Marek's question

[luvchicks8]

At this point I ampretty sure my chicken is suffering from Mareks disease. Do I need to cull my entire flock? So far nobosy else has shown any signs. She eas in with 4 others birds in the large coop but ina seperate cage than the larger birds who she never came in comtact with. I understand though Marecks is airborn so her dander would have still been in the air.

 

[luvchicks8]

Anyone had to deal with this condition before? She is standing and eating right now. I gave her vitamin b and poly vi sol with antibiotics.

 

[Gallo del Cielo]

I have not dealt with this before, but I've been reading about it today (in the Merck Vet. Manual). Hopefully someone knowledgeable will answer soon.

 

[Cloverleaf Farm]

I haven't dealt with Mareks personally (knock on wood) but yes, it is everywhere in the environment, it is shed in dander, dander is easily airborne. Seperate her far away from the others, and scour your coop, top to bottom, bottom to top, and then do it again, with a viruscidal disinfectant. If you are certain that's what she has, cull her and have her necropsied to be 100% sure. If your other birds have never shown any symptoms, they may be resistant (are the vaccinated?) which is good. Know though that they have been exposed, and it's in your coop. Any new birds you bring in could catch it and die. PLEASE do not sell your birds to anyone else, even the resistant ones, as you will be passing the disease around to others. Good luck.

 

[gryeyes]

Marek's Disease is THE most common poultry disease in chickens. Apparently, we should all assume it's in our flocks, just not active. None of my chicks have ever been vaccinated against it. The hatchery from which my feed store gets chicks does not incubate them for the feed store, but has never had an outbreak.

I had a hen come down with Marek's symptoms, and I believe that's what she suffered from. I have had two sets of two chickens come from other flocks, but nothing came up in the last six, seven months of their inclusion in my flock. Matilda was 11 months old, a rather unusual age to develop Marek's - but not impossible.

When Matilda became lame, I immediately segregated her, mostly so she could eat and drink without difficulty, or being trampled or bothered by the other birds. Then her other leg became paralyzed as well, so she really needed to have food and water right next to her. She was inside, and started to get really depressed, so I bought a hutch and put her in it out on the porch for fresh air, and company - the rest of the flock came by to talk to her. She perked right up. I provided her with palliative and supportive care, plus some homeopathic treatment.

Some Marek's sufferers do recover, but of course they are confirmed carriers. All the literature I've read says one of the reasons why chicks and young birds need to be segregated from older birds in the flock is to ensure they are old enough and have developed enough resistance to Marek's.

Matilda didn't make it. But she had a comfortable month or so before she died; I just could not kill her myself. I did not have a necropsy performed. There are no other chickens in my flock with ANY symptoms, but of course I'm going to keep my eye open for anything untoward.

That's just my experience. I don't really have any advice to offer. But I do NOT think you need to cull your entire flock because of it. You should probably consider your flock closed, though, and not sell or give any of your chickens to anyone else with a flock, without full disclosure.

 

[luvchicks8]

Well I sent out a blood sample to my vet but it can take a week as he needs to send it out as he does not test for it at his office. She is standing and eating today better than yesterday when I found her stumbling.