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

[lalaland]

Yeah, I've been holding off on the antibiotics because I want to keep using/selling the eggs. So I don't want to treat the whole flock but if I don't see some holding ground or gaining, I might separate them and just dose one portion of the flock kept separate.

vitamin b - what form and what doseage are you using?

This is the week I should be adding the tumeric, I've been doing one week heavy and the 2 weeks or so off. I have noticed that feed consumption is down on the tumeric days, so could be they just don't like the taste ....which given the things chickens will eat says something!

so perhaps counterproductive to add tumeric when I'm considering weight gain. But...with the heat they have been having more watermelon .....

I have really got to get a scale.

 

[seminolewind]

I've read on dosages of B2 and B12 and still can't figure it out. I heard eggs have vitamin B. So I gave her bread pieces and a raw egg mixed and she ate most of it. Of course it wasn't her egg, that might not have any B in it, LOL . Tonight she fought me tooth and nail when I tubed her. So for B I'll have to get a pack of chicken vitamins.

 

[lalaland]

thanks. If I remember right, liver has vitamin B. Going to go look that up. I used to give them minced beef livers when the feed I was using was vegetarian. I could do that again.....

remember when you just dumped some feed out in the feeders, and cleaned the waterers and that was it?

keeping my fingers crossed that yours makes good progress.

 

[lalaland]

ok, I did remember correctly.

• How Vitamins In Animal Livers Can Improve Your Health
  
  www.medicaldaily.com/how-vitamins-animal-livers-can-improve-your-h...
  
  Jul 26, 2013 - It also helps to boost the body's immune system.Vitamins B6 and B12 are available in calf's liver, which help to form healthy red blood cells.

If you want to try the beel liver route, it works easiest by far if you freeze the liver. this is because slicing/mincing it is difficult with unfrozen, it turns to slushy mush. When frozen, you can handle it so much easier.

I know some people just throw it in the blender and add the soupy mess to the mash.

 

[seminolewind]

Ewww! Liver soup, LOL. I should give that a try too. I would have to assume that if a chicken has been wasting and also becomes dehydrated, they may be depleted of vit B's. She's ready to go back out!

 

[ochochicas]

I have to say that other than the eating, which was pretty good again today (of course they won't touch dry feed, must be mixed with all sorts of good stuff...), the laying, which has ceased, and some gaping at night when they get warm, they've been active and happy, especially for the past two days. I let them free range (as I watch the skies) and they were scratching, catching bugs, flapping their wings. They felt great today. Do Marek's symptoms ever come and go? Perhaps the hypericum is effective for them on nerve pain? This is what it is sold to do for humans.

Several of my pullets have showed similar signs. They will only eat treats and scratch grains, but no layer pellets. I had one bird that would only eat bananas and cucumbers. Most of them have respiratory problems, and trying to force them to eat only makes them feel worse. I had about 5 that improved for 2 - 6 weeks just to get extremely sick very suddenly and die from Marek's later. Their recovery was short lived. One of them did live long enough to lay some pullet eggs before dying. They all had visceral Marek's except for one who went completely blind and had to be culled because she couldn't see her food.

 

[SilkieNation]

Several of my pullets have showed similar signs. They will only eat treats and scratch grains, but no layer pellets. I had one bird that would only eat bananas and cucumbers. Most of them have respiratory problems, and trying to force them to eat only makes them feel worse. I had about 5 that improved for 2 - 6 weeks just to get extremely sick very suddenly and die from Marek's later. Their recovery was short lived. One of them did live long enough to lay some pullet eggs before dying. They all had visceral Marek's except for one who went completely blind and had to be culled because she couldn't see her food.

My favorite little girl was all floppy this morning, then she made a recovery. She and my other buff's combs have turned red and are somewhat swollen. I have no idea what this is about. They are breathing fine and were free ranging today gobbling slugs and eating grass. But, I guess Punkin's floppiness confirms it's Marek's. I guess I have to accept this. I absolutely adore these little creatures. Absolutely adore them. They are sweet and beautiful. They know their names and come when I call. I only have three right now, but I'm going to lose a lot. Sorry to go on, I'm just unbelievably sad. I keep hoping it's something else, but I guess it's not. How did you know it was Marek's in your flock?

 

[ochochicas]

How did you know it was Marek's in your flock?

That is the million dollar questions. You don't know it is Marek's until a bird dies and you send it in for testing. My first bird that got sick was just not walking well and was sleeping in a nest box instead of on the roost. This went on for weeks. I came here thinking it could be Marek's but many thought it wasn't since she didn't have the classic one leg forward, one leg back posture. Three months later she still had use of one leg and had also developed paralysis in one wing. She had enteritis and i could feel a mass in her chest muscle. I was certain it was Marek's. I made an appointment to take her to the lab. Ironically she died the same day I called the lab. It was definitely Marek's. Testing of her and another sick pullet I had confirmed it.

Sadly, the whole time she was sick she was infecting the rest of my pullets. Everyone of the birds from her clutch died. I had a hatch of 20 younger chicks that were living in the barn. Of those 20, 18 died by the time they were 5 months old. I also lost all the pullets that were raised by my broody hen. One adult bird died from Marek's but the rest of them were fine since they were older when they were first exposed (five months old I think).

I am moving forward though. I am vaccinating everything now, and have the two survivors that will hopefully pass some resistance onto their chicks. It is horribly sad, but you have to hope some of your girls will have resistance and will survive. The heritage breeds like plymouth rock, RIR, Australorps, etc seem to be able to survive it better than the newer exotic breeds. Best of luck to you. Hang in there!

 

[SilkieNation]

That is the million dollar questions. You don't know it is Marek's until a bird dies and you send it in for testing. My first bird that got sick was just not walking well and was sleeping in a nest box instead of on the roost. This went on for weeks. I came here thinking it could be Marek's but many thought it wasn't since she didn't have the classic one leg forward, one leg back posture. Three months later she still had use of one leg and had also developed paralysis in one wing. She had enteritis and i could feel a mass in her chest muscle. I was certain it was Marek's. I made an appointment to take her to the lab. Ironically she died the same day I called the lab. It was definitely Marek's. Testing of her and another sick pullet I had confirmed it.

Sadly, the whole time she was sick she was infecting the rest of my pullets. Everyone of the birds from her clutch died. I had a hatch of 20 younger chicks that were living in the barn. Of those 20, 18 died by the time they were 5 months old. I also lost all the pullets that were raised by my broody hen. One adult bird died from Marek's but the rest of them were fine since they were older when they were first exposed (five months old I think).

I am moving forward though. I am vaccinating everything now, and have the two survivors that will hopefully pass some resistance onto their chicks. It is horribly sad, but you have to hope some of your girls will have resistance and will survive. The heritage breeds like plymouth rock, RIR, Australorps, etc seem to be able to survive it better than the newer exotic breeds. Best of luck to you. Hang in there!

How absolutely awful. I am so sorry you had to go through that - so many birds... I did send my roo in for testing - lymphomas - indicative of Marek's. He was nine though, but I can trace a stressful event that may have activated a latent virus. I guess because it's highly likely, but not definite, as I did not have the other defining tests done, I keep hoping. My fluff balls are 1.5-2 years old. They would have been exposed in March I'd say. They look so healthy- feathers gleaming. I just wonder how long this is going to last. It's wearing me out a bit. I am spending so much time taking care of them, making sure there are no stressors and everything is perfect for them. I'm glad you are moving on and wish you the very best!! I fear getting more birds as I've read the virus can stay active for years. Not sure I ever want to go through this again.

 

[ochochicas]

How absolutely awful. I am so sorry you had to go through that - so many birds... I did send my roo in for testing - lymphomas - indicative of Marek's. He was nine though, but I can trace a stressful event that may have activated a latent virus. I guess because it's highly likely, but not definite, as I did not have the other defining tests done, I keep hoping. My fluff balls are 1.5-2 years old. They would have been exposed in March I'd say. They look so healthy- feathers gleaming. I just wonder how long this is going to last. It's wearing me out a bit. I am spending so much time taking care of them, making sure there are no stressors and everything is perfect for them. I'm glad you are moving on and wish you the very best!! I fear getting more birds as I've read the virus can stay active for years. Not sure I ever want to go through this again.

If your hens are that old I doubt they all have Marek's. It is possible, but it is very unlikely. The oldest hen I had that died was 11 or 12 months. A nine year old rooster could die from anything. I hope it is something easy to cure and your three babies do fine.