Mareks??

[chickengeorgeto]

Hi everyone. I have an ex batt girl called Lavender.... Lady I got her from is well experienced in mass rescues and provides vet care to all her hens. She wouldn’t give me a sick girl and certainly not a contagious girl. I trust her.... When I got Lavender, the pupils in her eyes were odd shaped. I talked about Mareks with the lady and she said no...

I'm pretty sure the pupil is indicative of ocular Marek's. I am not aware of anything else that causes irregular pupils. Unfortunately, loss of motor control is also a sign of Marek's....

I am curious if any money changed hands as a result of this rescue?
The reason I asked is because one well known humane origination was recently busted for buying dogs from a "puppy mill" and then these same pooches are given away free to tender hearted people FOR A FEE AS RESCUE DOGS. But perish the thought that they would ever stoop to selling a K9.

https://www.bing.com/images/search?...08012826041517650&selectedIndex=13&ajaxhist=0

 

[drumstick diva]

anything to make a buck

 

[chickengeorgeto]

anything to make a buck

​

I guess that whether you sell or giveaway a rescue dog or a rescue chicken is in the eye of your banker!

 

[micstrachan]

I’m sorry. I’m not sure why someone would say that does not look like Ocular Marek’s. The first screen shot is taken from Poultry DVM and the second is taken from the Merck Vet manual. @rebrascora, care to weigh in?

 

[rebrascora]

I agree that it could be Marek's and probably is but I don't think we can say definitively.

I would be concerned if this bird has not laid any eggs, if you have had her for several months. Production birds are particularly prone to reproductive disorders once they are over 2 years old. I appreciate that you don't care about her not being productive but her not laying eggs (unless she is 8+ yrs old) may well indicate that there is something amiss internally, particularly if her comb has been plump and red during the time that you have owned her. Yes, moving home might knock her off lay for a week of two when you first got her and of course you are in the southern hemisphere so just coming out of winter when she will have stopped laying to moult but if she doesn't start laying this spring then I would suspect she has other issues. I would feel her abdomen by cupping your hand between her legs from behind to check for any abdominal swelling or fullness between her legs or below her vent and compare with other healthy chickens to get an idea of what is normal. Birds with abdominal swelling will often have soiled butt feathers, so that is something else to look out for. I would also assess her body condition score by feeling her breast bone to see how prominent it is and maybe start weighing her weekly to monitor her body weight. Marek's is a wasting disease, so they can start to get thin even when they eat well. She may also start to struggle to find food if her sight in that eye is declining or she has perhaps gone blind in it altogether or maybe has depth perception problems with it which I have seen occur with Marek's birds. All can affect their ability to ick up food in their beak despite looking like they are eating normally.
On the other hand, a reproductive disorder can cause them to get heavier as a result of egg material building up inside them, so a regular weigh in can help to draw your attention to a possible problem.
Can you post a photo of her whole body so that we can see a more overall picture as sometimes that can help pinpoint where a problem may lie.

 

[FlyingNunFarm]

This hen had everyone (including me) freaking out about Marek’s. She had an eye like that for at least a month before she passed. I could not get her tested but sent blood from other birds in the flock in for testing. All came back negative for Marek’s.

I’m not saying it’s not a possibility. I’m not saying that even if it isn’t Marek’s now it won’t be in the future.
Please do some research and see about getting a blood test done. With my recent experience I found that the “tried and true” necropsy method of identifying Mareks isn’t all its cracked up to be. The PCR blood test is a yes or no.

I agree with @rebrascora that age and other factors should be looked into. Internal laying or other reproductive issues could cause her end even more rapidly.

 

[micstrachan]

View attachment 1586122 This hen had everyone (including me) freaking out about Marek’s. She had an eye like that for at least a month before she passed. I could not get her tested but sent blood from other birds in the flock in for testing. All came back negative for Marek’s.

I’m not saying it’s not a possibility. I’m not saying that even if it isn’t Marek’s now it won’t be in the future.
Please do some research and see about getting a blood test done. With my recent experience I found that the “tried and true” necropsy method of identifying Mareks isn’t all its cracked up to be. The PCR blood test is a yes or no.

I agree with @rebrascora that age and other factors should be looked into. Internal laying or other reproductive issues could cause her end even more rapidly.

Wow! Fascinating!

 

[micstrachan]

I agree that it could be Marek's and probably is but I don't think we can say definitively.

I would be concerned if this bird has not laid any eggs, if you have had her for several months. Production birds are particularly prone to reproductive disorders once they are over 2 years old. I appreciate that you don't care about her not being productive but her not laying eggs (unless she is 8+ yrs old) may well indicate that there is something amiss internally, particularly if her comb has been plump and red during the time that you have owned her. Yes, moving home might knock her off lay for a week of two when you first got her and of course you are in the southern hemisphere so just coming out of winter when she will have stopped laying to moult but if she doesn't start laying this spring then I would suspect she has other issues. I would feel her abdomen by cupping your hand between her legs from behind to check for any abdominal swelling or fullness between her legs or below her vent and compare with other healthy chickens to get an idea of what is normal. Birds with abdominal swelling will often have soiled butt feathers, so that is something else to look out for. I would also assess her body condition score by feeling her breast bone to see how prominent it is and maybe start weighing her weekly to monitor her body weight. Marek's is a wasting disease, so they can start to get thin even when they eat well. She may also start to struggle to find food if her sight in that eye is declining or she has perhaps gone blind in it altogether or maybe has depth perception problems with it which I have seen occur with Marek's birds. All can affect their ability to ick up food in their beak despite looking like they are eating normally.
On the other hand, a reproductive disorder can cause them to get heavier as a result of egg material building up inside them, so a regular weigh in can help to draw your attention to a possible problem.
Can you post a photo of her whole body so that we can see a more overall picture as sometimes that can help pinpoint where a problem may lie.

Thanks for weighing in. I’m sorry; I didn’t mean to indicate that it was definitely Marek’s, just that we should not dismiss the idea.

 

[DotandDave]

I am curious if any money changed hands as a result of this rescue?
The reason I asked is because one well known humane origination was recently busted for buying dogs from a "puppy mill" and then these same pooches are given away free to tender hearted people FOR A FEE AS RESCUE DOGS. But perish the thought that they would ever stoop to selling a K9.

https://www.bing.com/images/search?view=detailV2&ccid=tqkAgHr0&id=9D884C84667A834B8D097430E538A0211F6D1B74&thid=OIP.tqkAgHr0ZLuRTw****F9hgHaEo&mediaurl=https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/64/Ocular_Marek%27s_disease.jpg&exph=401&expw=640&q=pictures+of+chicken+eyes+merick+disease&simid=608012826041517650&selectedIndex=13&ajaxhist=0

Hi no, no $$ changed hands. This lady is doing her best to just get the hens out and into good homes. There’s only a few homes she trusts, mines one of them. But there are plenty of ppl who make a fortune at the misfortune of these poor animals. It’s good to be cautious about these things.

I go to her farm regularly - is really nice for the animals there. She does a great job.