Needing advice re possible Mareks

[Eggcessive]

With the recent odd eggs, it sounds like she may have a reproductive disorder. Sometimes those affect the balance and ability to walk. Hopefully, it is not Mareks.

 

[Katejc]

With the recent odd eggs, it sounds like she may have a reproductive disorder. Sometimes those affect the balance and ability to walk. Hopefully, it is not Mareks.

After this pointy egg she laid a giant double yolker and has been laying regular eggs consistently so it looks like she just had a bad few days reproduction wise. She seems very healthy but still isn’t roosting. We built a little roost for her about 8 inches off the ground but she isn’t using it and if I put her on it she is unable to stay on it.

 

[Katejc]

Well today another giant double yolker. The last one came after not laying for a few days but she has been laying consistently. Today she is very anxious about something and she is also becoming quite aggressive with my little silkie pullet. I’ve been bringing her in the house to hangout to give them each some space.

 

[RoostersAreAwesome]

Does anyone know if I can rule out Mareks at this point purely from the fact that this has been going on too long without any decline? I think the eye thing showed up early Jan and the balance started in December sometime? I did some roost practice with her again and she did a bit better on the back of a padded chair but still not great and she goes on her hocks to eat but she doesn't stumble anymore. I want to rule out Mareks but I am not sure if its a lengthy decline or a short one and I cant find too much information on that particular aspect of the disease.

It's hard to be sure about Marek's unless you do tests. Even then, some of the tests can be inaccurate. From what I've read, chickens can show symptoms of Marek's and recover, though they still may have balance issues.

 

[Katejc]

Could the unsteadiness be due to vision issues as opposed to onset paralysis? Almost looks like a cataract... Is this in both eyes, or just one? Maybe see if you can check for vision loss. I think some have observed how well they are able to pick out feed from the ground and this may be a good start. Paralysis can be ruled out by seeing if she reacts to you pinching her toes while she is actively having symptoms.

It could be. Its just one eye. Not sure if its her close or far sighted one. She seems totally fine apart from these 2 things. The eye has just put Mareks in my brain and the unsteadiness isn’t helping...

 

[ErnieBerley]

I purchased 4 silkie babies from craigslist and all of them had Marek's I found out. generally you see paralysis in like the wing hanging down or they lose balance . All of my silkie babes had the paralysis and ended up dying or being culled. unfortunately

 

[Katejc]

I purchased 4 silkie babies from craigslist and all of them had Marek's I found out. generally you see paralysis in like the wing hanging down or they lose balance . All of my silkie babes had the paralysis and ended up dying or being culled. unfortunately

Thank you for the information, and sorry for your loss she doesn’t do anything strange with her wing but she stumbles here and there. If I pick her up and set her down she goes right down on her haunches every single time. Like she doesn’t bear weight on her legs when being put down. But she stands and walks just fine? She even scratches the top of her head while standing on one leg!

 

[ThracianHorse]

If this is mareks the only thing that will tell for sure is having a freshly deceased or culled bird sent for necropsy. Comparing symptoms and looking up everything you can on the internet is no replacement for certified testing, and you'll get a clear answer. A number of the symptoms of mareks can be caused by other things. If it is mareks, diet supplementing probably isn't going to do much - haven't seen any scientific literature to support that idea at all. If she is getting better on diet supplements, it's likely mareks isn't the culprit and it's time to be looking at other factors.

 

[Katejc]

If this is mareks the only thing that will tell for sure is having a freshly deceased or culled bird sent for necropsy. Comparing symptoms and looking up everything you can on the internet is no replacement for certified testing, and you'll get a clear answer. A number of the symptoms of mareks can be caused by other things. If it is mareks, diet supplementing probably isn't going to do much - haven't seen any scientific literature to support that idea at all. If she is getting better on diet supplements, it's likely mareks isn't the culprit and it's time to be looking at other factors.

Yes I am diet supplementing to rule Mareks out. I am hoping for a vitamin deficiency and a coincidental eye injury. Watching and treating her as if she has a vitamin deficiency is about the only thing I can do.

 

[Katejc]

A chicken can remain asymptomatic while the virus replicates itself - up to something like 5 months. The only reason to send her off to the lab is too find out what it is if it's not Mareks. Long before you cull her or she dies she has been shedding the virus exposing the entire flock.

Mareks like AI is a community disease. When one is diagnosed with it, it's a safe assumption that all the members have been exposed to it.

What is AI? As far as the flock goes, there isn't much I can do. I have 4 to be integrated but they are in such close proximity to each other that they have been exposed too. So far everyone is totally healthy.