Pennsylvania!! Unite!!

[Lelanae]

I just got an updated report from Penn State for Henny. She actually had a second type of cancer in her other than Marek's tunors. But they cannot tell what caused the second type cancer. I don't know if I should get any more chicks if there is another disease in my flock. All my other girls look healthy though.

If a chicken train heads from my house to yours, I could give you a young hen that has been vaccinated.
I had Mereks in my coop too.

 

[VictoriaTemple]

So did I

 

[TillyPeeps]

If a chicken train heads from my house to yours, I could give you a young hen that has been vaccinated.
I had Mereks in my coop too.

Thanks a lot for the kind offer. However, I already ordered some vaccinated chicks online, so I don't need to take your girl. I would just get chicks from Dennis, but my son want an Ameraucana girl just like Candy, the sweet girl we lost to Marek. But I'm not sure if I should cancel the order. None of my other girls showed any sign of illness, so it maybe ok. My chicks will not be shipped until June, so I still have time to watch for potential illness in my flock.

 

[TillyPeeps]

So did I

Thanks a lot. You guys are so sweet! If there is another severe disease in my flock, I will have to wait until all my current flock member pass away because even yong hens may not survive. I just need to wait and see what happens in the next few months.

 

[VictoriaTemple]

I did a little reading on Marek’s disease when I discovered it in my flock. I understand that with a few generations of breeding, an infected flock can evolve an immunity to the disease. That’s what I’m hoping for. None of my flock’s children have shown any signs of Marek’s, though I have lost a few outsiders I introduced. So I guess we’re making progress.

 

[TillyPeeps]

I did a little reading on Marek’s disease when I discovered it in my flock. I understand that with a few generations of breeding, an infected flock can evolve an immunity to the disease. That’s what I’m hoping for. None of my flock’s children have shown any signs of Marek’s, though I have lost a few outsiders I introduced. So I guess we’re making progress.

I heard chicks can get antibodies from their mothers. That may help them to have time to develop resistance. I lost two girls to Marek so far. Both had coccidiosis when they got sick. So I guess coccidiosis had impact to their immune system and triggered the tumor development. I feel the coccidiosis has resistance to Corid, so it keeps coming back to my flock.

 

[dheltzel]

My understanding of coccidosis is that it is similar to E. coli, in that chickens build up a tolerance for the organism and it no longer runs wild and causes symptoms, but becomes part of the regular "flora" of the gut. The vaccine for cocci is very specific that you should not feed medicated feed or treat with Corid (or any other coccidistat) as that will kill off the live organisms that make up the vaccine.
Medicated feed merely provides a suppression of the growth of the Cocci protozoa, it does not kill them. You really don't want to kill off all the Cocci or the resistance will not happen and they will be unprotected in a future exposure. Coccidosis in older birds is the result of exposure to a new strain (or species, there are several that can infect poultry) or (I believe) the addition of stress factors that compromise the immunity the bird had acquired.

 

[dheltzel]

I did a little reading on Marek’s disease when I discovered it in my flock. I understand that with a few generations of breeding, an infected flock can evolve an immunity to the disease. That’s what I’m hoping for. None of my flock’s children have shown any signs of Marek’s, though I have lost a few outsiders I introduced. So I guess we’re making progress.

Read these, they are the best resources I have found.
The Great Big Giant Marek's Disease FAQ - https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/the-great-big-giant-mareks-disease-faq.66077
This chicken vaccine makes its virus more dangerous - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/science/tthis-chicken-vaccine-makes-virus-dangerous

 

[dheltzel]

I should also add that resistance to Marek's is real, but perhaps not absolute. I have hundreds of healthy birds on the farm and only a few are vaccinated for Marek's. I have been intentionally growing out large number of the more susceptible breeds to have them culled by disease or harsh winters, so I only breed from the most robust and (presumably) resistant. Legbars seem especially prone to wasting away and getting paralysis (never tested for Marek's, but given it's ubiquity, I think it is likely). I have a group of 11 hens that are very healthy at 4+ years. Got 9 eggs from that group the last few days also, so they really are superstars. I have lost many Legbars, Welbars and Ameraucanas over the years, but can't remember it ever happening to a Copper Marans or Breda Fowl.

Seems to bother my favorite breeds the most

 

[VictoriaTemple]

Figures. I have lost Marans to Marek’s, both yours and Kim Renninger’s, but I undoubtedly have a different strain here (our first Marek’s infection came from a vaccinated Brahma chick from Ideal hatchery). Whatever coccidiasis or mycoplasma we are also fighting further complicates matters. I’ve decided to treat adults when they show acute symptoms, but mostly depend on the others with simple chronic symptoms to adapt and build their immunity without treatment. Marans seem particularly susceptible, developing both respiratory symptoms and decreased laying, so although they are a favorite breed of mine I’m going to stop adding Marans to my flock for the foreseeable future. I’m considering adding Dorking, Plymouth Rock, and 1 or 2 more Brahmas to the mix and see if the disease resistance further develops.