Yesterday I noticed my 6 month old rooster walking funny and my heart sank. Now today he can’t walk. This is my fourth rooster this year that I’ve lost to what I have been assuming is mereks. They are fine and completely healthy one day and then lame in one or both legs the next. All of them were under a year old and none of my older chickens have been affected by it. The first 3 roosters who had it I bought as day olds from a hatchery I paid to have them vaccinated for mereks but I know that doesn’t mean much, the first ones were I think 5months old when they got it and they did not all get it at the same time. The first one got it I isolated him, lived unable to use his legs at all for around two weeks until I made the decision to put him out of his suffering. The next rooster got it maybe a week later and the same thing happened. I had to put him down as well. 5 months go by and another one of their rooster siblings goes lame in one leg but can still walk and he lives like that for a few weeks before I find him dead. That was a little over a month and a half ago. Out of the 5 chicks I got from the hatchery all 3 of the males got it but the 2 females are still alive and fine. That is what’s confusing me, why are the females that are the same age and were around the males who had it not being affected? And now my lone rooster chick who one of my hens hatched out has it. But I am still assuming it is mereks and there is probably nothing I can do to help him but I wanted to ask and make sure. The only symptom is lameness and runny poop, they all ate and drank fine and were completely healthy otherwise. Is there anything I can do? And if it is mereks is there anything I can do to prevent this from happening?
