Mareks?

[tripletfeb]

Thank, @tripletfeb for the tag and @Eggsandbeyond, I am so sorry that you are having to deal with this. Rest assured you aren't alone. It is a club nobody wants to belong to but a lot do.

It's late here so for now I'm going to invite you to read my article on my experiences with Marek's Disease from the POV of a flock owner who was (and still is) in the same place you are in right now. You can find it here:

https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...-i-learned-to-deal-with-mareks-disease.76944/

I have had three forms of the disease in my flock, visceral (causes tumors) Ocular (causes blindness) and Neurological (causes seizures and leg paralysis) The trifecta of MD. The only form I haven't seen is the cutaneous form that causes skin tumors....oh lordie I just jinxed myself. Anyway, I'll check back in tomorrow and try to catch up on the posts.

For the time being, hang in there. You didn't cause this to happen. It is just the luck of the draw. Now you just need to take a deep breath, regroup and figure out how to carry on in spite of your suspicions.

Hey, @tripletfeb, how is Peggy doing?

Thanks for asking about Peggy! She seems much better, eating and drinking on her own. She lays in the nesting boxes at night so I've been moving her to her cage. Then letting her out again in the morning. Keeping me on my toes. I won't cull her when she seems better. But she hasn't laid an egg for quite a few days, don't know if she will again

 

[microchick]

Thanks for asking about Peggy! She seems much better, eating and drinking on her own. She lays in the nesting boxes at night so I've been moving her to her cage. Then letting her out again in the morning. Keeping me on my toes. I won't cull her when she seems better. But she hasn't laid an egg for quite a few days, don't know if she will again

I think that is pretty typical for Marek's hens. Mine either stopped laying or only laid an occasional egg for me.

I have two old girls who have developed 'water belly' that I am keeping an eye on. Like you I won't cull as long as they are eating and acting like they are still enjoying life. One thing I have noticed in my hens is they seem to have a slightly shorter life span than normal. I wonder if that is due to the fact that the flock is Marek's positive. My oldest rooster is about 7 years old now and doing well even though he survived the initial purge from MD that I experienced. He and a 6 year old rooster that I have are definitely Marek's carriers thanks to that but it makes me happy that Indiana and O2 are survivors.

What I wonder now is if hens are resistant, does the stress of shifting hormones and laying in the presence of Marek's shorten their life spans.

 

[Eggsandbeyond]

Test came back positive for mareks and ALV.
I am going to test 2 others of my original flock, because I have 2 more tests. And hope like he'll that maybe by a miracle I isolated soon enough and they do not have it. The thought of putting them down is making me sick to my stomach

 

[microchick]

Test came back positive for mareks and ALV.
I am going to test 2 others of my original flock, because I have 2 more tests. And hope like he'll that maybe by a miracle I isolated soon enough and they do not have it. The thought of putting them down is making me sick to my stomach

I'm so sorry to hear that. Sounds as though you are dealing with a double whammy. Bad enough MD but ALV also?

You know of course that your other birds are more than likely going to show positive for MD. It will be hard for them not to. But like I said, hang in there and don't give up.

 

[Eggsandbeyond]

I'm so sorry to hear that. Sounds as though you are dealing with a double whammy. Bad enough MD but ALV also?

You know of course that your other birds are more than likely going to show positive for MD. It will be hard for them not to. But like I said, hang in there and don't give up.

Yes, I wonder if maybe somehow my original flock of birds are carriers and transmitted it to these guys. But more likely these 2 got it from where I had gotten them from as younglings. Everyone else seems fine, when would they typically start to show symptoms if they are going to? Or does it really just depend?

 

[Eggsandbeyond]

Yes, I wonder if maybe somehow my original flock of birds are carriers and transmitted it to these guys. But more likely these 2 got it from where I had gotten them from as younglings. Everyone else seems fine, when would they typically start to show symptoms if they are going to? Or does it really just depend?

Is it pointless to even test the others just save the money and assume they're all positive and will eventually most silly exhibit symptoms?

 

[Eggsandbeyond]

Is it pointless to even test the others just save the money and assume they're all positive and will eventually most silly exhibit symptoms?

Will*

 

[2ndTink]

I am so sorry @Eggsandbeyond @microchick is right, hang in there.

I think "it depends" really fits, there's a chance your older birds won't show Mareks symptoms, there's a chance they will fight it off, there's a chance they will get it but not show it and may or may not have a shorter lifespan. It depends on how virulent your strain is.

I may have told you already, I tested 5 birds, and 3 came back negative for MD and only the 2 silkies tested positive. I know a lady who had ALV in her flock, she found that her flock didn't get the ALV if they were exposed after I think it was 16 weeks old. This is her experience, but if the chicks you bought came with ALV, from that information, your older birds may be ok. I don't want to give you false hope, but I also don't want to leave you devastated either.

My opinion on the testing, do it if it will help settle your mind on what you need to do.

If your birds are vaccinated for Mareks, maybe those two pullets weren't?

 

[Barnette]

I'm so sorry about your ordeal. This is hard

 

[Eggsandbeyond]

I am so sorry @Eggsandbeyond @microchick is right, hang in there.

I think "it depends" really fits, there's a chance your older birds won't show Mareks symptoms, there's a chance they will fight it off, there's a chance they will get it but not show it and may or may not have a shorter lifespan. It depends on how virulent your strain is.

I may have told you already, I tested 5 birds, and 3 came back negative for MD and only the 2 silkies tested positive. I know a lady who had ALV in her flock, she found that her flock didn't get the ALV if they were exposed after I think it was 16 weeks old. This is her experience, but if the chicks you bought came with ALV, from that information, your older birds may be ok. I don't want to give you false hope, but I also don't want to leave you devastated either.

My opinion on the testing, do it if it will help settle your mind on what you need to do.

If your birds are vaccinated for Mareks, maybe those two pullets weren't?

I have 3 baby silkies in the brooder in the house, and they are pretty close to going outside and starting the integration process. But I am terrified of dooming them. However, these 2 sick amerecaunas also spend the night in the house. A different room, but on the same floor in the house. So I do think testing will help settle that anxiety on welcoming them outside. I will feel oh so guilty if I bring them out and integrate as usual and then they get symptoms and suffer from this. Maybe if by any chance the big girls are negative I could sleep better starting that process. Do you have any knowledge to share on ALV? I also have a younger flock that I hatched (no vaccine) they started the integration process with my main flock but they are brutal so it's short supervised periods. I was thinking of testing one of them and one of the main girls. Do you have separate flocks for the positive and negatives or are they all together and just did not get it? I have a barn they all live in but a separate small coop outside for the younger ones. I was told these 2 were vaccinated, but I don't fully believe them. Those 3 little silkies I just mentioned are from the same person. This is long already so bare with me.
I got 4 from her at 3 weeks old, 2 passed away days after getting them and I assumed it was coccidiosis because I lost a hen from my original flock to it shortly after. But now I am rethinking maybe it was either mareks or alv. They were fine one day and then lethargic and passed within a few days. She got them from a hatchery and I got them at 3 weeks old. I hope that all makes sense my kids are chatting with me as I type this.