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

[SilkieNation]

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.

Well, from what I have read, it is possible in an old(er) bird if the virus was latent, it's just rare. My vet who's and avian vet is not hopeful, but I need to talk with him. My roo did have the kind of lymphoma you find with Marek's. What I don't understand is that if my birds all have Marek's, would there be a steady decline? I've read that some birds die with no symptoms. But mine do look pretty darn good. They are eating now, but not their feed. The one who got floppy is a bit slower and doesn't eat as much. But - I got an egg today!! An egg. Haven't seen one of those for at least 5-6 weeks. I guess it's a waiting game, maybe some blood work on the slow one.

Anyway, I do wish you the very best. I hope you get a great bunch of new birds and they stay healthy and happy for a very long time!

 

[MidwestChickens]

hey guys. I bought some dark Brahmas from Big R almost 3 months ago. they seem healthy except for an occasional sneezing when eating. I have read that chickens may sneeze if they get dust in their noses. is this true? also do you guys know if places like big r and tsc have their chicks vaccinated? if not what are the signs of mareks? thnx

 

[JeanR]

Depending upon the Hatchery Big R gets their chicks shipped from, you MAY be able to order a number of a breed to be vaccinated for Marek's Disease (maybe cocci, but your care will prevent that infection.) Otherwise, none are vaccinated for anything, but are almost always, nice healthy chicks when shipped!
I have ordered vaccinated pullet chicks and they are kept separate at the store, for pickup, so are not ever exposed. It takes at least 2 weeks after vaccination to develop immunity, so I keep them separate at home, also, until added to the Poultry house. My own chicks that I hatch, I vaccinate day of hatch. You could vaccinate day olds from Hatcheries with pretty good assurance that they were not exposed at the Hatchery?? Worth it--as Marek's is a LONG LIVED VIRUS and once you have it on your premises, you can expect that you will ALWAYS have it. Good luck

 

[ochochicas]

One of the signs my older pullets have before becoming sick is coughing while eating. It sounds like a sneeze, but it is definitely coughing. Sometimes I'll see food come flying out of their mouths when they cough. I think they have tumors in their throat or chest that interfere with eating, and later with breathing.

If you got chicks from the hatchery that were vaccinated, they should have told you when you got them.

It looks like my string of not having sick chickens is coming to an end. My vaccinated cockerel has been laying around a lot. He is eating and going out with his pullets, but he is more lethargic today than he was active. Tonight he went to the roost and just sat there with his eyes closed. At the same time, one of my unvaccinated Australorps that I thought was resistant seems to be sick. She went broody a couple of weeks ago and stopped laying. I broke her from being broody, but she never returned to normal. She spends all day on the hill next to the yard and does not want to hang out with the other chickens. She is eating well though. Tonight she is in the coop panting heavily. It is only 70 degrees out, so I doubt it is heat related. Do you think they get a fever with Marek's? It is something I never thought of. I gave the cockerel Tylan but didn't give any to the hen. I think it is already too late for her.

 

[seminolewind]

Maybe the heat here is a stressor. It's been an unusual 95 degrees her for a few months now.

Ocho, my discovery sounds like yours. I hatched 10 chicks and starting at 6 weeks, they developed paralysis and loss of their neck control and I culled them. One by one. That was very sad. But undoubtedly Marek's. Marek's does not follow any rules. I had 9 silkie hens at the time and just one got paralysis. The rest were fine and I still have my first silkie roo who is 7. I just started with the lab necropsies last year. And what I found was that most had died from microbes growing out of control with Marek's immunosuppression. So now , if they're over a year old and start getting skinny or don't look so well, I put them on antibiotics and then worm them. I believe I have 2 right now that kind of turn blue or dusky when they rest, and I"m thinking aspergillosis, which is something I can't do anything about. But I do have Nystatin and give them each a bit every day.

MidwestChickens, it's pretty unlikely that chicks sold by those places are vaccinated. And asking a salesperson is like asking a door knob. No idea but they tell you "I think so". I have a link at the bottom of my posts that says Marek's the Big FAQ. It will tell you most Marek's stuff you want to know. I don't think occassional sneezing is a sign of anything.

 

[seminolewind]

One of the signs my older pullets have before becoming sick is coughing while eating. It sounds like a sneeze, but it is definitely coughing. Sometimes I'll see food come flying out of their mouths when they cough. I think they have tumors in their throat or chest that interfere with eating, and later with breathing.

If you got chicks from the hatchery that were vaccinated, they should have told you when you got them.

It looks like my string of not having sick chickens is coming to an end. My vaccinated cockerel has been laying around a lot. He is eating and going out with his pullets, but he is more lethargic today than he was active. Tonight he went to the roost and just sat there with his eyes closed. At the same time, one of my unvaccinated Australorps that I thought was resistant seems to be sick. She went broody a couple of weeks ago and stopped laying. I broke her from being broody, but she never returned to normal. She spends all day on the hill next to the yard and does not want to hang out with the other chickens. She is eating well though. Tonight she is in the coop panting heavily. It is only 70 degrees out, so I doubt it is heat related. Do you think they get a fever with Marek's? It is something I never thought of. I gave the cockerel Tylan but didn't give any to the hen. I think it is already too late for her.

Try aspirin. I've never used Tylanol on them, I don't know if it's safe. I hope your string of not having sick chickens isn't coming to an end. It may be for different reasons.

 

[ochochicas]

Everyone is the same this morning, no worse yet no better. Poor Elvira is on the roost panting away. The cockerel is on his roost with his pullets and seems slow but not horrible. I'll see how they do at feeding time. The Marek's ones always look worse after they eat. If my vaccinated birds start to die I'm giving up!

 

[saltandpepper2]

Looks like I will be struck by mareks this year. Ironically, with a chick I bought, not one I bred. Woke up today with my bantam Cochin Panting and fluffed up in the corner of the pen. Picked him up, no struggle, and felt him. Looks like he hasn't eaten from the last few feedings, because his crop was completely empty. I put him down, and he started walking, but seemed very dazed and lethargic. He's now hiding under a tree in the woods.

 

[ochochicas]

How is your cochin doing today?

My two seem to be doing better. The crazy australorp still pants at night, but during the day when it is hot outside she is fine and free ranges all over the yard. She is eating well, but has lost weight since May. The cockerel has diarrhea. I added Wazine to his treatment and he was eating like a horse this morning. Meanwhile, Typhoid Mary has a puffy eye today. I often think I should cull her, but I know I can't do it unless she is suffering.

 

[saltandpepper2]

He's acting... Ok. Walking around, hanging out with the slower birds, but not eating or foraging.
Glad yours are starting to act better, and I know, it's always so hard to cull a bird.