I just heard back from the vet - my chicken has Mercks. What I wonder now is what do I do with the rest of the flock? The other three chickens have been exposed so I am wondering what I should do. Here are the options I know of thus far: 1) Wash and scrub everything on a regular basis! Use a bleach-water solution on the soil and watch them closely. 2) Cull the flock. Other information: the chickens are in a temporary coop while I build them one that is more sturdy. Will putting chickens in this permanent coop contaminate it for future flocks? Thank you, thank you for any help.
Well, I would just wait and see what happens. Marek's is everywhere even without obviously infected birds being in contact with the ground, etc. Some bird are more resistant than others; its possible that the rest of your flock will be hardy enough to withstand the disease. If any more do fall ill, though, I would cull all of your birds. Disinfect the area well, or re-locate the coop. Making sure you only get vaccinated chicks is another possibility.
Thank you @BantamLover21 for your suggestions. My chickens were bought from a place that advertizes chicks with Mercks vacations...I am hopeful that my other hens will be okay. I moved their temporary coop to a new location and thoroughly hosed down the old location. I will be watching my chickens carefully and will make a point of cleaning their roosting box on a near daily basis. Hopefully with heightened precautionary measures they will be okay. Warmly, eBird
