Mareks

[Familyfarm898]

Hi,

We just started chickens this summer and obviously made a bad decision getting pullets from a local hatchery. One hen came with Mareks. We got through that, moved them into their coop, thought we were through it and had another one with leg paralysis. Moved her out ASAP. Thank God my dad is willing to be my go to for culling. Now I have another hen that seems to have a permanent kink in her neck. The ladder somehow fell the other evening and I’m not sure if she was injured in the incident or if this is another case of Mareks. Any thoughts?

I also have about 20 babies in a brooder in the barn. They have all been vaccinated. The plan was to have them share the coop with our existing birds until the 2nd mobile coop is finished. But, that scares me. Should I push my husband to build that coop ASAP, re-home thenm or proceed with the plan and hope for the best?

I really regret getting chickens from that original guy . . .

 

[azygous]

How unfortunate. Yes, it does sound like Marek's, but confirmation is best. You can do that with a necropsy on a dead chicken from an agricultural lab.

Since the consequences to your flock and future flocks are so serious, confirming Marek's is essential. The disease is so contagious and long lived in the soil that you absolutely need to know if Marek's is what you're dealing with.

As for the new chicks in the brooder, vaccination needs to develop antibodies over a few weeks to render the chicks resistant. So don't rush things. But the chicks should be okay after the vaccine has caused them to develop this resistance. That is, if Marek's and not another avian virus is at work here. Marek's isn't the only one to cause paralysis.