there.

 

[jenniferlamar70]

Yes, it sounds from the report as if there was overwhelming infection (the proximate cause of death) in the setting of a lymphoproliferative disease (aka, chicken form of leukemia/lymphoma) that suppressed the immune system and reduced the bird's defenses. 

I have a living Cream Legear with ocular Mareks (never tested, but quite classic appearance of the eyes). I have also lost two hens (mother and daughter) to Avian Leukosis, caused by ALV (avian leukosis virus). I did the necropsy on the mother, and when the daughter died at POL, I was prepared so that I could get a necropsy at the Texas poultry vet lab. Had a long discussion with the bird pathologist there - he explained that the differential diagnosis is Mareks vs Avian Leukosis - both caused by viruses, both have masses with abnormal lymphocytes, key to the diagnosis of one vs another (minus some really detailed expensive testing) is the distribution of the lesions. Mine had involvement of the bursa, major involvement of the liver, and tumors in the abdomen, with NO nerve involvement, consistent with ALV. Nerve involvement is consistent with Mareks. 

I needed to know because I needed to know whether I had to destroy the daughter's hatch mates - ALV is passed in the egg, Mareks is not. 

Does that help at all?

- Ant Farm

Yes thank you for taking the time to explain it to me.

I'm so sorry - I've been there. 

Thanks. We've decided to keep our small flock as pets. No more hatching other then what we already had in the incubator. No more come in or out. Its a really tough decision but we love all our poultry and couldnt cull them. This has all just been very overwhelming. Its alot to take in..

 

[jenniferlamar70]

Hey guys can ducks and geese get mareks from chickens. Everything I have read sais no but I just want to double check?

 

[casportpony]

Hey guys can ducks and geese get mareks from chickens. Everything I have read sais no but I just want to double check?

I do not think so.

 

[jenniferlamar70]

I do not think so.

Oh my this would be such a relief. I've been worrying so much about my goslings..

 

[casportpony]

Quote: I've lost a few chickens to Marek's, but my geese, ducks, and ducklings have been fine.

 

[jenniferlamar70]

I've lost a few chickens to Marek's, but my geese, ducks, and ducklings have been fine. 

You just made my day! I'm so relieved!! Adleast their is a bit of a silver lining in all this!