MJ's little flock

[RoyalChick]

I was tagged in a PM inviting a re-write of the member interview I did five minutes, I mean, a few years ago. It gave me the opportunity to view this photo of the first three hens to ever call the backyard 'home'.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/attachments/screen-shot-2020-11-20-at-8-08-21-am-png.2418307/

The hen on the left is Dora and to me, it looks like she has a Marek's eye. What do you think? Have I lost the plot and started seeing Marek's everywhere or do you think it's likely she had it?

I don’t see it but I am only on my phone.

 

[BDutch]

Tax: Tassels trying to hatch ice cubes. Yes, she is sitting in a block of ice that I was using to try and break her broodiness. We are well into the 4th week (second week mainly in a broody jail) but she is stubborn!

This is more than stubborn behaviour. It’s absolutely uttermost insane.

My Black is/was broody too. She was sleeping in a nestbox last night after dark. Grabbed her and put her on a roost. Today I took the eggs and Black out the nestbox twice. Et voila. This evening she went to roost with her flockmates.
The second time Katrientje, Kraai and Black were all 3 in one nestbox with 2 fresh eggs.

 

[RoyalChick]

This is more than stubborn behaviour. It’s absolutely uttermost insane.

My Black is/was broody too. She was sleeping in a nestbox last night after dark. Grabbed her and put her on a roost. Today I took the eggs and Black out the nestbox twice. Et voila. This evening she went to roost with her flockmates.
The second time Katrientje, Kraai and Black were all 3 in nestbox.

I tried to explain to Tassels about how some hens just need a little encouragement to stop being broody.
She muttered something and ignored me. I think she said ‘slackers!’
I am on my trip. My chicken sitter took her out to stretch her legs and bathe. She was out about 30 mins and then went to the nest. Chicken sitter took her off and back to jail.
She is eating when woken out of her trance.
She sure is nuts!

 

[MaryJanet]

MJ, I promised you info on cleaning after Marek’s.
In the US, Virkon S has a label that lists Marek’s disease virus as one of the viruses it kills. It is used as an agricultural cleaner. I am attaching a link to the label.
https://www3.epa.gov/pesticides/chem_search/ppls/039967-00137-20201022.pdf

Activated Oxine is also something that kills viruses and is used as a poultry house cleaner after AI infections. Its label doesn’t mention specific viruses but I think it kills everything. You activate it using citric acid which is innocuous enough but I believe its mechanism of action is chlorine so is a ‘kills all known’ sort of thing.
https://www3.epa.gov/pesticides/chem_search/ppls/009804-00001-20200409.pdf

Read the labels and instructions carefully. Both are used in poultry farming. I suspect though that the chickens should not be present while you use either of them and I also suspect they are gloves and basic mask type products. I may be being overly cautious - but these are both industrial strength cleaners.

Tax: Tassels trying to hatch ice cubes. Yes, she is sitting on a block of ice that I was using to try and break her broodiness. We are well into the 4th week (second week mainly in a broody jail) but she is stubborn! I am leaving on my trip now (takeoff any minute) so my chicken sitter will have to take her out to make sure she gets to run around and exercise each day.
View attachment 4097530

Thank you RC. I'm very grateful.

I'm still unsure of how the current situation will play out. I'm sure the wise decision is euthanasia but before taking that step, I'd like to confirm the Marek's status of the existing flock. I'll call around the various vets today.

 

[MaryJanet]

Oooh. I will try this when I get somewhere. Still doing airports right now.

It's only 100ish pieces. Shouldn't take long.

 

[MaryJanet]

I don’t see it but I am only on my phone.

It's a rather grey green eye.

 

[BY Bob]

Thank you RC. I'm very grateful.

I'm still unsure of how the current situation will play out. I'm sure the wise decision is euthanasia but before taking that step, I'd like to confirm the Marek's status of the existing flock. I'll call around the various vets today.

I would do this before euthanasia. I would need to be sure.

 

[MaryJanet]

I would do this before euthanasia. I would need to be sure.

I know. But you're not looking at the symptoms. Or thinking about putting the other four hens through it.

Pullet Australorp drops normal-ish poops now but her eyes are weeping badly and I'm not sure she can see.

Bernadette has neurological symptoms effecting her gait and ability to balance on the roost.

Pullet Brahma is pretty much pooping water. Hopefully that'll improve when the probiotics cease.

They couldn't be living a better life. All they can eat. All they can drink. Room to avoid each other. Dust bathing. Shade. Sunshine.

Yet the symptoms persist.

Is it right to decide "more testing" when things are not going well? Empathy in the form of ending their suffering has to come in at some point. And firsthand observations are essential in making that judgement call.

That said, I've made an appointment with Dr Jing at the new chicken vets because she's pro-testing and would know for sure if we can test for Marek's strains in Australia. The nurse said sometimes they send samples over to Perth, so maybe there's a lab over there. One positive outcome of that quick call was that the nurse confirmed my existing knowledge about the different strains and asymptomatic infections, and she confirmed my quarantine practices. So I'm very grateful to @RoyalChick for sharing her knowledge and to everyone else for chiming in.

The appointment is on Tuesday morning at 8.30.

 

[BDutch]

I think I missed a few updates. Do you have the results of Bernadette‘s Marek test? If Bernadette has Marek (hope not of course). I presume the other two pullets are infected too, and as you say they start to show some peculiar symptoms.


And now you are testing your hens, to be sure they were not infected too?

 

[MaryJanet]

I think I missed a few updates. Do you have the results of Bernadette‘s Marek test? If Bernadette has Marek (hope not of course). I presume the other two pullets are infected too, and as you say they start to show some peculiar symptoms.


And now you are testing your hens, to be sure they were not infected too?

That's right. But Bernadette hasn't been tested, her diagnosis was from symptoms. Dr Mark needed a split second to watch her gait and say "yes, that's Marek's." And I'm not taking a chicken along to the Tuesday morning appointment. The appointment is for conversation aimed at information-gathering.

Even if the pullets don't hold out much longer, if there is a test available in Australia, I would request it for the hens so I can be more informed about their well-being in the future.

Lastly, when a disease is as contagious as Marek's it's not very wise to continue backyard quarantine for very long, no matter how stringent. All it takes is a windy day to blow the dander over to the hens.

So it's important to resolve the questions about available tests as soon as possible, and that's Tuesday morning.