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

[casportpony]

it is sad when we have to watch them suffer. I hope you understand I wasn't saying your chicken had pox, I was saying it looks similar in my opinion

Yes, it is sad and I also thought it looked a little like pox. FWIW, it was not my hen, it was coolcanoechic's (https://www.backyardchickens.com/u/108647/coolcanoechic)

 

[missnu01]

I think the best plan of action is to keep on keeping on...as more chicks are born most will have some immunity..you will lose some here and there, but stuff like that happens all the time for a million different reasons when dealing with chickens. I had 2 chicks come down with marek's. But all my other chickens and the other 5 chicks out of the hatch are just fine...so just keep breeding the ones that make it, and eventually you should see an end to chicks showing any affects at all..but there are so many strains of the disease that once your flock is immune to one strain another strain can come along and mess up all your work, in which case you just start the process over...
Even if you cull all the chickens you currently have and get new chicks part of them will be affected, while others will be fine...so it goes on and on.
Even vaccinations aren't a sure bet, since the vaccination takes 2 weeks to come into effect, and marek's can travel through the air...so any birds brought to your property will still run the risk of being affected. The only way to not have to deal with marek's more than once is if you quit keeping chickens totally after the first occurrence.

 

[casportpony]

While I don't like to lose any of them, it's really hard on me when one of my older hen's dies from Marek's.

 

[salt and pepper]

I think the best plan of action is to keep on keeping on...as more chicks are born most will have some immunity..you will lose some here and there, but stuff like that happens all the time for a million different reasons when dealing with chickens. I had 2 chicks come down with marek's. But all my other chickens and the other 5 chicks out of the hatch are just fine...so just keep breeding the ones that make it, and eventually you should see an end to chicks showing any affects at all..but there are so many strains of the disease that once your flock is immune to one strain another strain can come along and mess up all your work, in which case you just start the process over...
Even if you cull all the chickens you currently have and get new chicks part of them will be affected, while others will be fine...so it goes on and on.
Even vaccinations aren't a sure bet, since the vaccination takes 2 weeks to come into effect, and marek's can travel through the air...so any birds brought to your property will still run the risk of being affected. The only way to not have to deal with marek's more than once is if you quit keeping chickens totally after the first occurrence.

this was very helpful for me! I will be getting chicks soon, and they won't be vaccinated. I'm glad to hear I probably won't lose all of them. I do plan to eventually breed my own birds, but I need to get started first!

 

[Haunted55]

While I don't like to lose any of them, it's really hard on me when one of my older hen's dies from Marek's.

X 2. You get through all of the 'marker' days, 10 weeks, 6 months, 1 year, you start thinking, wow, we made it. Only to have it hit again. It's frustrating and heartbreaking as there's not a darned thing you can do about it.

 

[Haunted55]

this was very helpful for me! I will be getting chicks soon, and they won't be vaccinated. I'm glad to hear I probably won't lose all of them. I do plan to eventually breed my own birds, but I need to get started first!

Let me ask a question here. You want to breed your own birds? For yourself I hope. You shouldn't ever sell or give away any birds that had Marek's. Your flock may become immune or I should say better able to fight off the particular strain or strains they've been exposed to, but that doesn't mean they are safe for someone else.

Last season I purchased over 100 chicks. I lost 85 of them last summer and still counting. Quite a few of the breeds purchased were all wiped out in a matter of weeks. Some have lingered but unfortunately don't have any long term survival chances. I really think you need to think very hard on what your expectations are for the long run.

 

[Haunted55]

This one also had sores




From:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/737743/slowly-fading-away

Skin form of Marek's. This is the one that is spread through the dander and I've read it can travel on the wind for great distances.

 

[nova022]

I know nothing about Mareks except what I have read on BYC in various threads. Once a chicken has mareks and survives are the eggs safe for human consumption? Can people catch Mareks?

 

[Haunted55]

I think the best plan of action is to keep on keeping on...as more chicks are born most will have some immunity..you will lose some here and there, but stuff like that happens all the time for a million different reasons when dealing with chickens. I had 2 chicks come down with marek's. But all my other chickens and the other 5 chicks out of the hatch are just fine...so just keep breeding the ones that make it, and eventually you should see an end to chicks showing any affects at all..but there are so many strains of the disease that once your flock is immune to one strain another strain can come along and mess up all your work, in which case you just start the process over...
Even if you cull all the chickens you currently have and get new chicks part of them will be affected, while others will be fine...so it goes on and on.
Even vaccinations aren't a sure bet, since the vaccination takes 2 weeks to come into effect, and marek's can travel through the air...so any birds brought to your property will still run the risk of being affected. The only way to not have to deal with marek's more than once is if you quit keeping chickens totally after the first occurrence.

From my own experiences, I have to say yes and no. If you wanted to cull and start over it can be done. A lot of work and time, but it can be done. It used to be that when a flock showed disease they were all culled and their housing burned down. Sounds harsh but they knew what they were doing and the more I read on Marek's and the other nasties birds can get, the more I believe that this line of defence may be the best way to go. Now I am not saying I am going to burn down my houses. That ain't happening, lol. There are other ways to 'burn' out the infections. Simple bleach and water 1/2 water 1/2 bleach, sprayed onto every surface of the coop and left there to dry. Then a surface cleaning either by hand or with a power washer and hose. Then again and again and again, until you know that the building is cleaned. Oxine would be a better bet as it wouldn't take as long to accomplish the cleaning, in it's activated form. Then paint the inside of the house with a good gloss or semi gloss exterior paint or use a white wash. The ground around the houses would get the same treatment with the bleach. Then it would be tilled and large amounts of hot lime added along with sand. After 6 months, you could try again. You would have to keep your birds confined to the area you have cleaned. No free ranging for a long while, if ever again.

 

[Haunted55]

I know nothing about Mareks except what I have read on BYC in various threads. Once a chicken has mareks and survives are the eggs safe for human consumption? Can people catch Mareks?

yes the eggs are safe to eat and no you cannot get Marek's. Wrong kind of herpes for humans. I had a whole vial of the live turkey marek's vaccine explode in my face. Eyes got it the worst but it also went up my nose, in my mouth....yeah, a real fun trip. That's how I learned humans cannot get the disease.