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

[Haunted55]

She is by herself so it isn't pecking and I watched the scabs grow so that is why I thought it was pox or at least hoped. The scab on her head fell off and there is still swelling. The one on her neck is large but we will see what happens. She is quarantine and has not been aroud the others plus she is a chick. Thank you everyone.

But was she pecked when you got her? If not and this has shown up since you brought her home...have you checked her for mites?

 

[Haunted55]

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/730100/cyst-on-cheek

If you check out the link above, you will find some info from Casportpony with pictures about pus from infection, in the mouth.

 

[Nambroth]

Re: Mareks...

I have put up scans of the necropsy and reports of my rooster that had confirmed Marek's. https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/...sible-tumor-thymus-response/210#post_10973574
In case it is helpful to anyone.

 

[Haunted55]

Nambroth, I am so sorry. A lot of us have been there and feel your pain. One learning curve we really didn't need right? Again, I am so very sorry your roo and you had to go through this.

 

[Chicks on DL]

Haunted I have been thinking about her having a sinus infection and She may have that too. Getting antibiotics Saturday. Thank you.

 

[seminolewind]

Re: Mareks...

I have put up scans of the necropsy and reports of my rooster that had confirmed Marek's. https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/...sible-tumor-thymus-response/210#post_10973574
In case it is helpful to anyone.

Wow. I almost didn't realized that there were several pages. Very interesting. I thank you for posting the report.

 

[deville]

I do have chicks that have been vaccinated, they are quarantined now and about 3 months old. I also have chicks I hatched from the Marek's birds as well, about 1 month old. Plus more chicks I picked up from the local feed store, about one month old too. They are all separated and up wind from the mareks flock of about 20 .....some layers, silkies, and polish crested bantums. My thought was that if I cull all those exposed to mareks I would greatly reduce the amount of viable virus around. And I could clean and let that coop sit empty during the summer heat. Mareks has been present on my property for about 14 months now. I know it was from 3 adult birds I bought. I lost about half of my flock over a year. Now I'm down to the last 20 birds. I have about 45 new babies as listed above that I want to give the best start too. I want to casually live with healthy chickens, and occasionally sell/give to friends. Will I ever be able to do this without exposing others to my same problem??? So do I cull the older birds and clean up....or do I clean up and vaccinate the old birds and eventually add in the new birds to work on resistance? What do I do?

 

[Haunted55]

I do have chicks that have been vaccinated, they are quarantined now and about 3 months old. I also have chicks I hatched from the Marek's birds as well, about 1 month old. Plus more chicks I picked up from the local feed store, about one month old too. They are all separated and up wind from the mareks flock of about 20 .....some layers, silkies, and polish crested bantums. My thought was that if I cull all those exposed to mareks I would greatly reduce the amount of viable virus around. And I could clean and let that coop sit empty during the summer heat. Mareks has been present on my property for about 14 months now. I know it was from 3 adult birds I bought. I lost about half of my flock over a year. Now I'm down to the last 20 birds. I have about 45 new babies as listed above that I want to give the best start too. I want to casually live with healthy chickens, and occasionally sell/give to friends. Will I ever be able to do this without exposing others to my same problem??? So do I cull the older birds and clean up....or do I clean up and vaccinate the old birds and eventually add in the new birds to work on resistance? What do I do?

I think a lot of us ask ourselves the same questions just about everyday. Were the chicks from the feed store vaccinated? If not, there is your weakest link. They should be isolated for 6 months to a year so they can build resistance slowly. The vaccinated birds should be fine at that age but I would still want to make the incorporation into the flock slowly, to give their systems a chance to acclimate to any mutations that may be involved.

As for culling and cleaning....I can't give you an answer for that as I haven't found one for myself yet. Yes you would cut down on a lot of the possible shedding, but it's there and unless you can get it out of the ground, you're doomed. If your birds have never run free in your yard and have been confined to their coop and run, your chances of possibly getting rid of it just went up to 75%. Add in activated Oxine and you've raised it even higher, maybe 90% now. Won't work this way for me as I have let the birds out and would have an acre at least to clean up. Marek's is one of those things that is very long lived. It can live for years in the ground, in that corner you didn't quite get. It survives heat and cold. I have been told repeatedly that it would be years before I could have more birds here. Years. That's why I've searched for answers to what will actually kill this miserable virus. Things like 'hot' lime [quick lime] will cut it back dramtically I've been told, but it's with repeated applications or a really good tilling of the ground and adding the lime as you're doing it. Same with the ground in the run. The run and coop shouldn't be too hard to clean if 1. you empty it of roosts and nesting boxes, 2. powerwash everything and let dry, 3. you apply the activated Oxine, do the same to the fencing, or whatever , that makes up the run. Then paint it all with many coats of paint or whitewash so it is completely sealed. Is it guaranteed to be 100%? Oh heck no! Too many variables, but it does give you a fighting chance.

I think about this constantly and some days I am going to cull and start over. Because like you, I wanted a simple life with my birds. I had a year of that and it was very good! Then I go out and look these guys in the eyes and think about what this would really mean. They've survived! Some of them may look like Dr. Suess animals, but they're survivors and deserve as much quality life as they can get. I can't do it. It's hard enough to have to send them on when it's time.

As for the selling and trading of birds....even if I did cull all and jump through all of the hoops needed to clean up, I still couldn't/wouldn't sell birds without telling the buyer that these birds came from a place that used to have Marek's. It would be unconscionable for me to do so. Sell the eggs for hatching...yes, I can do that now. Marek's doesn't transfer through the egg. Only a resistance is tranferred, not the disease.

Clear as mud right? I am sorry, I know exactly how you feel, as anyone with Marek's can attest to, but there really isn't a black and white answer for you, me, anyone. It's a personal choice and journey.

 

[salt and pepper]

My oldest chicks turned 8 weeks, and are going strong!!

 

[deville]

thanks...i am beating this to death of course. What you said is exactly what I'm thinking about...everyday....always. I guess I have to pick a path and go with it. Hoping for the best.