Mereks

[amydanielle147]

Okay so I don't even know where to start. My friend hatched me some eggs in early fall of last year, I tried to go the organic rout and sure enough, my flock got mereks

We are doing another hatch set to hatch starting next Monday and continuing for 2 weeks. So I have 2 questions for those of you with experience in this field. First: what do you use to vaccinate chicks, Second: how do I rid my pen of the disease? We want as much coverage and protection from disease as possible but we would like to have 1 or 2 vaccines that cover it all so we don't have to inject their poor tiny little chick bodies too much. As far as the pen I plan to buy new feeders and waterers, take out all the boxes and roosting poles and heavily bleach and re paint them, dig the pen down about 2 feet and fill it with fresh DG, and then bleach all the walls. But I've heard bleach doesn't kill mereks, is there anything that does kill it that I can use? Is there anything else I can do to sanitize it? Thank you!

UPDATE:
Okay so we got our narcropsy back and it turns out they don't have mereks! They actually have a parasite called heterakis, however I still have a problem. These chickens aren't vaccinated and the new chicks will be, since the new ones will be vaccinated will they be okay with the non vaccinated chickens or should I not pen them together? (Yes I know how to integrate chicks so that's not an issue) I have a friend with chickens, would I be better off giving him my current non vaccinated chickens and just starting over with a whole new flock like I was planning to originally? I have no clue what to do

 

[0wen]

Active Oxine, Virkon, & Odoban are some of the disinfectants people have used to clean up after Mareks. I've never used them so can't offer testimony to any of them.

I did lose a flock to Marek's about 3 years ago - locally bought chickens that were too old to vaccinate. I left the plot vacant of chickens since then and have since brought new soil in on top of the area. I currently have my new coop built on that same site, but I vaccinate everything now (or ordered vaccinated birds).

There is a lot of discussion about 'natural' methods of raising chickens and breeding for immunity that I'm personally not a big believer in. It can be done maybe, but most of the arguments I've heard from immunity breeders is that basically 'marek's is everywhere, my flock is alive, they must have immunity" and I'm not certain of the soundness of that argument. Personal thoughts - not so much a 'my way is the only way' rant...

Anyway - I would, and I do - vaccinate every bird that comes on my property against Marek's. They don't need to be 'day old' chicks - they just need not to have been exposed to a strain of the disease. I have 2 day old chicks in my basement presently awaiting their vaccinations (when an order of bantams arrive this week that will also be vaccinated upon arrival).

Food for thought - a somewhat relevant thread with advice from a Professor of Biosecurity & Infection Control at Virginia Tech (link)

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

I had a few Mareks birds in the past, some swap meet birds and some farm store birds developed it. We culled any they showed symptoms. It was limited to a few birds and we haven't seen it since.

I don't vaccinate, I'm one of those who believe it's everywhere, it can blow in on the wind as it's shed in the feather dander. You can't disinfect the ground.

We keep turkeys which I have read can give immunity to chickens because they carry a lesser strain.

Not all chickens who come in contact with the Mareks virus will become symptomatic. Some birds can and do develop immunity.

Either vaccinate or don't, you aren't suppose to mix them. Hatcheries will vaccinate chicks and only do it once.

There's a thought that vaccinating birds for it will cause the disease to exist longer than it should, because vaccinated birds will continue to shed the virus but not come down with it for a much longer duration of time, and unvaccinated bird will die from it or build immunity and fight it off, both ways will eliminate it.

Keep a virus alive in a vaccinated bird and strains never die out and can create super strains. I prefer to cull for it and keep a flock that is resistant to it.

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

http://www.pbs.org/newshour/updates/tthis-chicken-vaccine-makes-virus-dangerous/

 

[Almost Heaven]

I'm glad I found this thread I am getting ready to buy a few more day old chicks to add to my flock. The place I'm getting them from offers a vaccine for them for 1 dollar a bird. I think it is a good deal but not sure if it is needed

 

[amydanielle147]

I'm glad I found this thread I am getting ready to buy a few more day old chicks to add to my flock. The place I'm getting them from offers a vaccine for them for 1 dollar a bird. I think it is a good deal but not sure if it is needed

If your chickens you have are vaccinated I would say yes vaccinate the chicks. $1 per bird is typically what they charge. Mereks is terrible I lost my last hen a couple weeks ago. It's such a hard thing to watch, not worth the risk. I hatched eggs and vaccinated them myself, all are doing great and I'm so excited to finally have healthy chickens. If you get vaccinated chicks though, DO NOT GET MEDICATED FEED! This is how even my vaccinated chicks from the last flock managed to get it, the medicated feed counteracted the vaccine. I wish feed stores had told me this.

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

It is a personal decision. I don't vaccinate. I keep a flock of birds that is always rotating, others keep chickens, with names and attachment to. I think it seems to fall into these two categories whether you want to try to protect them as individual birds or whether you want a healthy robust flock and are willing to cull those weak or sick.

 

[Almost Heaven]

I'm not sure if my birds now have had the vaccine they are feed store birds however I did order my new ones today with it

 

[sdm111]

Yes you can disinfectant the ground

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

If your chickens you have are vaccinated I would say yes vaccinate the chicks. $1 per bird is typically what they charge. Mereks is terrible I lost my last hen a couple weeks ago. It's such a hard thing to watch, not worth the risk. I hatched eggs and vaccinated them myself, all are doing great and I'm so excited to finally have healthy chickens. If you get vaccinated chicks though, DO NOT GET MEDICATED FEED! This is how even my vaccinated chicks from the last flock managed to get it, the medicated feed counteracted the vaccine. I wish feed stores had told me this.

Medicated feed is for cocidiosis not Mareks, so it would have no bearing on it. If your chicks are vaccinated for cocidiosis than don't feed medicated feed.