One pullet left since Marek's hit.. Now what???

[azygous]

It's crucial to wait until the necropsy results come back so you know exactly what virus you're dealing with.

Marek's and LL are almost identical in symptoms and contagion, but one has a vaccination and the other does not. One exists almost indefinitely in the soil, no matter how much you try to santitize, while the other is very short lived in the environment and can be easily sanitized.

If you jump the gun and get more chickens, even if you get ones vaccinated against Marek's and it turns out you are dealing with lymphotic leucosis, the new hens will contract it because Marek's vaccination does no good against it.

 

[Leihamarie]

Well, it's confirmed Marek's. :-( I received this update from the necropsy:

10/11/16: Based on preliminary histopathology, this chicken had a severe lymphoproliferative disease affecting most of the organs of the body. The extent of involvement of the lung or heart alone would be sufficient to cause death. Bacterial culture did not identify any significant organisms. IBV and ILT, viral infections associated with of respiratory disease of chickens, have been ruled out. These findings and the age of the chicken are consistent with Marek’s disease, a contagious lymphoproliferative disorder of chickens. Marek’s disease is caused by Gallid herpesvirus-2. It is contagious among chickens however not all animals will show clinical signs. There is no treatment for Marek’s disease; it can be largely prevented by vaccination. Please see below for additional information on Marek’s disease. The report will be updated as pending test results become available"

It goes on to discuss the different vaccines available and their pros/cons.

I have Oxine for the coop, but what can I do about reducing the viral load in my soil? I only have 700 sq ft of yard. Moving my coop is not an option, although even if it were, there's not a speck of yard my girls haven't been in.

 

[Folly's place]

Again, I'm so sorry, but you can't do anything about your yard. Get only vaccinated older birds, and move on. Most of them will do okay, and of course optimal living conditions and feeding will help them thrive. You do need to keep biosecurity in mind, to protect everyone else's flocks. Mary

 

[azygous]

Try to understand this is not the end of the world or your ability to have and keep a healthy flock. You now know what you are dealing with.

You are "lucky" in that Marek's has a vaccine, and you can now specify that any chicks you purchase from this point going forward be vaccinated. Make sure you observe the protocol for exposure to your premises and your remaining adult hen until the new chicks have had time for the vaccine to develop immunity. Then you should be good to go!

Heed what Mary says about bio-security. Select a coop and run pair of footwear and outer clothing that you wear solely for your chicken care. Don't ever forget and wear that clothing when you leave your premises, especially if you're visiting with other chicken folks. You will have what is known as a "closed flock". You will never re-home any of your chickens. They may have immunity to Marek's but will still carry the disease.

Marek's is spread not only through direct contact, but on the wind, on clothing, and the virus lives in the environment for years. Nothing can be done about that, but you can still enjoy a healthy, productive flock. By the way, eggs are not affected by this disease, and are safe to sell and eat, just not for reproductive purposes.

Now, go order some chicks and get ready to start a flock for that lonely hen of yours!

 

[Leihamarie]

Thank you so much for your words of comfort, support and guidance you guys!

It sure did feel like it was the end of my chicken world there for a minute or two! Your support really helped.

I've been working with a byc friend to come up with a plan of attack to lessen the viral load in my yard and garden beds, sanitize the coop and do the best I can for moving forward.

I ordered 2 vaccinated pullets from a trustworthy local farm and they are the same age as my little lonely pullet. They'll be hand delivered this Sunday.

All-in-all, this has been a horrific ordeal but I have learned a LOT, am better prepared to handle it moving forward and am so, so grateful for this forum!

@Mary, thank you for your caution on biosecurity... I have alerted everyone I know and will probably post a sign for delivery men about the presence of Mareks on-site. I myself already carry shoe covers and special clothes for nursery trips and have asked chicken keeping friends and pet sitters to put shoe covers on when visiting. I don't want anyone to be caught off-guard or have to go through what I did (and might continue to) if I can help them avaoid it.

Thanks again!