Not an Emergency...Marek's in the Flock

[seminolewind]

Okay, the plot thickens.....lol. I just got off the phone with a commercial hatchery and Texas A&M diagnostic labs. it would seem that the nodules, tumors, whatever are more consistent with an Aspergillous outbreak. I can also say that if you are selling birds or hatching eggs under the NPIP, as told to me by the hatchery owner, you do not have to test for this, at all. Hmmm, and we wonder again how these things get in our flocks? The thought being that it is everywhere already, so an introduction of it isn't going to matter as symptomatically it doesn't cause trouble. Okay....

Now testing for this now is impossible on the birds showing symptoms, but there is one person who has been in constant contact with them and that is me. Yes this is one that we can get and some of the symptoms I have been living with for months now make me wonder. I will be finding out Weds. what route my doctor will be taking to figure this out. Oh joy.

I had two Lady Goldian finches die from Aspergillous. They had no contact with other birds for 5 years. The female had seizures, the male had difficulty walking.

 

[seminolewind]

I have three survivors of nine, one of whom I think may be showing mild symptoms of Marek's. I got them when they were two months old from a small, local hatchery, supposedly vaccinated.

If so, 2 months old is plenty of time to catch Marek's. The bigger hatcheries have day old vaccinated chicks which would be the way to go, if it's Marek's

 

[seminolewind]

Warning, this is a rant. Do not read if you don't want to hear it.

Ever have one of those days where the troubles seem to start even before you open your eyes? that's how mine has been so far today. I woke to my dog moaning and groaning and her hunching her back as if she was having stomach problems. Checked her out and her stomach did seem a little hard, no fever, no vomitting. At 6 am on a Saturday, there isn't much you can do for phone calls so popped her into the truck and started driving to a Vet recommended by a family member, hoping they would see her if I brought her to them. Saw another neighbor about a mile down the road and asked her opinion about the Vet I was heading for, she said I'd better go home and call as they didn't do drop-ins. Wait until after 8 am and called, by this time the dog seems to be more comfortable, was told they couldn't see her as they were short staffed. Called the animal emergency hospital and was told they'd need a credit card to see the dog. Cash is no good? Yadda, yadda....now I have to wait until late this afternoon for someone with a credit card for her to be seen. by this time it's way beyond time to do the chores, get out there and start in and just keep moving. Until I get to the pen that had my Control Group #2 in it. There lying on the floor is the one rooster with these girls. I had just gotten rid of the other two when we processed the meaties. There goes my hopes of getting a third group. Could I get more eggs from my first group from Marek's survivors, probably. I usually have a 60% rooster hatch rate here. Do I even want to try? I don't know....I really just want to throw in the towel and have done with it all. Today is a bad, bad day and I won't make a decision today, but I am really at an extremely low point. It looks to me as if he and the roos in the pen next to him were fighting through the wire. No marks on him that I could find, but the position of him was such that it made me think he had flown at the wire between them. Was it Marek's the disease? Doubtful, nothing up to now has pointed in that direction. Inside mess ups because of it? Possibly. I just don't know and with everything else will not have a necropsy done.

Thinking of you, hope the days are getting better

 

[seminolewind]

I have a vaccinated hen that's 1.5 year old that is either wasting or having a heavy molt where they get thin. I hope it's the molt. I gave her some raisin bread today.

 

[Nambroth]

I had two Lady Goldian finches die from Aspergillous. They had no contact with other birds for 5 years. The female had seizures, the male had difficulty walking.

Yes-- birds are particularly prone to it, and some birds just tend to have a more sensitive respiratory system. It's present everywhere-- just like yeast and mold spores drift around in the air around us, even as I type. It's not contagious but as mentioned before sometimes if one bird has it really bad, this can be a generation factor for more spores than would ordinarily be in an area.
Asper really likes wet conditions. When these areas then dry, the spores become free and drift around and can be breathed in. In the parrot and small bird world, a large source of this is organic bedding material such as corn cob. It gets wet or overly soiled, and not changed immediately, and then produces a lot of spores. The amount of spores can overwhelm some birds even if they have a good immune system.

It's why I get so nervous when my chickens spill water in their coop.. if it gets in the litter or feed, I scoop it out immediately. Late winter when it gets soggy here is about the worst for my location, because the air seems to stay damp and the chickens track a lot of wet in with them.

 

[triton77]

What is the dosage for the super B complex? And how often can I give it?
Thanks

 

[seminolewind]

Quote: This summer has been hot humid and rains every afternoon. They used to spill their water all the time, so that's outside. And the feed is inside the coop.

Well, 2 of my chickens, Polish, are listless and not eating and thin. That sounds like the symptoms to everything, doesn't it? The roo has one eye closed. I have a Wyandotte that went thru an eye thing a few months ago, got better on sulfadimethoxine, so maybe it's some bug. The hen is vaccinated and the roo is an exposure survivor of Marek's and they are around 2 years old.

 

[Haunted55]

What is the dosage for the super B complex? And how often can I give it?
Thanks

I have given 1/2 half to a full pill depending on the severity of the issue. I would start with this dosage, 1/2 Super B Complex pill to 1 quart of water. do this for 3-4 days then switch it down to 1/4 pill to 1 qt.. As I said you can float the vitamin E on the top of the water or give it by mouth twice daily. I like the float as it provides a steady dosing of it and the Bs. The trick with the Bs and why I say add to the water, you need a steady dosing of this as it is a water soluble vitamin and doesn't stay in the body very long. With the case of Wry neck I had I used a regular poultry vitamin, Durvet Vitamins and Electrolytes as well as the added E and the half B Complex pill. After 6 days I was able to switch the bird to just the Super Bs in her water. All traces of Wry Neck were gone by the 5th day. As for the slenium, be careful. You need to know the soil levels where you live before just adding it to her treatment. You do not want to end up with a bird who is made worse by the 'cure'.
http://tin.er.usgs.gov/geochem/doc/averages/se/usa.html
http://eprints.nwisrl.ars.usda.gov/908/1/743.pdf
http://www.merckmanuals.com/vet/toxicology/selenium_toxicosis/overview_of_selenium_toxicosis.html

 

[triton77]

If they are not drinking their water can I syringe feed them the vitamins and water? Also do you think it would be ok if I did the vitamin water for my whole flock(3 healthy and 2 sick)?
Thanks for all the help!

 

[casportpony]

If they are not drinking their water can I syringe feed them the vitamins and water? Also do you think it would be ok if I did the vitamin water for my whole flock(3 healthy and 2 sick)?
Thanks for all the help!

Tube feeding is much safer.

-Kathy