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

[seminolewind]

Nice find!

 

[Haunted55]

Thanks Ten Chicks! That's a great resource and just glancing through it it looks to me like it's fairly up to date as well, which is good.

 

[Haunted55]

Update; today is the 6 week mark for my pool chicks. Not one of them is showing any signs of a Marek's attack. I know it's early yet, but dare I hope that they will sail through this marker? The 5 week olds are doing great as well. No sign of it.

 

[Haunted55]

I've just been going through some threads in the Emergency section and it seems one recurring theme right now is Marek's. Chicken can't walk, it's Marek's....chicken sits by itself, it's Marek's...chicken won't eat, it's Marek's...so many chicken won'ts and the answer seems to always come back to it being Marek's, even if the normal and even the unusual signs of the disease aren't there. I think we are doing a disservice with the first thing being thrown out there being a thought of Marek's. Yes it's out there and a lot of people hide from it even when the signs and symptoms are glaringly obvious. But to bring it up in the first answer isn't always the right choice to help. There are so many other things that can cause stumbling gait, prominent keel bone, even the dreaded paralysis and they are being missed or ignored.

Having marek's here, I am always seeing it everywhere and I know this and strive to make sure it isn't the first answer I come back with. That's too easy and so much can be missed that way. I hate to think of how many birds have been lost because the first answer was Marek's when all the bird needed was vitamins or worming or Sevin dust. I like to think that those who deal with this daily, have a better understanding of what's what and can offer the alternatives to the diagnosis of Marek's.

Sorry for the rant....I just feel we who know, should be showing the ones that don't. A lot of the time, it is going to be Marek's and then all we can do is offer a shoulder and advice. The rest of the time we need to help them find another alternative besides the "M" word. Nothing personal here, just an observation.

 

[pysankigirl]

I want to thank you guys for everything that you have done to help me through this, but maybe the most important thing is the link to the Texas A&M testing...inexpensive comparitively to the place our ag people use and hoping to get a definitave diagnosis of yes or no. I am still waiting on the results, but it will be so nice to KNOW...

 

[seminolewind]

I've just been going through some threads in the Emergency section and it seems one recurring theme right now is Marek's. Chicken can't walk, it's Marek's....chicken sits by itself, it's Marek's...chicken won't eat, it's Marek's...so many chicken won'ts and the answer seems to always come back to it being Marek's, even if the normal and even the unusual signs of the disease aren't there. I think we are doing a disservice with the first thing being thrown out there being a thought of Marek's. Yes it's out there and a lot of people hide from it even when the signs and symptoms are glaringly obvious. But to bring it up in the first answer isn't always the right choice to help. There are so many other things that can cause stumbling gait, prominent keel bone, even the dreaded paralysis and they are being missed or ignored.

Having marek's here, I am always seeing it everywhere and I know this and strive to make sure it isn't the first answer I come back with. That's too easy and so much can be missed that way. I hate to think of how many birds have been lost because the first answer was Marek's when all the bird needed was vitamins or worming or Sevin dust. I like to think that those who deal with this daily, have a better understanding of what's what and can offer the alternatives to the diagnosis of Marek's.

Sorry for the rant....I just feel we who know, should be showing the ones that don't. A lot of the time, it is going to be Marek's and then all we can do is offer a shoulder and advice. The rest of the time we need to help them find another alternative besides the "M" word. Nothing personal here, just an observation.

Absolutely. Marek's should only be a possibility when everything else is ruled out. Marek's should be a possibility if other new chickens have been put in your flock prior to some chicken with symptoms. Wasting is usually with older birds, maybe over 8 months. Younger birds usually have some noticeable sign like paralysis, change in pupils, etc. This is all usually, not for sure guaranteed.

 

[seminolewind]

This may fit here because it's one of my control hatch. 8-9 weeks. 7 are thriving and growing into big chickens. 2 had died from cocci. 2 were given to the neighbor, and at 7 weeks of fending for themselves, and possibly on pellets, one turned up in my yard. She has been eating and drinking a lot, the first night almost non stop. She is 1/2 the size of the other siblings. Since she was 1/2 the size of them, I was doubting she was mine. But turns out she is blue and has some gold lacing on her chest-one of the others has the same thing. His chickens don't have any that would make any gold on them and she looks just like another of mine. Mine meaning a hatch that went to a man that asked for them, and have had endless feed. She had just one stool with blood in it in 48 hours, but I started her on Corid.

She also is very friendly and want to be in my lap all the time. I had spent hours with that batch letting them sit all over me. I have to figure out how to check on the other one.

 

[StephieSky]

I hate to think of how many birds have been lost because the first answer was Marek's when all the bird needed was vitamins or worming or Sevin dust.

Now there is a truism!
I'm new but I noticed right off that everyone seems to be a little jumpy. Myself included at first... After reading through the posts I was in a bit of a panic every time a new symptom presented itself. Learned a lot about diseases my birds just don't have and scared myself silly in the process.
There is not one single thing wrong with my chickens that hasn't led right back to poor diet and parasites.

 

[Nambroth]

I agree. I also tend to 'see' Marek's everywhere, but I am very careful to keep those thoughts to myself unless there is an obvious sign present.

With any illness though, keepers should be cautious until they know what is going on. Bio-security cautious-- no birds out, just in case.

 

[Haunted55]

This may fit here because it's one of my control hatch. 8-9 weeks. 7 are thriving and growing into big chickens. 2 had died from cocci. 2 were given to the neighbor, and at 7 weeks of fending for themselves, and possibly on pellets, one turned up in my yard. She has been eating and drinking a lot, the first night almost non stop. She is 1/2 the size of the other siblings. Since she was 1/2 the size of them, I was doubting she was mine. But turns out she is blue and has some gold lacing on her chest-one of the others has the same thing. His chickens don't have any that would make any gold on them and she looks just like another of mine. Mine meaning a hatch that went to a man that asked for them, and have had endless feed. She had just one stool with blood in it in 48 hours, but I started her on Corid.

She also is very friendly and want to be in my lap all the time. I had spent hours with that batch letting them sit all over me. I have to figure out how to check on the other one.

Wow Seminole...that's really odd. At least she knew where to come. Of course she wants to be on your lap! She knows who Momma is and is probably trying to tell you just what's been going on. Times like this I really wish we knew 'chicken'. How are you going to check on the other one?