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

[ochochicas]

Quote: Definitely not interested in anything that swims (ducks, geese) LOL I'm leaning towards turkeys right now.

I think Peacocks are much more attractive than turkeys. Turkeys are so ugly it's no wonder that we eat them and so dumb they ran toward the Pilgrims instead of away and that's why they became Thanksgiving dinner.

Maybe if I got turkeys they'd make the people I work with seem a bit smarter.

I like the idea of peas, but there is no place local or me to get eggs. It looks like we are going to try pheasants. I've lot my mind!

 

[alibabba]

Do you have any literature that supports this?

To Nambroth and Luvnmychix.

I have 5 pages to catch up with but wanted to post an opinion. yikes!

Herpesvirus. especially in this family of herpesvirus, love to hang out and chillax...in humans they chillax for 60 years before they come on out and cause serious rash and nerve pain.

You have chicken pox when you are 5, and bam when you are 65, shingles. You have been nicely protected from getting chicken pox again, and have not been contagious. Shingles open blisters are slightly contagious....

I had shingles when I was 35. Thank God I didn't get it on my head or in my eye! just the lightest brush of cloth was nail screeching agony through my whole body. I had a baby at the time, and the rash was on my side where the baby spent alot of time nursing. The doctor was not at all concerned for her catching chicken pox.

Sure, this can behave differently in birds than mammals, I also read that shedding only happens when the virus is active (causing illness). If I come across the peer reviewed research article again, I will post. I am doing so much research and reading, I hate to waste time going back. I read it, it was good research and that was enough for me to move on. If I found it, it can't be hidden that deep in the interwebs.

 

[alibabba]

seminolewind. Tell me more about the enteritis symptoms, please?

 

[alibabba]

latest.

Still thinking they may be poisoned or a reaction to new feed or fungus spores or a lead paint or thiamine, riboflavin, salt deficiency.....I wish I could afford tests. I might see how much an xray costs...just to see if its metal.

Hen came in, was still eating and drinking. Bad eye. Weak legs no balance. Couldn't get on the roost, bumping into the wall.

a day or 2 later, it's a blur. Rooster can't get on roost bumping into wall. No one else in the flock is ill in any way. (Well, I noticed messy bottoms today.)

Hen (Lily) Got bad, laying on her side, not eating not drinking. Comb flopped. Hydrated her / tube/ 10 days ago. Next day she was eating and drinking. 3 or 4 days ago she stood up and took steps. Eye is much improved. She was still falling forward with every effort. Following day not falling and took her outside where she gobbled grass and whatever those tiny things are in the dirt that chickens need. She is very happy...getting stronger bit by bit. Not falling over, taking slow steps, and carefully grooming her feet.(Will she go down again??? Is that how this works, if it's not visceral???)

Rooster (Poppy) Was weak at first, legs to the side, then strong able to stand and eating tons, but began failing. Started tube feeding after I realized his paralysis has increased from his legs to his wings and neck. ( I realize now that is why he is not eating. He bends way over but can not reach the food in any sort of ground or even a container in front of his face.) What torture to be aware in your body and starving and not be able to reach the food. I took him out with Lily today and he seemed to like that, clucking to the hens he did! But could not reach the grass to nibble and I saw it was frustrating for him. However, he is not giving up and dying, so I will help as long as it takes or until he does want to go.

Tube feeding him 25 ml 3Xs per day for past 2 days. Late last night, he was drinking. Today I saw the scratch and steel cut oats in his hanging cup are lower!!! Still owe him one more feed tonight.

If they both make it to the state that LIly is in, they can live happily in a safe pen and toddle around for as long as they live. Fingers crossed.

 

[alibabba]

What's louder Turkeys or Peacocks?

 

[alibabba]

If these two of mine aren't dead yet, there is definitely a chance. To me, Everything deserves a chance. They are taking it. if they were in pain, with no hope...it would be different.

They had corid, and wormed (in their weakened state, no worms appeared, but okay that was ruled out) practically starved and dehydrated to death. Have been given: epsom salts (which may have helped initially) herbal antivirals, nutridrench, colloidial silver, l-carnitine and st. johns wort, raw egg, cat food, baby food, tomatoes, cayenne, fresh ground black pepper, tuna, salmon, shrimp, (ETA microwave egg, kefir, turmeric, 15 grain bread, Brazil nuts) depending on what they would eat.

I even started a little EDTA for Poppy when he got worse...I was nervous and backed it off. An x-ray would tell me if it's appropriate. It's pretty safe med, safer than aspirin in humans...

Its not hard or time consuming to take care of them. I should just take the 3 min(per CAsportpony) to tube them twice a day and be done. I just spend too much time, watching them eat, researching researching researching and making food mixtures and watching their movements trying to solve the riddle.

If letting nature take its course is okay with you, for information sake, people with "no intervention" living wills are allowed to dehydrate to death, the doctors told me it's not a painful way to pass.

Next time I might do things differently, but probably not, because you never know.

ETA also. I read that if it's a thiamine deficiency raw egg white can become a thiaminase (antithiamine). No more raw egg!

 

[mightymax]

Quote:
Well that depends. As far as decibel levels go, I feel they're pretty evenly matched. It just depends on if you want to hear "gobble, gobble, gobble" in a fairly high pitched yet kind of
melodic sounding whistle, or if you'd rather be startled enough to pee your pants, when a pea. comes up behind you and SCREAMS out "HELP !!!", "HELP !!!". But that's just my opinion and in no way, shape or form a derogatory view of peas. Just saying that if it were me (oh wait a minute, it was me...just last year.) I went with the Turks.

-kim-

 

[alibabba]

Ha Ha Ha, perfect! That screech is hard to take. Makes me jump out of my skin....or "pee my pants" like EMERGENCY!!!!!
Why can't those beautiful birds gobble?

Do you have active Marek's?

 

[rebrascora]

@alibabba
You are seeing an almost identical sequence of events/progress as one of my girls. 4 months ago I was giving myself a mental deadline to cull her because she was so bad. Now she is fully integrated back into the flock free ranging (it's a large mixed flock with cockerels and feisty leghorns so she had to be strong and confident to feel able to deal with that) and she made it clear she no longer wants the protection of the cage/infirmary.
Putting her outdoors on grass was a dramatic turning point for her too. I would scatter mixed corn in and around the cage so that the rest of the flock came and foraged with her and her pall and that feeling of "competing for food" also seemed to encouraged eating and getting better.

I agree that the actual caring doesn't take that long, but the time spent observing is significant. It has paid off though, as you start to see subtle differences in behaviour and learn to read their body language and understand what they want and what works. I too cannot cull if there is hope.....and these girls are now much more pets than any of the others. I appreciate that they are shedding virus but I could not sacrifice them for the possible benefit of future generations. That said, I seem to have a much less virulent strain of Marek's than many on this thread, so it is easier to accept that risk. If I was having to cull several young birds a week or month, I might have to revise that, but maybe these pullets wouldn't be surviving in that circumstance anyway.

I hope your chickens continue to improve as mine are.

Regards

Barbara

 

[Nambroth]

I think Peacocks are much more attractive than turkeys.  Turkeys are so ugly it's no wonder that we eat them and so dumb they ran toward the Pilgrims instead of away and that's why they became Thanksgiving dinner. 

Oh no, Karen! I love turkeys, lol! I think they are lovely. Then again, I'm pretty strange...