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

[KAT Bird]

I culled Angelina today - she was doing poorly and the prognosis was not good.  I remember that she began highstepping a few weeks ago, perhaps that was the start of the neurological lesions that led to her pecking the air and missing the food.

No one else is showing any symptons of either mareks or the respiratory thing Angelina had going on.  I sure hope the goopy eyes and swollen face wasn't a contagious devasting disease like Mareks.

Sorry for your loss.

 

[KAT Bird]

Sweet Olivia has been in chicken hospice for awhile now and I decided this morning that she needed help. She used to answer me when I spoke to her or she saw me coming. Today she just opened her eye and looked at me. She looked tired. She tried to stand and was too weak. She lost her enthusiasm for treats. I took her to the vet and she went peacefully while I pet her fluffy head. She stood out from the start. As a chick she looked like a little owl, with her big cheek muffs. I started calling her Owl-ivia. She developed into a sweet and beautiful hen who laid big pink eggs. I will miss her fluffy face. I have a lot of guilt for not vaccinating my original flock. I just kept telling her I was sorry.

 

[ochochicas]

Sorry to hear of Olivia's passing. She let you know when the time had come so she wouldn't have to suffer. How lucky she was to have you to care for her.

 

[crazychickenhug]

Hi A friend gave me rooster he's about 2 mths old and he is not vaccinated for Mericks I bought 3 pullets last year from a breeder that were infected with mericks .I vaccinate all my chicks straight out of the incubator .Is it possible to vaccinate him now and keep him inside for the month that it takes to build up immunity with the vaccine?

 

[seminolewind]

Hi A friend gave me rooster he's about 2 mths old and he is not vaccinated for Mericks I bought 3 pullets last year from a breeder that were infected with mericks .I vaccinate all my chicks straight out of the incubator .Is it possible to vaccinate him now and keep him inside for the month that it takes to build up immunity with the vaccine?

It's too late for a vaccination if he's already exposed . I think the best chance he has is to keep him away from the others for a few months, the farther the better. This will give him a good chance to build resistance because he won't be bombarded with the virus.

 

[seminolewind]

Sorry to hear of Olivia's passing. She let you know when the time had come so she wouldn't have to suffer. How lucky she was to have you to care for her.

Very sorry!

 

[lalaland]

Katbird, I'm so sorry to hear about Olivia. Its a hard thing to do, but also the kindest thing.

 

[jgoldy2]

Sweet Olivia has been in chicken hospice for awhile now and I decided this morning that she needed help. She used to answer me when I spoke to her or she saw me coming. Today she just opened her eye and looked at me. She looked tired. She tried to stand and was too weak. She lost her enthusiasm for treats. I took her to the vet and she went peacefully while I pet her fluffy head. She stood out from the start. As a chick she looked like a little owl, with her big cheek muffs. I started calling her Owl-ivia. She developed into a sweet and beautiful hen who laid big pink eggs. I will miss her fluffy face. I have a lot of guilt for not vaccinating my original flock. I just kept telling her I was sorry.

Sorry about your loss, I am sure it was hard you did the right thing

 

[Tripp16]

Hi everyone, this is my first year dealing with this dreadful disease. I order 15 chicks from Meyer Hatchery, lost one at about 2 months old, didnt think much about it. When the flock got to be about 4 and 5 months old they started acted weird. I lost a rooster. Then a hen, then another rooster then another hen. Its so depressing and I am at a loss as to what to do except to cull and start over. I have a lot of birds that are not showing symptoms that are not with the flock that is infected. Its sad to watch them wither away and die.

The other unfortunate thing is I feel my business I once had is going down the drain. I bought these birds as breeders to sell chicks in the spring. But the more I read the more I hear not to sell to anyone or let my birds leave. I really just feel alone and lost in this nightmare I thought would never happen to me.

 

[ochochicas]

Did you send the birds for a necropsy to confirm what they died from? My understanding is that testing after death is the only way to confirm it is Marek's.