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

[fordguy32]

darn it I just replied on phone but it didn't post.
Ok,  I'm guessing you might have an eggbound hen.  That means just what it sounds like.  You are going to give her a nice, warm soak in water.  If you have epsom salts, add a cup or so to the water.

You can use your kitchen sink, a big plastic storage tub, whatever.  Get towels ready, and a blow dryer for hair if you have one.  Put her in - water should be fairly warm but comfortable.  Deep enough to cover her vent when she is laying down.  You might have to hold her down, but most will settle down soon and relax.  Keep her there for 15 - 20 minutes.  You might have to add warm water if it starts to cool down, you do not want her to chill.  If she starts to pant, she is overheating and you will need to add a bit of cool water.

This is a good time to use your fingers to gently get rid of any poop stuck to her back feathers.  Also watch for mites/lice.  Key here is you want her relaxed, so move slowly and keep it as calm as you can.  

When done, blot her dry with towels - you can wrap her in towel - and then blow dry if you have one, keeping your hand in the airstream so you know if it is too hot on her skin.  Then when she is as dry as you can get her, put her somewhere warm and quiet.

Then, google eggbound, and then , start a new thread so we don't drive everyone nuts here who wants to be reading and discussing mareks issues.  I hope you report back!  it could be something other than eggbound, but it is something to try.
good luck!

She is a little swollen around the vent so do you think that is it?

 

[casportpony]

Check inside her vent for an before bathing her. If there is an egg, you could try giving some calcium orally and placing her in a bathroom full of stean for several hours. I know many like to bath egg bound birds, but bathing a critically ill one can kill it.

-Kathy

 

[ochochicas]

Quote:

When I get chicks , and I'm hatching some now, I put them in the least traveled room I have. Right now it's my closet and spare room. Then I "gown" and scrub before I go in for 3 weeks. Then I just scrub to the elbow. Perfect? no, but nothing is. My "going peacefully" is 10-20 ml of vodka tubed and wait an hour. They go to sleep and I can euthanize them. It's still sad.

Thanks for the tip about the vodka. Does it work for adults as well as little ones? The two I've had to put down were non-mobile by the time I did the deed. I don't know how I'd be able to do one that was moving around.

It is good to be cautious with the new ones. Realistically, I can't do as good of a job isolating as you do. I'm thinking/hoping that tiny doses of the virus will help with immunity rather than causing the disease. The sick pullets I have were all living in the same area (for about 4 weeks) that was previously occupied by my Marek's hen before I knew she had Marek's. The chicks were inhaling virus repeatedly day in and day out. Poor kids didn't have much of a chance.

What's done is done at this point. My sick pullet is eating on her own today. Her skinny sister has a full crop but I'm not sure if it is emptying on its own or not. I will lock her up with no food tonight and check her again in the morning. The older pullet is not better or worse, just seems like she doesn't feel good.

This weekend I am supposed to be cleaning the whole house. The incubator will be moved into the spare bedroom furthest away from where the sick birds are housed. They will hatch in that room, be vaccinated, and stay in the bathroom for three weeks. I'm actually planning to revaccinate them at 4 weeks to see if it helps. Then they will go into a larger brooder in the main part of the house and eventually outside.

 

[seminolewind]

Ocho I've used the vodka on adult chickens.

 

[Nambroth]

I think they can pass undigested food from enteritis or even a gizzard that's not working well.

This is a good point. Passing undigested food, or general digestive slowdown or problems are not uncommon with Marek's. It could be opportunistic things like enteritis or cocci due to a Marek's compromised immune system, or it can also just be the gizzard or proventriculus becoming affected by Marek's. Marek's is known to cause tumors and/or abnormalities in these organs.

 

[Nambroth]

It is good to be cautious with the new ones. Realistically, I can't do as good of a job isolating as you do. I'm thinking/hoping that tiny doses of the virus will help with immunity rather than causing the disease.

I'm not trying to dash your hopes, but regrettably exposure is exposure... be it one or a million viral bodies. That said, many of us do suspect that viral load can have an impact at initial exposure/infection, and anything we do to reduce the amount of virus is not harmful!

 

[ochochicas]

Quote: I totally agree with you. However, every pathogen has a minimum exposure needed to cause disease. I don't know what this is for Marek's, and perhaps no one does. I do know that it is all over my farm and my house...probably in the car, too. We have cats that go in and out of the house, plus a furnace that blow dust all over. Only the birds that have remained at my house have become sick. All birds that I rehomed (before I knew we had Marek's) are still totally healthy and symptom free. Makes me think the repeated exposure is a key factor in making the birds sick.

Fortunately the disease doesn't have a 100% mortality rate. I hope with the vaccine I can keep my mortality rater to less than 10%. It has been an educational experience for me...but not the kind I wanted.

 

[seminolewind]

I know. I gave many away before I knew I had it and those chickens didn't have a problem. Even a rooster that was living elsewhere for 2 months and came back is fine.

Even with vaccinating, be aware of the immune suppression that they seem to have anyway. They get cocci really easy. There's always something to worry about!!!

 

[mightymax]

Quote:
...and I've used it on myself after that...

-kim-

 

[seminolewind]

Quote:

...and I've used it on myself after that...

-kim-