Please help! Tumor on chicken neck?

[TheYLWFlock]

Ok awesome, I didn’t know about the two weeks away thing, although I would have quarantined anyways. @rebrascora if you have the time to chime in it would be awesome

 

[rebrascora]

Sorry to hear that Marek's was confirmed but great that she is still happy and muddling along with her tumour.

We found a place near us that vaccinates their chicks for Mareks.

It very much depends upon the place and their facilities and their understanding of Marek's. Once the chicks are vaccinated, they need to be kept in quite strict biosecurity for at least 2 but ideally 3 weeks so that the vaccine has time to become established before possible exposure to the virus. Some breeders vaccinate because they have Marek's in their flock and use it as a "get out clause", so that anyone claiming they bought chicks that subsequently got Marek's have no come back, but if they don't practice strict bio security after vaccination, then it is really just lip service. If they are serious about bio secutiry they will not let you see or handle the chicks and they should be kept in a separate room with clothing change and hand wash before entry. Most small breeders will struggle to adhere to this protocol and these are the sort of measures you should be considering yourself if you buy chicks under 3 weeks old that have been vaccinated, to prevent the risk of cross contamination from your infected flock.

Personally I am not a fan of the vaccine for Marek's which is available for back yard flocks (there are other vaccines which are used by the industry which are more effective but not available to the public) as there are concerns that it is allowing the virus to mutate and become more aggressive.
I would rather breed from the birds within my flock that do not exhibit symptoms and I am certainly seeing a steady decline in instances of Marek's over time (several years). I appreciate that not everyone is able to take this route and it may not be the best option for everyone.

 

[WVduckchick]

Ok awesome, I didn’t know about the two weeks away thing, although I would have quarantined anyways. @rebrascora if you have the time to chime in it would be awesome

Bummer of an outcome, but good that you got a diagnosis.

 

[TheYLWFlock]

Thanks @rebrascora for that info. What if the chickens w are getting are over 3 weeks old when we get them? We wa t vaccinated birds, but we want guaranteed pullets.

 

[rebrascora]

Then, providing that they have not been exposed to Marek's in that first 3 week period prior to you getting them, they should be as protected as they are ever going to be but the vaccine is not 100% perfect so there is no absolute guarantee, but better odds than my situation, raising chicks from surviving stock. You will have to consider managing things so that there is a minimum stress to your original flock who are obviously still vulnerable to the disease, particularly during integration and be aware that the new birds can bring other viruses and parasites like different strains of coccidia with them, which your existing birds may be vulnerable to, particularly as Marek's compromised the immune system, so just be vigilant and perhaps have Corid on hand or know where you can source it quickly if need be.

 

[TheYLWFlock]

Awesome thanks!

 

[shaw613]

I'm wondering how this turned out .... just found a similar tumor/abscess on one of my cockerels. He acts totally fine; just has this large ping pong ball sized tumor on his neck.