Mareks or?

[mandapanda85]

I posted in the what am i section and general consensus is he is a white rock and possibly has mareks. Ive read up on mareks and aside from the leg issues he shows no other symptoms and none of my flock is showing any symptoms at all, theyre laying regularly and its business as usual. Someone suggested i try posting here to see if someone might have some insight. Tia

The guy who sold us our chickens from Craigslist sold us this guy as an I dunno except it's a hen. So we named it sandra d and well turns out sandra is a him. We've no idea what kind he is but he has come up lame on us. It started as a weak leg and has progressed to both legs and he won't stand at all. His legs are now splayed and his toes are starting to curl. We've made him a sling and brought him into the garage for some pampering. We've read on the forums of things it could maybe possibly be so we've started trying different things. A week ago we started him on pedialyte, a few days later we bought durvet vitamins and electrolytes and durvet durastart bc we read a vitamin deficiency could cause his symptoms. We were at a family event today and many are chicken owners and my cousin had a chicken with similar symptoms and she said she gave hers dewormer which fixed the problem so we bought some wazine today. The thing that worries us now is they also said some white chickens are meat chickens and meant to be slaughtered at 6 mos (sandra was born Oct 23 uh oh) because they get too large for their legs to support them. Sandra is eating, drinking and pooping like a champ (no bloody or loose stool). Sandra quickly became my favorite even though she turned out to be a he because of his personality. He responds to his name and is super docile, he follows me through the yard and when eating out of our hand he doesn't peck the crap out of us like the others he's very gentle. Everyone keeps telling us to stop wasting our money and just make soup but I wouldn't eat my dog so how do they expect me to eat my sandra? Any advice on his injury or breed would be greatly appreciated. Sandra is 4lb 4oz and 5 mos old, he's been hurt now for just over a month.

 

[Eggcessive]

I am not qn expert on meat birds, but Sandra does not look like a meat bird. While Mareks may be his problem in the long run, you won't be able to tell it from a vitamin deficiency or an injury until he dies, and you have a necropsy done. They test feather shafts and any tumors found to diagnose it. But for now, I would use vitamins in his water, or give him 3 ml of Poultry Cell vitamins a day. Human BComplex crushed into a small treat such as egg or yogurt would also do for now. If he would happen to have Mareks, and hopefully not, the whole flock has been exposed by the same source through poultry dust and dander. Mareks can cause paralysis in one or both legs, wings, and sometimes the neck, skin or organ tumors, and sometimes eye changes and blindness. Some chickens are naturally immune to it, some not, and vaccinated birds can survive even though they are carriers if they have been in a flock with Mareks. That is how it can be spread by birds bought on Craigslist, unfortunately. Keep us updated on how he is doing.

 

[mandapanda85]

Thank you for responding. Were just baffled because other than the leg weakness he is otherwise healthy and since hes being pampered and getting specials treats he's getting quite plump. He can move his legs so its not complete paralysis theyre just weak. Hopefully the vitamin supplements he is on will start to help.

 

[mandapanda85]

Also when we put his feet in our hands we can feel him pushing back and try to stand they just cannot support his weight.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

I am not qn expert on meat birds, but Sandra does not look like a meat bird. While Mareks may be his problem in the long run, you won't be able to tell it from a vitamin deficiency or an injury until he dies, and you have a necropsy done. They test feather shafts and any tumors found to diagnose it. But for now, I would use vitamins in his water, or give him 3 ml of Poultry Cell vitamins a day. Human BComplex crushed into a small treat such as egg or yogurt would also do for now. If he would happen to have Mareks, and hopefully not, the whole flock has been exposed by the same source through poultry dust and dander. Mareks can cause paralysis in one or both legs, wings, and sometimes the neck, skin or organ tumors, and sometimes eye changes and blindness. Some chickens are naturally immune to it, some not, and vaccinated birds can survive even though they are carriers if they have been in a flock with Mareks. That is how it can be spread by birds bought on Craigslist, unfortunately. Keep us updated on how he is doing.

He looks like a White Rock to me. I agree with @Eggcessive there's no way to know for sure if it's Marek's or not without a necropsy. So for now the best you can do is try to see if he recovers with supportive care. She has given you very good information on vitamin therapy.

Here's a very good article on Marek's - it's long, but packed full of useful information.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/the-great-big-giant-mareks-disease-faq

 

[5Day]

First, I must say that Sandra is cute. Broiler chickens are bred to put on a lot of weight really fast, so they can be slaughtered without a lot of feed expense. If you are planning to keep him around, I think the vitamins are a good idea in any case, and don't over feed him.

Meat birds typically are really heavy at about 7-9 lbs when they are two months old. So, he's not heavy enough to be a broiler, although he looks like one.
Good luck with Sandra. I hope you find a way to help him.

 

[mandapanda85]

First, I must say that Sandra is cute. Broiler chickens are bred to put on a lot of weight really fast, so they can be slaughtered without a lot of feed expense.  If you are planning to keep him around, I think the vitamins are a good idea in any case, and don't over feed him.  
 
Meat birds typically are really heavy at about 7-9 lbs when they are two months old.  So, he's not heavy enough to be a broiler, although he looks like one.
Good luck with Sandra. I hope you find a way to help him. 

Thanks, hes not our prettiest chicken but hes my favorite because of his personality. He actually reminds me of a dog lol

 

[Eggcessive]

He looks like he enjoys all of the attention from the family. It's good that he has caring people to helping him. He might benefit from a chicken sling for part of the day, which would get him upright near his food and water, and keep him cleaner. Since his legs are still responsive, I would do some range of motion excercises when holding him, to gently keep his muscles and joints working. Minerals can also be important for leg health. Poultry vitamins don't always contain trace minerals. Some don't contain riboflavin (such as NutriDrench) which along with thiamine and others are good for legs. Keep us updated on how he is doing. White rocks are such pretty birds.

 

[mandapanda85]

He's currently in a sling 24/7 that keeps him on his feet but not all of his weight, but it has a perch under it so he can stand up higher if he chooses.

 

[Eggcessive]

That looks very nice. Here is another sling or two that someone made and has put the food and water right within reach.