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

[Haunted55]

are you using Tylan for mareks?

No. Nothing will cure Marek's, unfortunately. You can give antibiotics for support as well as vitamins that help the immune and nerve systems in the body, but that's about it I'm afraid. Another thing I personally use is FloraGen 3. It is a human probiotic and it has billions of the live cultures of 3 different probiotics in one capsule. Immunity starts in the guts. Human, animal, doesn't matter. My thoughts are this, no it isn't going to get rid of Marek's, way too late for that...but what it can do is keep things working right so a secondary infection or disease doesn't step in and finish off the poor bird. I've had many a poor bird die from the secondary things.

 

[Haunted55]

Knocking on wood for you.

I'm not going to be able to keep them separated that long. 6 weeks at most. Really worried about the bio security with hubby trekking back and forth past the coop all day, and the kiddos in and out.

Lysol, find your favorite fragrance and spray their shoes. Also, lime the ground where they have to walk.

 

[Haunted55]

My Mcmurray birds are remarkably unaffected thus far from the suspected mareks. I got 16 in Feb. and brooded them indoors. They didn't go to the coop with the big girls until 3 months old due to the cold night temps. And then another month on their side seperated for their safety before I mearged them all. I had no rooster then, but the 3 teenagers. They have been the healthiest birds I've had in 3 years of chicken keeping. I was going to try My Pet chicken this spring, as they have true Americauna now and I really want blue eggs. But now, unless they use the exact vaccines as McMurray,I'll have to give up my blue layers. Especially at $20 a chick. I wanted to get Cream Legbar but have since read they and Silkies are especially prone to mareks. I know McMurray vacinated birds work in my flock. I have not lost one and they are now 7 months old. Geez, I hope I don't regret typing this.

My experience as well. I will say though, that even vaccinated, some of these birds are showing poor feathering on their backs and I got my order on the 5th or 6th of May. Most are coming along fine but a few...not quite as well. Also they seem a bit behind on the laying part as well. I have had one pullet egg just the other day. Time will tell.

I ordered Silkies from McMurray this year and had them vaccinated as well. McMurray now does them and mine are doing awesome! Another thing to think about...you could order your 'Ameraucanas' from McMurray. I ordered some from them as I already have the full blooded ones so wanted to try something with the breeding end of things. A couple of them are EEs, no question, a couple look just like my true Ameraucanas and a couple look like and act like the Auraucanas [sp?]. The last two are nuts! As in flighty and a real pain in the butt. One of them decided to fly up 7' and start stripping the insulation off of the walls. Still, I know when she does start laying I will be getting the blue eggs I love so much. Just a thought...You can breed the EEs to go back to the Ameraucana traits they carry inside them. More than that though, if you want a flock that has natural immunities, add in some Dark Cornish and start hatching your own. My DCs survived the Marek's outbreak here last year. I lost one, but not to Marek's. All of the others were alive until i processed the extra roos a couple of weeks ago. there is something in their make up that keeps them safe.

 

[hogster160]

You can use most of the antibiotics with the Corid. I haven't found any indication not to as the Corid isn't an antibiotic, it is a thiamine inhibitor. Different actions in the body.

Seminole have you tried giving a bit of asprin? It almost sounds like a pain issue. Look, we both know that when it comes to this, there's not a lot that can be done. Maybe some of the Farmer's Friend feed if she'll take it? I had one I took that feed, mixed it with dropped egg and fed. the bird was also getting the Super B Complex in it's water and I also syringed some down the throat. Right now, the bird is up and moving and seems to be holding her own. For how long is anybodies guess. I really think that the vitamin C in the complex has something to do with how well the stuff works. You probably already know that birds synthesize vitamin C. What if, with the Marek's they can't do that or do it as well as they need to? I haven't found anything to answer this so it's just guess work and study of my own. Regular B Complex doesn't have the C and for me, just doesn't cut it very well. Don't know...just trying to catch up here and throw out some of my thoughts.

I also noticed that my chicken didn't do as well on the normal vit B complex. It wasn't until I got the Super B Complex that I saw a difference in her. She still gets it, however, I have started cutting her back. I add it every other day now, same dose tho. She is the same at this point. So I may go for a little bit yet and cut her back to 3/4 of a pill every other day and see if there is any change.

 

[Haunted55]

I also noticed that my chicken didn't do as well on the normal vit B complex. It wasn't until I got the Super B Complex that I saw a difference in her. She still gets it, however, I have started cutting her back. I add it every other day now, same dose tho. She is the same at this point. So I may go for a little bit yet and cut her back to 3/4 of a pill every other day and see if there is any change.

Hogster, sometimes we have to 'play' a bit to see what works. I have had to give the Super B in the water as well as syringe some down their throats. It's a pain but sometimes it works and turns around for them. Sometimes it's an ongoing thing. I don't have all the answers by a long shot, wish I did! Trust me, I'd share. I hate this disease in ways most could never imagine. Just like it's human cancer counterpart, it steals the best from us and takes away dreams and time. Still, I truly believe if we keep on, keeping on, we will get some of it back. Look at me...losing the roo from Control Group #2. With talking with the person at Texas A&M, it doesn't matter if I put them with the first group. It will still work! That is the important part. The trick is going to be finding the 2nd groups eggs from the 1st's. When that is done I can move forward again. Maybe this isn't a set back at all. think about this for a moment. The first groups roo is proven as a survivor and in his abilities to father. The ones from the second group came from him and his girls. They have some of his survival, whatever you want to call them, encoded into their DNA and using him to breed more young will only strengthen those traits. Or should, let's be honest, things can go so very wrong quickly. but for argument's sake, let's assume all goes well...now you have a brood that is doubly strong? They have a double dose of his immunities and those of their surviving mothers. Keep in mind...not one of these birds has been vaccinated for anything. They are surviving on their own without any intervention, yet new birds, even the vaccinated last year died. I am a believer in the breeding. I am seeing it here and I 'know' that the Dark Cornish make up has something to do with it. I urge you to try and introduce that breed into your flock. They are half wild and when young can be a real pain to have, but they carry something inside them that is well worth any efforts needed to raise them.

 

[schnebbles]

I am using 3/4t in a quart. They have been on it now for nearly 3 weeks with a few days break. I did 7 days, then 2-3 days off then am at almost 14 days now again. I still hear conjestion in their nose.

I'm super down about this.

I felt her foot this morning and while one foot grips like normal, the other foot is just flimsy as if it just isn't working at all. Her limp isn't as bad as Pennys, she gets around better, doesn't fall forward, but I may have just caught this one sooner.

I forgot the b's in their water. I better mix new water for today.

 

[CeeJ]

We

My experience as well.  I will say though, that even vaccinated, some of these birds are showing poor feathering on their backs and I got my order on the 5th or 6th of May.  Most are coming along fine but a few...not quite as well.  Also they seem a bit behind on the laying part as well.  I have had one pullet egg just the other day.  Time will tell.

I ordered Silkies from McMurray this year and had them vaccinated as well.  McMurray now does them and mine are doing awesome!  Another thing to think about...you could order your 'Ameraucanas' from McMurray.  I ordered some from them as I already have the full blooded ones so wanted to try something with the breeding end of things.  A couple of them are EEs, no question, a couple look just like my true Ameraucanas and a couple look like and act like the Auraucanas [sp?].  The last two are nuts!  As in flighty and a real pain in the butt.  One of them decided to fly up 7' and start stripping the insulation off of the walls.  Still, I know when she does start laying I will be getting the blue eggs I love so much.  Just a thought...You can breed the EEs to go back to the Ameraucana traits they carry inside them.  More than that though, if you want a flock that has natural immunities, add in some Dark Cornish and start hatching your own.  My DCs survived the Marek's outbreak here last year.  I lost one, but not to Marek's.  All of the others were alive until i processed the extra roos a couple of weeks ago.  there is something in their make up that keeps them safe.

well I hope you have better luck with the blue eggs from McMurray than I did. I got 13 of their 'Americauna' hoping for a couple blue. Nope, all 13 lay green, though 2 are a bit darker- not olive. When I went back and retead their site info, it actually says they lay green. And when you search by egg color, blue is not a choice. Some older reviewers said they got a couple of blue layers. Go figure. I have enough EE's, so don't think I'll try any more.

 

[Haunted55]

We
well I hope you have better luck with the blue eggs from McMurray than I did. I got 13 of their 'Americauna' hoping for a couple blue. Nope, all 13 lay green, though 2 are a bit darker- not olive. When I went back and retead their site info, it actually says they lay green. And when you search by egg color, blue is not a choice. Some older reviewers said they got a couple of blue layers. Go figure. I have enough EE's, so don't think I'll try any more.

I haven't gotten any from the new ones yet, as in their first eggs, but my girls last year gave me true blue, pink, ivory and almost a robin's egg blue color.


Really, it's not a myth. These eggs are from girls who are over 2 years old now and just coming out of molt so the color isn't as good as it gets. The others are from some of my other girls and obviously not blue or even Ameraucana. The darker brown are from an Australorp and the lighter are from my Dark Cornish girls.

 

[salt and pepper]

Ok.... Hmmmmm, Other than Baytril, which is the best that I posted??

 

[schnebbles]

this came from Seminolewind's mareks page in her sig -

"Transmission Marek’s is highly contagious and spreads by bird-to-bird contact, by contact with infected dust and dander, and by darkling beetles and mealworms that live in the chicken house, although the virus has no affect on the beetles or mealworms."

does this mean I could have given my chickens mareks by feeding mealworms? I got a starter kit of worms/beetles online and raise my own now.