Mareks or Something Else?

[MaithePotatoFly]

Hello everyone,

Last spring I had two chicks contract Mareks, and I believe they likely shipped with the disease. I bought a new batch of chicks after I cleaned the whole coop and kept them seperate from remaining flock until they were about 7-8 weeks.

Now those younger hens are about coming up on a year and we’ve had no problems until about a week ago when I noticed my Easter egger was a little skinny and stopped laying. She was off and on laying since she was still young, and at the bottom of the chain so I didn’t think much of it until I noticed she was having a hard time balancing and her tail was often drooped down.

She is still pecking and eating, but I noticed she’s relying on her wings for balance. No Mareks pose, no bumps or eye changes. I can’t few any lodged eggs and from what I see her poop is also normal.

Can she still contract Mareks this late? Or is it more likely to be a vitamin deficiency? I’ve started giving her scrambled eggs with vitamins, but I’m not sure what else I can do.

I’ve included a picture of her stance below

Thank you.

 

[MaithePotatoFly]

You know actually I’m not sure now She just had watery yellow poo as well.

Are chickens likely to die from Mareks at this age?

 

[nuthatched]

That's the general 'I'm not feeling well 'pose, what's her diet like

 

[MaithePotatoFly]

That's the general 'I'm not feeling well 'pose, what's her diet like

She eats the purina flock feed for ducks and chickens since we have a mixed flock, then they also get any table scraps (that are chicken safe, of course), and I will mix in oyster shell, meal worms, garlic, and other additives. I also try to mix vitamins into their water.

 

[nuthatched]

She eats the purina flock feed for ducks and chickens since we have a mixed flock, then they also get any table scraps (that are chicken safe, of course), and I will mix in oyster shell, meal worms, garlic, and other additives. I also try to mix vitamins into their water.

For general flock health, don't mix things into their feed, it leads to unbalanced diet. Oyster shell can just be thrown in the run or in pan. Don't add garlic, it's toxic to them.
Do the poops looks like egg?

 

[MaithePotatoFly]

For general flock health, don't mix things into their feed, it leads to unbalanced diet. Oyster shell can just be thrown in the run or in pan. Don't add garlic, it's toxic to them.
Do the poops looks like egg?

Oh my that’s good to know! My neighbor gave us a bunch of her supplies when she stopped raising them and had a whole treat mix layed out. I will stop giving them that.

The poop was very watery and yellow tinted, although I don’t think it looks yolky. I am really hoping it’s not EYP becuase we don’t have any vets who treat birds near us to prescribe antibiotics

 

[nuthatched]

Oh my that’s good to know! My neighbor gave us a bunch of her supplies when she stopped raising them and had a whole treat mix layed out. I will stop giving them that.

The poop was very watery and yellow tinted, although I don’t think it looks yolky. I am really hoping it’s not EYP becuase we don’t have any vets who treat birds near us to prescribe antibiotics

She's a little young for eyp, especially since she's not a production breed.

Is it bright yellow or pale yellow?

 

[MaithePotatoFly]

Thats reassuring. It’s a mustardy yellow color, very watery

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Now those younger hens are about coming up on a year and we’ve had no problems until about a week ago when I noticed my Easter egger was a little skinny and stopped laying. She was off and on laying since she was still young, and at the bottom of the chain so I didn’t think much of it until I noticed she was having a hard time balancing and her tail was often drooped down.

She is still pecking and eating, but I noticed she’s relying on her wings for balance. No Mareks pose, no bumps or eye changes.

Can she still contract Mareks this late? Or is it more likely to be a vitamin deficiency? I’ve started giving her scrambled eggs with vitamins, but I’m not sure what else I can do.

You know actually I’m not sure now She just had watery yellow poo as well.

The poop was very watery and yellow tinted, although I don’t think it looks yolky. I am really hoping it’s not EYP becuase we don’t have any vets who treat birds near us to prescribe antibiotics

Can you post photos of the poop?

It's very possible she has EYP or some other reproductive disorder. EYP (Coelomitis) is when Egg Yolk is deposited into the Coelom (main body cavity/abdomen) of the hen. Yolk is a rich medium for bacterial growth which in turn causes the body to have an inflammation response and attempt to surround or wall of the material. EYP can happen at just about any age, but especially during laying age, your girl is almost a year old.

It can be hard to know unless you lose her and have a necropsy performed.

If she's been off and on lay, then I'd give her 300mg Calcium Citrate+D3 now, then once daily for a week. See if she lays an egg or lash material.

Unfortunately Marek's disease can affect birds at just about any age over 8weeks of age.

Her stance is a stance most often seen in hens that have something reproductive or perhaps organ dysfunction. Yellow mustard droppings can indicate liver or reproductive issues. Has she ever been dewormed?

Work on hydration, get the calcium into her and see that she's eating o.k. I'd leave her with her flock if she's able to move able without being harassed and just go in and treat her as needed. While you tend to her, check for lice/mites.

An example of Calcium Citrate is below.