Marek's? Not Marek's? Help!

[melusine]

Hey- new to this forum though I have been reading it for a while!! I need HELP.

Yesterday I noticed one of my seven week old pullets didnt seem to be standing at all- just flopping around and losing her balance when she did stand. She lays on her side with both feet just sort of sticking out under her- not the one foreward and one back thing Ive seen described. I got 12 mixed pullets from the feed store 7 weeks ago- I have a flock of 15 free range birds now only a yr old from Mc Murrays. They were vaccinated. Now I just started looking into what might be wrong with her and found Marek's Disease info. I went back out and noticed another chick of the same breed has one goofy eye. Not Grey, just the pupil is shaped funny- I hadnt noticed before. It seems to respond only partially to light.

Ive got both separated from the other birds and giving them vitamins and electrolytes. They are both eating, drinking , and pooping normally. The one with the funny eye seems to be panting a bit. Any advice or insight? Could the eye just be an eye deformity?

Thanks for any info... forum wont let me post pix yet but I uploaded some. Will post later.

 

[melusine]

Ok Here is the photo of the eye in question:

and here is the other 'normal' eye:

 

[luvchicks8]

Remove her I had this happen to me last year I was told mold did it BUT I lost 7 birds the same way in 1 months time. Good luck I hope everthing works out for you

 

[LarryPQ]

Marek's does not always present in the eyes. It can show up in three forms: as lesions in the eye, throat, and brain. The brain is the bad one...lesions in the brain cause the paralysis, seizures, flopping, and other various forms of retardation.

If your birds have Marek's, you need to seperate them from the unvaccinated birds immediately. If they are showing the neurological symptoms, they will probably die--but not necessarily. I saw a flock with a terrible case of Mareks'--and none of them died--but it was awful. They were extreme special needs: if they had been people, they would have been considered brain-dead. Eventually they had to be put down.

The unvaccinated chickens who don't die will still be carriers. Any new birds you bring into the flock will need to be vaccinated and quarantined. This includes any hatched chicks, as the disease is transmitted through dander, and can remain present in the soil for over a year.

Good luck!

 

[melusine]

So you think the lame one has marek's? And the goofy eye one too? Did yours have an eye like this one? Did all 7 have the same symptoms? Im wondering if I should give her some time to try to recover in the box I have her in in the laundry room. Ive never had sick chickens before- I have so may questions... thanks for the post.

 

[LarryPQ]

They will not all have the same symptoms. Even if they all had lesions on the brain, the lesions would be on different portions of the brain, and cause different reactions.

ie- blindness, seizures, paralysis, weird honking sounds, gasping, running motions, random flapping, etc.

 

[melusine]

I just wish I could feel more certain whether it's Marek's or not.

 

[LarryPQ]

Unfortunately, you'll have to get a necropsy done to be sure.

Better to Girl-Scout it. Prepare for the worst, hope for the best.

 

[ilovebuffs]

I've had to deal with my fair share of Marek's early on in our chicken hobby. It is not fun. I now vaccinate all the chicks that we hatch out. The one that is laying on her side with legs straight out, sounds like Mareks...I'm sorry

. But the chicken with the odd eye...is totally fine

. I have a RIR that has an eye shaped just like yours. She is about a year old now, she lays eggs just like everyone else, just with an odd eye. I don't know if this will help any, but I hope you figure out what to do. Good luck!

 

[melusine]

THANK YOU!!! Im so happy to hear that the eye is ok! That is a huge relief! Ill keep an eye on the other girl and see what happens. Thanks again!