Mereks? What do I do?

[JacinLarkwell]

Hello I'm sorry for your bad experience with Marek's. In the future you might try never vaccinate your chickens for them to be safe.

The vaccine doesn't make them sick

 

[Kenya Mwangi]

Hello @JacinLarkwell

Hello That's correct. What happens is a baby chicken gets vaccinated, but it doesn't work good enough to stop the chicken from getting Mareks. So when the vaccinated chicken gets Mareks, the chicken might not die, but it sheds so much dangerous disease to unvaccinated chickens that they die. It's a sad thing. That's why cackle hatchery says don't buy vaccinated chikens if you never experienced Mareks on your property. Because the vaccine doesn't work good enough anymore.

 

[JacinLarkwell]

Hello @JacinLarkwell

Hello That's correct. What happens is a baby chicken gets vaccinated, but it doesn't work good enough to stop the chicken from getting Mareks. So when the vaccinated chicken gets Mareks, the chicken might not die, but it sheds so much dangerous disease to unvaccinated chickens that they die. It's a sad thing. That's why cackle hatchery says don't buy vaccinated chikens if you never experienced Mareks on your property. Because the vaccine doesn't work good enough anymore.

I know how it works, I have vaccinated and unvaccinated birds. I have mareks in my flock as well from buying chicks from a poor source. But buying vaccinated chicks from a safe hatchery is no more risky than buying unvaccinated chicks from the same hatchery. The post you made quoting me makes it sound as if you are saying that bringing in vaccinated chicks is never safe.

 

[Kenya Mwangi]

I know how it works, I have vaccinated and unvaccinated birds. I have mareks in my flock as well from buying chicks from a poor source. But buying vaccinated chicks from a safe hatchery is no more risky than buying unvaccinated chicks from the same hatchery. The post you made quoting me makes it sound as if you are saying that bringing in vaccinated chicks is never safe.

Hello I'm sorry. But I do believe bringing in chicks vaccinated for Mareks is never safe. I think we believe two different ideas. I think that is okay. I didn't mean to hurt you feelings from me quoting you.

 

[Debbie292d]

That is a question we all have different answers to. Some keep them and just know that they cannot leave their property and that they can't restart the flock, some go scorched earth and try to eradicate the disease as quickly as possible to start again. Some switch to waterfowl because they do not have that worry.

I have done a combination. I am keeping a handful of chickens, and culling the rest, as well as any that show the symptoms. I am moving to waterfowl instead.

There are also chickens that are resistant to Marek's, with Fayoumis being the most resistant. It's just a thought. I'd probably turn to waterfowl myself though.

 

[Florida Bullfrog]

Let it burn through like a wild fire. See if you’re left with any birds that never show symptoms up through 2 years old. Cull all birds that ever showed symptoms. Breed the survivors that never had symptoms. Repeat if necessary with the next generation.

 

[Florida Bullfrog]

I went from 75-100 birds down to 24, then back up to 125 thereabouts by generally only breeding birds that never showed symptoms. Took about 2 years to let it cull all the birds prone to get it and test the ones that seemed to not react to it. It had been present for a while before I realized what it was. It killed at a fever pitch last year. Then everything left standing reproduced this spring and the flock acts like its never had an issue.

 

[Kenya Mwangi]

I went from 75-100 birds down to 24, then back up to 125 thereabouts by generally only breeding birds that never showed symptoms. Took about 2 years to let it cull all the birds prone to get it and test the ones that seemed to not react to it. It had been present for a while before I realized what it was. It killed a fever pitch last year. Then everything left standing reproduced this spring and the flock acts like its never had an issue.

Hello This is just a question, but after experiencing mareks, do you believe there is a prophylaxis that works against mareks that isn't widely known?

 

[Florida Bullfrog]

Hello This is just a question, but after experiencing mareks, do you believe there is a prophylaxis that works against mareks that isn't widely known?

I suspect a percentage of birds within a flock have genetically inspired resistance against it that is reenforced when they become the breeders in the flock. Natural selection, in other words, sorts it out. Natural selection has been removed from the equation in hatcheries where many generations of birds have likely never been exposed. Hatcheries are breeding birds that would have been weeded out of the gene pool 150 years ago on the farm.

I have produced Marek’s resistant birds from parents that died from it, but sometimes it takes literally 100 chicks to make 1 that doesn’t seem affected by it from a rooster that was prone to it. While breeding chickens that seem immune as tested by time makes lots of chicks that appear to be immune (or resistant or whatever the appropriate term is for being asymptomatic long-term).

 

[Debbie292d]

That's why cackle hatchery says don't buy vaccinated chikens if you never experienced Mareks on your property. Because the vaccine doesn't work good enough anymore.

I don't see where Cackle Hatchery is saying that as it's not here:
https://blog.cacklehatchery.com/should-you-vaccinate-your-chickens-against-mareks-disease/

or here: https://www.cacklehatchery.com/vaccination-policy/#:~:text=Cackle Hatchery® charges a,chicks to be vaccinated times .