Marek's incubation

[leadwolf1]

You may never get another one that shows symptoms or, it can take up to 4 months for someone to show signs. You really need to find out if it is Marek's you are dealing with. If it is, it will change the way you raise and handle your chickens forever.

 

[downsm75]

Friday morning I heard a THUD in the coop, I thought it may be my rooster, but it may have neen her trying to roost. She hasnt slept on tje roost since last week. Her chest looks swollen on the left side.

 

[downsm75]

It's also like she's lost her voice

 

[leadwolf1]

Marek's can cause paralysis in many nerves. My roosters stop crowing once they are symptomatic.

So, she may have injured her leg in a fall. Bring her in and make her comfy. Maybe a little baby aspirin in a cup of water. Follow the vitamin therapy and see what happens. She may just be injured.

 

[downsm75]

I brought her in when I found her Saturday am. I have ducks and I was afraid they'd trample her... I wonder if they may have before I found her..

 

[leadwolf1]

Could be. Let's start simple and treat for an injury first.

 

[downsm75]

Ok

 

[downsm75]

Check out my Welsummer acting funny video is she doing that....if it were not for leadwolf1 and seminolewind and speckledhen I would be at a total loss too..they have been an excellent asset to BYC

she can't even stand that good. She sleeps constantly. Falls asleep while eating too.

 

[downsm75]

She acts like she can't control her wings or head now... She is going to the vet tomorrow

 

[seminolewind]

I would suggest that you make a mash with crumbles, water and yogurt. She will greedily gobble it up. She will obtain all the moisture she needs from the mash and you won't have to worry about getting water into her. One thing I have noticed repeatedly with Marek's is that the chicken stops drinking. The mash really helps them.

I would also start with this vitamin protocol:

.5mls poly vi sol, without iron, daily
400 ius vitamin E twice daily.

This will help boost your pullet and it will also rule out any vitamin deficiency she might have. Keep her in a quiet place where she can rest. Is there any posibility that she was injured? Dilated pupils is not necessarily a symptom of Marek's...it can be a sign of pain and injury. As a matter of fact, out of the 40+ chickens lost to Marek's, only one had strange looking pupils.

I've had a few with the odd eyes. One cloudy. A few with a non dilated pupils, and the last one had misshapen pupil. Like Leadwolf, I don't think it's as frequent as other signs.

There is no quarantine for Marek's. Vaccinated or not, if they have been exposed, they can live perfectly normal while passing it around.

Best is to live like you have it and hatch your own or buy day old hatchery chicks that are vaccinated or vaccinate your hatched; then quarantine those for 4-8 weeks or more.