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

[FeatherMom]

would dry ice work? If you are near a big town, that might be easier to find.

 

[Haunted55]

What i did when sending birds for necropsy was doubled ziploc freezer bags with ice, the bird in an another bag and wrapped with paper towels to keep the skin or organs from freezing. Side by side in an insulated bag in a box. Say that 3 times fast. Probably too late to advise, the building goes on, lol.

I am glad to hear you say this....she is a pretty little one and I think the vites will help. let us know what you find out!

 

[pysankigirl]

Well, I am putting Vitamin E in her food. I had her on the sav-a-chick stuff but I will look for the rooster booster stuff.

and I sent off the blood sample this afternoon. Hopefully they had enough to test...it didn't seem like a lot of blood. I found someone at work with a frozen coldpack by putting a note on the electronic bulletin board! cool, huh?

so they say on the site about a week to find out. then I will decide from there what to do. she has no problem eating and drinking. she just cant move around well. and I saw her trying to stand earlier.

 

[Haunted55]

How prominent is her keel bone [breast bone]? Is she really skinny? Marek's bird have a tendancy to eat like a meat bird and still are very skinny. At least in my experience with it.

 

[pysankigirl]

I do think she is rather thin.

 

[Haunted55]

I do think she is rather thin.

Crap....could it have been from before you brought her in? Have you thought about adding the Lysine? How about the vitamin D from sunshine? I hate this nasty disease and spend most of my days researching, trying to find...something, anything, that might help. My mother would have called it 'tilting at windmills' just like Don Quixote. Sad but true.

Thing is, if she can still get around at all, and is still eating....I've had birds come back from one leg involvement. Is her leg stiff at all? Is it just the foot? Enough time has gone by to have full leg involvement and you haven't mentioned that and it gives her a chance. Even if it is Marek's, the vites are going to help her and she may become a survivor you can breed to get resistant chicks. It's a thought. I've done it as has Seminolewind, not sure about Casportpony. Just read the thread, there are a lot of us who have done it. It isn't impossible and if you have Marek's there, it will be the saving of your flock.

 

[pysankigirl]

She is still eating and drinking fine and she can stand up for a little while but then just crouches down and lets her foot curl up again. she is wobbly and leans against the side of the tub but she is standing. she hasn't gotten worse. I am forgetting...what is Lysine? if it is mareks, thinking of trying Turmeric as an anti-inflammatory. What the heck, right?

 

[salt and pepper]

I'm sorry you're having so much trouble, it's so hard worrying about a bird. Just updating that my latest group turned 16 weeks, and one is already close to laying!!! So happy, first time EVER to not lose ANY birds!!! God is good!!!!

 

[Haunted55]

http://www.umm.edu/altmed/articles/lysine-000312.htm

The part about the Herpes is very, very interesting as Marek's is Herpes as well. I tried the turmeric last year, I didn't see any noticable changes while using it, but it does clean the blood and it is a good source of vitamin A. Can't hurt as you said.

I still think some sunshine might help. I have a couple of links for you to follow and see if they may be something for you to look into a bit further.
http://animals.pawnation.com/supplements-rickets-chickens-1999.html

http://www.poultryhub.org/health/disease/types-of-disease/rickets-and-cage-layer-fatigue/

After last year's grain crops being affected by the aflatoxins, I question a lot of the issues we are seeing in our flocks. Just switching brands of feed has shown me there is some merit to this line of thinking as well. Did a lot of research on this last Fall after it was brought up in the Duck Forum here on BYC. This is some scary stuff!

http://forum.backyardpoultry.com/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=7975135

Marek's or not, this diet couldn't hurt. I wouldn't use it long term, but it would be worth trying to see if there are any changes in your hen. How awesome would that be?

 

[seminolewind]

I'm glad I found this thread. I, too, have Mareks and it is a heartbreaker. Thanks for all the valuable information you have all posted. I ordered eight vacinated chicks which should arrive next week. A friend had offered to raise for a few months. I have one gal who is wasting away now. I might have her put down this weekend since she's so thin and getting less peppy each day.

The wasting, it's so hard because you give them all these nice things to eat, and they waste anyway. It just breaks my heart.