I know there are many links about marek's. I have read most of them and still have my questions I will start off with a little story... many of you will remember Tuffy.. she had scabs from an unknown source... https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=364659 Now I have Chicken little my NN about 10 weeks old ..Chicken little is her name https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=393617 https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=393850 I have come to the conclusion that they both have/had Marek's Disease. Tuffy had Cutaneous form (skin form): Enlarged reddened feather follicles and white bumps on the skin that form brown crusty scabs. and little chicken has Neural (nerve form): Progressive leg or wing paralysis - a typical leg-paralysis victim will have one leg extended forward and one leg extended back. A swelling of the sciatic nerve is the cause.. Other possible symptoms: Twisted neck, weight loss, labored breathing, eye lesions, vision impairment, diarrhea, starvation and death due to an inability to reach feed and water and to trampling by other chickens. My question is now what? Obviously I have now exposed the rest of my flock to this horrible disease. My flock is now a closed flock and has been since Tuffy became ill. Do I have to cull my entire flock? or Do I sit and wait and cross my fingers that no one else becomes ill is there any hope for recovery for Chicken Little who is still holding on? and my last question (and I feel silly for asking) Can this be transmitted to humans? since the illness in airborne
I don't believe it can be transmitted to humans. Isolate and vaccinate any future additions to your flock. I have a Mareks survivor... I didn't vaccinate that hatch... he tip toes everywhere. I call him Tiny Tim. He has perfect coloring or I would have culled him. Now to see if he can figure out how to dance with his disability.
