Marek's is back...

[CT Coop]

I first experienced Marek's in 2015. I was doing a friend a favor, because he was moving and needed a home for his 5 hens. I took them and separated from my flock for 3 weeks. 2 BRs were 1 yr old and 3 Silkies were 4 months old. I quickly learned that 1 of the Silkies was blind, but did not know anything about Marek's at the time. I had heard of it, but never experienced it in the 10 years I'd been raising chickens. I also had 80 new chicks and a flock of 20 adults. Well, 1 of the other Silkies soon went lame....followed shortly by lots of other chicks. It was devastating. Almost the entire young flock succumbed to the disease. I started getting vaccinated birds the following year. We moved in 2016 and continued vaccinating until this year. We weren't going to let hens go broody, but a few were insistent, so I let them sit on 3 eggs each. Well, I gambled and lost. One of the 4 1/2 mo. old pullets is now showing symptoms of Marek's. 1 leg is now paralyzed (see photo), however, she is getting around fine and is not being picked up. I massage that leg twice a day in hopes that it might break up the tumor or something. She gets up to the roost in the evening and I protect her every morning and evening while she's eating, so someone else doesn't grab her food. I read on this site that L-Lysine might help, so I have started her on that, but could not find a lot of detail, but I needed to try something. I have 2 pullets and a roo that hatched with her, but no symptoms. I know I have Marek's in my flock and that won't change, so why cull her if she is doing well. I have another hen who is sitting on 9 eggs, so I have ordered vaccine for that hatch. Of course, I will have to totally clean the coop she is in and not let her out after I vaccinate them for 10 days. Is there anything else I can do to insure the new hatches don't get it? Of course, I will not let broodies hatch in the future without vaccinating. I actually ordered extra so I can keep it in the fridge for the springtime and saved on shipping. Thank you in advance for any advice!

 

[Lady of McCamley]

Okay, I'm going to go a different track here, and possibly assuage your fears. Please do not misconstrue anything I say below with criticism to what you are doing. I don't think you can do anything more than you are...other than perhaps relax and simply breed for sustainability and Marek's natural immunity.

Marek's is EVERY where. You can pretty much guarantee every bird in America has been exposed to it.

The vaccine only covers the few most common strains. Plus it is a "leaky" vaccine. That means the birds still contract it. The vaccine simply slows tumor growth. Many in the industry fear that the vaccine is creating a "super" Marek's, leaving only the less common and more virulent strains. Many in industry now do not vaccinate but simply breed for immunity, using those birds who have known exposure but show no symptoms over life. Some birds simply have a natural immunity to Marek's. (Be aware, when you move, they may be exposed to a different strain).

I had suspicions of Marek's a few times in my flock with wasting deaths, but nothing was ever clear or conclusive. Then, one year I bought another Silkie for brooding. (Silkies are notorious for being vulnerable to Marek's). Within 4 months of being on my place, she developed the classic Marek's symptoms, lame limp, wind drop, and eventually died. She may have brought it in with her (?) or she picked up something her (but nobody else had shown THAT clear type of Marek symptoms). She had just brooded a valuable new batch of Cream Legbar-Barnvelder chicks! I had only 2 hatch, a boy and girl. Oh no! There went my breeding program, I feared.

I closed my flock (no birds coming in or out), and simply watched. Not one of those chicks ever showed symptoms. Nobody else ever showed symptoms. I bred from that Cream Legbar hen with my Barnvelder rooster, who never showed symptoms.

Spin forward now for about 3? (at least 2 years), and I have not had illness or death in the last 2 years. I did have one older hen get wry neck and succumb to something, but it was inconclusive.

So Marek's is NOT the end all. Vaccinations may help....or not. Breeding resistance into the flock through natural selection can create a strong, healthy, Marek's resistant flock.

So, vaccine if you feel that best. But don't fret. I suggest looking to the long term. You lose some, but you breed from the strong survivors. Keep your flock closed (to avoid bringing in further contamination or from passing contamination to others). Then wait for several years. You may be as pleasantly surprised as I am.

LofMc

 

[CT Coop]

THANK YOU! This helped tremendously! I raised heritage turkeys for 10 years which developed Blackhead early on. 6 heritage turkeys had just showed up at my house and decided to stay, so the learning curve was steep for this city girl. 4H project gone wrong? No idea where they came from. Several recovered and I was able to develop a strong flock and didn't experience it for the last 6 years (even though they continued to stay with my chickens), so I know exactly what you mean. So, I love the idea of breeding for immunity, but was beginning to feel that Marek's could not be overcome. Thankfully I have 5 more young ones of various ages, so I will watch them closely and hope they have strong immunity. I will vaccinate this brood (they are cream legbars!), and keep a closed flock. And just wait and watch. Thank you again for taking the time to reply to my long post and for the detail you provided!

 

[Lady of McCamley]

The turkeys were a GOOD thing. While chickens can tolerate the histamonas protozoa that causes blackhead in turkeys, turkeys tolerate a turkey version of Marek's virus which is actually used to help chickens gain chicken Marek's immunity.

Old Timers used to raise turkeys with chickens just for that purpose.

So you are already on your way to breeding for natural immunity as well as Turkey power.

My first few years were spent with Turkeys and chickens too. I think it truly does help.

LofMc

 

[Lady of McCamley]

Oh...and my Cream Legbars have been fine even though thoroughly exposed to the Silkie that year....except for raccoons. My CL's didn't fare so well with raccoons. Raccoons cleaned me out of most my CL's. Raccoons don't mind Marek's at all either. :/

LofMc