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

[schnebbles]

oh my gosh! those tumors are huge! I had no idea how big they would be.

Mareks makes me sick, mad and so sad. Some days I don't even feel like posting here.

Kat - what kind of chickens were those? They were beautiful! I find my self missing my lost ones too, especially if I start looking at pics. I miss my priscilla d'uccle when I think of how cute she was when she'd run. She had gorgeous foot feathering. ok, now I'm about to cry I better quit talking about it.

It's so cold here -8 right now, I need to run out and check on my chickens. I'm going to give them scratch even though they are in the coop. I worry about them. Have a heat light but it's still just so cold.

 

[KAT Bird]

oh my gosh!  those tumors are huge!  I had no idea how big they would be.  

Mareks makes me sick, mad and so sad.  Some days I don't even feel like posting here.  

Kat - what kind of chickens were those?  They were beautiful!  I find my self missing my lost ones too, especially if I start looking at pics.  I miss my priscilla d'uccle when I think of how cute she was when she'd run.  She had gorgeous foot feathering.  ok, now I'm about to cry  I better quit talking about it.

It's so cold here -8 right now, I need to run out and check on my chickens.  I'm going to give them scratch even though they are in the coop.  I worry about them.  Have a heat light but it's still just so cold.

They were Easter Eggers. I cry too when I look at the photos. They were only six months old and really sweet birds because I handled them so much. Reaching point of lay must have been the stressor that brought it on because they were just starting to get red combs. I felt like I lost them way too soon.

I saved the eggs they did lay (blown out) in a vase as a memorial/decoration.

 

[schnebbles]

I know that feeling too. My first one was 6 months as well. They have all been under 8 Months. It's a vicious disease mostly because it's so contagious I think. There are days I want to scream how I hate it.

The eggs are pretty and a nice way to remember them

 

[Bossom-hen]

Hi, I notice at the beginning of this thread it says that vaccinating a bird does not stop it getting mareks it only stops it developing the tumours. My 3 birds have all been vaccinated but all three will have had contact with mareks, either the sick birds or the hen house / run / grass etc. They all seem healthy (I lost my two first two chickens to the disease in August so it's been some months). Can they expect a normal lifespan? Could they infect unvaccinated birds (not that I'd buy any)?

 

[seminolewind]

Hi, I notice at the beginning of this thread it says that vaccinating a bird does not stop it getting mareks it only stops it developing the tumours. My 3 birds have all been vaccinated but all three will have had contact with mareks, either the sick birds or the hen house / run / grass etc. They all seem healthy (I lost my two first two chickens to the disease in August so it's been some months). Can they expect a normal lifespan? Could they infect unvaccinated birds (not that I'd buy any)?

Hi. The vaccine only protects them from getting the tumors and sciatica swelling. They can still get Marek's and pass it to other birds.Some of my older birds have exposure and they are 6 years old, resistant, but carriers. The vaccinated ones also, resistant but carriers.

 

[schnebbles]

They could infect other birds, if they are exposed to it, they are carriers. It really sucks and you just have to wonder how long before all birds get it! It spreads like crazy it sounds like and if any exposed bird is a carrier, it seems that how could it ever be controlled? I am upset that breeders don't all vaccinate. I know vaccinating only stops tumors from growing but at least it might decrease A LOT of deaths. I have to make sure any bird I get is vaccinated before I get it which makes it hard to find the birds I want, and even harder to find anything fairly local. Breeders would have more cost, I know, but they could add it on to the price of the birds I would think.

You can hope for a normal lifespan, but no guarantees. Try to keep them as stress free as possible.

 

[seminolewind]

Lucille's first symptom was shutting her eyelid on one eye. At first we thought something was in it or it got pecked/scratched. I took her to the vet and she was treated with eye medication and Ivermectin (suspected maybe mites?). Her pupil never really changed to an irregular shape, but stopped responding to light. It did get cloudy and she was blind in that eye. She kept that eyelid closed. One strange thing she did was walk in circles, a lot. In the beginning I thought it was because she could only see out of one eye. But later she went blind in both eyes and kept them both shut...still she always walked in circles. I taught her to find her food and water dish by tapping on it and she had an appetite right up until two days before she passed away.

My 2nd one did circles. At the time we thought the Polish roo got a knock on the head. But when finding Marek's in the flock, my opinion changed. We found him hiding in a bush. He walked circles backwards with a twisted neck looking backwards. I hand fed him until he
eventually could eat and drink himself. The twisted neck lasted about 3 months. One day it untwisted and he ran circles forward. He ate and gained weight. Then he slowly wasted away, and we had to euthanize him.

On the positive side, I had separated 2 hens and a roo from the rest because they were skinny. Since then, they put on weight, the roo is crowing and doing his duty, and both hens started to lay. Fingers crossed!

 

[Nambroth]

I know that feeling too. My first one was 6 months as well. They have all been under 8 Months. It's a vicious disease mostly because it's so contagious I think. There are days I want to scream how I hate it.

The eggs are pretty and a nice way to remember them

My roo was 11 months and got aggressive lymphoma. Took less than a week for him to go from appearing healthy and happy to struggling to breathe and unable to move. Poor guy!! I would get excited when my young ones hit 8 months but I just can't rely on age to protect them.

Hi, I notice at the beginning of this thread it says that vaccinating a bird does not stop it getting mareks it only stops it developing the tumours. My 3 birds have all been vaccinated but all three will have had contact with mareks, either the sick birds or the hen house / run / grass etc. They all seem healthy (I lost my two first two chickens to the disease in August so it's been some months). Can they expect a normal lifespan? Could they infect unvaccinated birds (not that I'd buy any)?

Right, your three birds that have been vaccinated have a few things that will happen:
If they were properly vaccinated, the vaccine and their immune system will have worked to build resistance to the visceral form of Marek's (the kind that gives them tumors and is fatal all the time).
When you introduce them to the Marek's virus (as it will live any place a Marek's chicken has been, then some, for at least a few months if not years), the vaccine will be "challenged" by the virus.
Either the vaccine and the bird's immune system will "win" and the bird will hold the Marek's virus in remission (it will duplicate and insert itself into the cells of the bird, called latency, and will not show symptoms), and thus will shed it in small amounts for its entire life, OR the virus will "win" and the bird will develop symptoms of Marek's disease.
This all depends on the type of vaccine used, the genetics of the chicken, overall health and immune system health, etc. It also depends on the strain of Marek's virus it is exposed to. The virus has mutated and some people have a more virulent strain on their property, that the vaccine(s) are less effective against.

Generally, after the incubation period, if no birds show signs, they are much more likely to be okay. It's not a guarantee though, because Marek's is a nasty lurker. It can live in the chicken's body forever, and if the chicken gets sick or has a compromised immune system (either from illness, stress, age, whatever!) it can "flare up" and cause active symptoms. Usually this is when people see things like ocular Marek's or just slow wasting and other slow problems.

With any hope, they may never show signs at all and may life long, healthy lives! That's what we all hope for in our flocks.

 

[schnebbles]

I wish there was a good way to get more people to understand how bad it is and more common than people think. Mareks awareness! If I'd known more, I'd have probably gotten vaccinated birds.

I was one who had read up a lot on chickens before I got any. Yep, I'd seen mention of Mareks but thought it was not real common and really didn't think any more of it. I know I didn't even bother to ask the breeders if they vaccinated. After all, I was only going to have a few chickens, I certainly wouldn't be at risk!

Was I ever wrong. Will never know where it came from (I'm sure it wasn't brought in by any of my birds from the breeders), but where did it come from? the air? the fair? who knows. I was still uneducated when I walked around the fair, I suspect that's where it came from. Guessing that most of those birds were probably vaccinated and not showing signs but there was likely a carrier and I brought it home to my kiddos.

I think about the spreading. Even if my birds hadn't shown symptoms and died, they would still be carriers and I'd never know it. So, I could be hatching eggs, selling babies, all the while being unaware of anything and passing the disease along to anyone. I would love to hatch a few, but I can't risk a rooster so I won't because I wouldn't ever feel comfortable selling a chick from my property even if I vaccinated it.

Like I said, it's a vicious cycle and I don't know what could even be done to stop it. Sure is depressing.

 

[seminolewind]

My "iffy" roo is crowing and doing his thing. The 2 hens have both started laying eggs. I'm crossing my fingas. All my Polish are out in pens with shelter. No more coop. I can do this in florida. Funny, my Polish are all treating this cold weather like it was nothing, but my Jerseys who still have a coop are all fluffed up all day. Wooses.