Mareks in my flock?

[casportpony]

We put the little pullet down today. She had been growing steadily weaker over the past 72 hours. Today she was finding it hard to impossible to even stand up once she had laid down. I was working out in the run and saw her manage to get upright and inside where she lay down in a corner. Some of her siblings joined her then one by one left. She stayed in her corner and didn't try to join them. My remaining mature OEGB hen, the one who ISN'T broody, went inside and began to attack her. I intervened and when I picked her up I noticed that her crop was empty and she just didn't seem to have any fight left in her I can't blame Little Dove. She was telling me the sick one was near the end. Little Blondie was alert but almost fell asleep in my arms. We set and 'talked' for awhile. Then DH came outside and we set her little soul free.

No doubt that it was Marek's. Her symptoms were classic. She had just turned 7 weeks today.

Sorry for your loss.

 

[Fire Ant Farm]

We put the little pullet down today. She had been growing steadily weaker over the past 72 hours. Today she was finding it hard to impossible to even stand up once she had laid down. I was working out in the run and saw her manage to get upright and inside where she lay down in a corner. Some of her siblings joined her then one by one left. She stayed in her corner and didn't try to join them. My remaining mature OEGB hen, the one who ISN'T broody, went inside and began to attack her. I intervened and when I picked her up I noticed that her crop was empty and she just didn't seem to have any fight left in her I can't blame Little Dove. She was telling me the sick one was near the end. Little Blondie was alert but almost fell asleep in my arms. We set and 'talked' for awhile. Then DH came outside and we set her little soul free.

No doubt that it was Marek's. Her symptoms were classic. She had just turned 7 weeks today.

So sorry to hear.

 

[microchick]

Thanks @casportpony.

I am stunned how fast this took her. 3-4 days from first limp. I kept hoping I would go out and find her even slightly improved but she just kept getting weaker. They were on day 5 of their coccidia treatment today. I hoped maybe it was worm load. It wasn't. This is really the first bird that I have lost with classic Marek's symptoms. Pullet under 6 months with sudden paralysis and sharp decline. The others who died presented with weird symptoms or died suddenly. My other bantams are so far so good.

But I'm being realistic. I know it isn't the end of this disease's attack on my birds. I'm just hoping for a lull at least. I have two broody hens and bringing chicks into uncontaminated surroundings is next to impossible. If I had a lot of chicks to hatch I would probably vaccinate but once again, I don't have any place on our farm that I can consider clean for any chick hatched by a broody to have a fighting chance of building up immunity.

I'm hoping these little ones have inherited a modicum of resistance from the hens that laid the eggs. Both of them are OEGBs, 8 months old and so far healthy. They were neighbor eggs, broody hatched.

 

[jenniferlamar70]

Thanks @casportpony.

I am stunned how fast this took her. 3-4 days from first limp. I kept hoping I would go out and find her even slightly improved but she just kept getting weaker. They were on day 5 of their coccidia treatment today. I hoped maybe it was worm load. It wasn't. This is really the first bird that I have lost with classic Marek's symptoms. Pullet under 6 months with sudden paralysis and sharp decline. The others who died presented with weird symptoms or died suddenly. My other bantams are so far so good.  But I'm being realistic. I know it isn't the end of this disease's attack on my birds. I'm just hoping for a lull at least. I have two broody hens and bringing chicks into uncontaminated surroundings is next to impossible. If I had a lot of chicks to hatch I would probably vaccinate but once again, I don't have any place on our farm that I can consider clean for any chick hatched by a broody to have a fighting chance of building up immunity.

I'm hoping these little ones have inherited a modicum of resistance from the hens that laid the eggs. Both of them are OEGBs, 8 months old and so far healthy. They were neighbor eggs, broody hatched.

So sorry for your loss. I read some people have better luck brooding the chicks near the flock. The concept was the chicks even though exposed suffer less stress and build better natural immunity I believe. I have 5 chicks that were hatched before I got my necropsy that showed mareks. I left them in the coop with mama and so far they are doing well. Only time will tell I guess though.

 

[casportpony]

So sorry for your loss. I read some people have better luck brooding the chicks near the flock. The concept was the chicks even though exposed suffer less stress and build better natural immunity I believe. I have 5 chicks that were hatched before I got my necropsy that showed mareks. I left them in the coop with mama and so far they are doing well. Only time will tell I guess though.

Actual yearly losses from Marek's in a Marek's positive flock shouldn't be that high. @ronott1 posted the percentage once I think.

 

[moomoodiddy]

Back in March I purchased some younger birds from a reputable breeder. I kept them in quarantine for a good month and then put them with the rest of my younger birds thinking all was well. Another month passed and one day I found one with its leg caught in wire, I freed it and it walked off with a limp. The next day she was dead. A week later, another bird developed a limp, lying down on the ground until I made it move. The next day it was also dead. Once this happened to another bird, I began to panic. The quick progression and spread made me automatically think Mareks. I was going to preform a necropsy or send it off when another died, but it never happened. Does this seem like it was Mareks? I did all I knew to do, separated the sick and made sure they have the best chance of survival, but I just felt helpless with valuable birds that I worked so hard to breed just dropping dead. I also worry about my future flock and how this will affect them.

 

[rebrascora]

@moomoodiddy
Yes it sounds like it could well be Marek's.... It is normal to assume the first one with lameness is an injury (I certainly did when I had my first outbreak) but once you get several more young birds go lame in short succession and especially if they die, it's hard to deny what has to be the obvious conclusion. Marek's is an extremely common and widespread virus. You brought in young birds which is certainly the simplest way of introducing it into your flock and unfortunately quarantining them for a period of time will not prevent Marek's, if they are carriers.

As you are aware, the only way to be sure is to have a necropsy done on the next one, but I would certainly assume it is Marek's and take whatever precautions are necessary to prevent passing it on, until you have confirmation or otherwise. Unfortunately, if it is Marek's it will rear it's ugly head again, sooner or later.

 

[moomoodiddy]

So what does this mean for future flocks that have been exposed?

 

[microchick]

I imagine the effect on future flocks for you will be the same as it is for me from this point on. No new chickens can come onto the property that have not been vaccinated for Marek's disease. I had big plans to expand my flock in the next year. I badly wanted to bring in some Ayam Cemanis, a species that I have not seen in our area and some Silver Duckwing OEGBs. Now that plan is on permanent hold. Instead I'm looking at Egyptian Fayoumi a breed that is known for its remarkable resistance to Marek's disease along with others. I am also hoping to see what birds I have that will survive to the age of 3 and prove resistant to the disease with the hopes of cross breeding them to Fayoumi's so they stand a chance of surviving on our property. I also have enough OEGBs, Buff O's and Welsummers that I can hatch my own replacements from eggs laid by my healthiest hens.

Until then, well, that's in God's hands. I currently have three showing signs of Ocular Marek's and one rooster that presented yesterday with a foot swollen double, hot and painful (no bumble foot) after limping on it for two days. He's always been an 'unthrifty' rooster. Not pretty, skinny, ragged feathered, rather dumb, okay, he's an idiot, but just a funny sweet boy, just 15 months old. I've pulled his tail feathers out of the fire twice, once to parasites and once to a throat infection. Now, with what is certainly Marek's festering in him (Breast muscle wasting frequent infections) along with the infected joint, he looks like he doesn't have much fight left in him this time. I'm hoping to buy him a little more time though. He's guzzling down his Terramycin laced water and gobbling down scrambled eggs and oatmeal. Nothing wrong with this boy's appetite. In fact the whole flock is on Terramycin right now just to cover them from whatever bug is plaguing 'Buddy'. With Marek's you just can never be too careful.

I think that is what I hate the most about Marek's disease. It's like fighting a war. The enemy, Marek's, advances, you rally the troops and push it back, retaking lost ground, but with every resurgence, every counter-resurgence, you loose a little bit of ground and it gains.

I keep hoping to hear the sound of a bugle blaring "CHARGE!" and see the Calvary storming over the hill behind me, swords drawn.

Until it does, guess I'll just have to keep pushing back a little harder.

 

[moomoodiddy]

Can the vaccine be purchased at feed stores?