Mareks - the silent killer? I have never had such lack of luck!

[MizzCuckoo]

Hi - I've been reading BYC for a while now, and finally have joined. Thanks to so many of you who has spent your time to help educate the bigger chicken-loving community.

I had 13 chickens in Bozeman from a hatchery and didn't lose one.

Then I moved to Los Angeles (after I re-homed my initial flock since I couldn't cross the CA boarder with the girls). Last April ('12) we got 7 baby girls from a home-hatchery, and now I am (as of yesterday) down to 2, with one of those two despondent in a corner as of today. I had to reach out to you guys.

With the SLW we just euthanized yesterday, originally I had ruled out Marek's because she was (albeit only slighty) older than a year. However, over the past 5 days she became more unable to walk on her legs, and I noticed the greying of her irises. So we took her in to be euthanized because that apparently is a tell-tale sign. Now I am thinking the other girls before her might have passed from this....

The BIG heartbreaker and a half was Cuckoo, a Cuckoo Maran and my absolute pet. Two months ago I saw her with diarrhea, and so she started getting daily baths and electrolytes and probiotics. Then one day in the bath I noticed a dark pink fleshy hard nodule that was the size of a walnut protruding from her vent. We took her to the vet who treats chickens, and he hadn't a clue. So $150 later we had some ointment and would lube it up and stick the "walnut" back in after a bath. Then after some hand feeding of special treats she'd go back on her way after our time together (which it seems she liked!). No paralysis. Just sort of on slow-mo.

She then she stopped eating and I called the vet, he said to crop feed her. So I mixed up the best stuff possible and did it, with the help of my husband.

That night, after 9 days of daily baths etc, I heard her gasping for air. Loudly. It was quite horrible. I don't know if the crop feeding pushed her over the edge, but either way she was probably not going to make it. However, I wouldn't do it again (crop feeding).

The other chickens that passed were very young (6-9 weeks) and they were silkies (which I have a hunch are weaker as a breed in general), but they seemed to get paralysis - and one had a convulsion and died in my arms as I was trying to get water in her beak via an eye dropper.

Sounds like they were all exposed to Marek's, doesn't it?
I don't understand why ALL chickens aren't vaccinated for Marek's.

QUESTIONS:
1) I have two girls left - so they are at risk of developing symtoms, and clearly they are carriers. Is there anything I can do to prevent the disease from really manifesting (if too late)?
2) If I add any new chicks, clearly they will need to be vaccinated and kept separate for a good few weeks. But then they become carriers as well, right?
3) Possibly unrelated, but today, my despondent Welsummer laid an egg in the middle of the run (strange) and there was fluid around it. Then her poo was this huge watery gel + white paint + bit of brown. Maybe she has a broken egg maybe inside of her and she is uncomfortable, or she is manifesting her own Marek symptoms? She can walk just fine. I made her a breakfast of oatmeal, scrambled eggs,meal worms, and yogurt. She wasn't interested. I don't get it because yesterday she was so strong and vital.

Sorry for dumping so much into my intro.. I just really needed to put it out there because I've read all of the related posts here, yet I still feel a bit in the dark, and I must learn from this. I am a true animal lover, and so if I can do anything better, I've got to figure this out.

Thank you so much, in advance for your time, BYC Community!

 

[ten chicks]

The one chicken with the "walnut protruding"had a prolapsed vent. Could she have had a impacted crop? They will not eat if that was the case. Silkies,need a little more info on the paralysis,did they have runny poop,lethargic,fluffed feather,not eating? Did you consider cocci as the cause of death for silkies?

Your Welsummer is she showing any other symptoms? I don't think she could lay an egg is she was egg bound,but i could be wrong.

 

[MizzCuckoo]

Hi Ten Chicks, thanks for your thoughts and additional questions.
1) Walnut Protruding - you see, it was hard like a walnut, which is why we (including the vet) ruled out prolapsed vent. It was like a tumor, hence could have been marek's related.
2) Same chick (Cuckoo) didn't have impacted crop that i know of... there was no hard knot on her right side when I checked
3) Silkies - yes, treated them all for Cocci after the first one went down but it might have been too late to treat them as they kind of went in rapid fire
4) Welsummer is definitely showing other symtoms. First, how did her friend disappear one day, and then she's sick the next? I think maybe she's depressed. Also, she is pooping very liquidy poos - one was huge and had a big dollop of "white paint" in a lightly gel like clear substance. She sits in a corner most of the day, but she does get up to eat just a tiny bit here and there. I've been making sure she drinks water with electrolytes and probiotics by giving it to her with an eye dropper. She seems to eat a tiny bit of yogurt and then a few meal worms before she looses interest. When she is walking around for a few minutes every other hour, she is all puffed up. Hasn't laid an egg in a few days now.
Hope this helps! And thank you for helping me crack the code here.
Jen

 

[MizzCuckoo]

UPDATE: I've been reading up a storm on one HUGE forum that Nambroth posted on her rooster with Marek's.
The BEST thing I found in there was a link someone posted that summed up Marek's - so I am posting here in case anyone comes along this string.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/mareks-virus-the-most-frequently-asked-questions

I am happy to report that Stinky (my very showy Welsummer) rebounded. I thought FOR SURE she was going to be the 6th of the 7 little indians to fall, but YAY for now we are on day 2 of her back in action! It was 4 days with tail down and weird poops so I got water/ probiotics/electrolytes into her with eye dropper and massaged her crop just in case. I tried making her special meals but the only thing she really picked at was dried meal worms. She liked to just sit in a corner most of the day.... I thought for sure she has some internal tumors wreaking havoc from Marek's.

Well, maybe the two left are resistent. And thanks to you all I know to build a separate area for new chicks, and get them vaccinated and keep sep for a good few weeks.
Also, I know to keep a closed flock.