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

[Nambroth]

Joining in on this thread, as I had a rooster succumb to Mareks, 100%confirmed via gross necropsy and DNA testing.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/752543/rooster-with-mass-in-neck-possible-tumor-thymus-response

 

[Haunted55]

Joining in on this thread, as I had a rooster succumb to Mareks, 100%confirmed via gross necropsy and DNA testing.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/752543/rooster-with-mass-in-neck-possible-tumor-thymus-response

I'm sorry. It's like a kick in the stomach when it happens and it's proved positive.

 

[missnu01]

All that happened in my flock is 2 chicks that were around 3 months old started limping on one leg, and then walking on their hocks, and then they lost all mobility except for a flopping motion to get around, so we had to cull them...The remaining chicks have all started laying eggs now and none of my adult chickens seem to have any issues. Not even the mother of the chicks...It seems that if the mom had already been exposed then the chicks would have been exposed...if she hadn't already been exposed, then wouldn't she have gotten sick as well? There were no other symptoms other than the paralysis. And it all started with keeping one foot curled like they were trying to hold onto something. It was one male chick and one female chick. I'm hoping that the other chicks are out of the woods since they are laying eggs now...I guess we'll see if any of them get sick when they start to go through a molt. The chicks that couldn't move were still eating and weighed the same as the healthy chicks. They lost no weight, but then again it was only a month after the limping started that they lost all mobility and had to be culled.

 

[Haunted55]

I am currently hatching Control Group #2 right now. These are the babies from Control group #1. Twice removed from the survivors of the outbreak of Marek's last summer. One is out of the egg and another is still pipping while another is working it's way out.

Yesterday I found one of my hatch roosters, dead when I went out to do chores. I had been treating the whole chicken house with Duramycin-10 because I suspected either an IB or MG outbreak with some of the Marek's survivors. All were showing great improvement after a seven day course but I continued it for 10 days. Suki was still lagging behind but was improved, no coughing, sneezing, or nasal discharge, but succumed to something. I am assuming it was the Marek's being brought out due to the stress of the respiratory disease. Such a waste, he was one I planned on using for breeding. This rooster was not vaccinated for Marek's.

 

[seminolewind]

Hmmm. sorry you found him dead.
I have 2 Polish chicks , round 1 from exposed birds.
Then I have 12 hatching now and will be eventually going to the barn where my horse is at. They are all round 1 from exposed birds. We'll see. The hen that incubated them is a round 2 survivor.

Maybe I shouldn't have started with Polish-I will be soo attached to them.

 

[Haunted55]

Thanks Seminolewind.

 

[salt and pepper]

Sorry for your loss =(

 

[Haunted55]

Thanks Salt and pepper. How are your birds doing?

 

[salt and pepper]

I have two batches, the six week olds, and the week olds, all are doing really well, and I haven't lost any =) We got extras to make sure we ended up with the amount of hens we wanted. Now I just have to get the first batch into the coop!

 

[pigcoon]

Joining in too.

I had a flock of 5. Lost 3 to Marek's last year. My vet told me that if they came from a Marek's infected farm (which I suspect they did), they could be carriers for life and never 'express' the disease. Some kind of stress usually brings it on in bird that is a carrier --cold, trouble in the flock, etc.

So I thought if my remaining two made it through the winter I would add chicks and get vaccinated chicks.

I ordered the chicks and now I have another hen sick yesterday---waddling way down low, swollen abdomen. I haven't gone out to the coop yet this morning. I know from past experience she could either be dead overnight or this could go on for weeks, or she could be fine. I've had all those scenarios!

Not really looking for any advice I am just commiserating on how awful this disease is and how it kind of holds you hostage, feeling like you can't win no matter what you try to do.