meriks

[grama bailey]

several months ago i purchased a dozen turkins and six polish from an out of state farm and now i am fighting meriks. they seem okay and then they get weak and become paralyzed and within twenty four hours they are dead. i have not cut any open to see if they have tumors but the symptoms match meriks. what to i do? i have read that there is an inocculation for baby chicks but it wont work on adult poultry

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

Mareks doesn't usually kill that quickly, it takes weeks, that sounds more like botulism, most likely from moldy feed, so check their environment and clean up spilled food and keep it dry.

 

[grama bailey]

why is it just the turkins and polish that are dying. didnt read the brochure completely when ordered and later found they were not vacinated at hatching. what else could it be? all the chickens, ducks and turkeys eat the same with the exception that turkeys have hanging feeders with turkey food for protein.

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

Some fungal infections can cause walking problems too, I would still check out your coop and run, looking for any spoiled food or moldy bedding, I would check the food to see if it's old or has an off smell and see if anyone is having any respiratory problems.

Mareks usually shows up around 5 months when you notice a bird is sitting with one leg forward and can't walk, they slowly become more paralyzed until they die, usually a few weeks. I don't vaccinate either, chicks straight from a hatchery shouldn't have Mareks, they pick it up in your environment. Turkeys can get Mareks, but a different strain, which theycan pass to the chickens, which don't get sick but it can cause them to have immunity to the tumors. So kinds like a vaccine.