Please help with large tumor!!!

[oldhenlikesdogs]

I see an occasional Mareks bird. It hasn't run run rampant here. When it's apparent one has it we generally cull to remove it as those actively showing symptoms are shedding the virus. I see it in young birds 6 weeks to 4 months. I've never seen an adult bird exhibit symptoms. My understanding is either they become resistant or the succumb, and we remove them for the betterment of the flock. I don't vaccinate.

I do have some turkeys which I read can give chickens immunity to Mareks, but even before the turkeys I didn't see a lot of problems. I may lose a chick per batch and some years none.

I don't think anyone can avoid Mareks. To me it's just another management issue. We always remove sick birds if they don't improve on their own within a week. Chickens are generally healthy up until they are not, and than it's hard to stop the down slide. Keeping sick birds around and treating them has always been not recommended at least in my experiences.

Practice good husbandry, especially as chicks are maturing. Stress can make the difference between a chick building immunity to Mareks or becoming symptomatic. Don't crowd, overheat, allow multiple cockerals to harass pullets, older birds to harass chicks, provide good feed, clean water, dry bedding, and generally make it a nice place for chicks to grow up to minimize the numbers that may become sick due to a stressed immune system.

That's my 2 cents on Mareks.

 

[rebrascora]

Personally I am not in favour of the vaccine as it is leaky and may in fact be leading to hotter strains of the virus developing. You also need to practice extremely strict bio security during the first few weeks to give it time to develop in the chicks' systems before exposure to the virus. I would however go for the necropsy testing as and when she expires, assuming it is not exorbitantly expensive. Costs of necropsies and testing varies significantly from state to state. It is much cheaper to have it done by a state Ag diagnostics facility than a private vet though. Only you know how your finances stand and where your economic priorities lie.

I cannot list you any specific reading to back up my experience but there are a group of us here on BYC that have a similar experience with Marek's. Keeping birds happy and as stress free as possible is important to them surviving with it, but it also depends on the strain. Here in the UK it seems that most people's experience is similar to mine that the odd one dies, but in the states there do seem to be hotter strains that kill much higher percentages of chicks in the first instance. I still think yours is likely a mild one if that is in fact the eventual diagnosis.

 

[rebrascora]

I see an occasional Mareks bird. It hasn't run run rampant here. When it's apparent one has it we generally cull to remove it as those actively showing symptoms are shedding the virus. I see it in young birds 6 weeks to 4 months. I've never seen an adult bird exhibit symptoms. My understanding is either they become resistant or the succumb, and we remove them for the betterment of the flock. I don't vaccinate.

I do have some turkeys which I read can give chickens immunity to Mareks, but even before the turkeys I didn't see a lot of problems. I may lose a chick per batch and some years none.

I don't think anyone can avoid Mareks. To me it's just another management issue. We always remove sick birds if they don't improve on their own within a week. Chickens are generally healthy up until they are not, and than it's hard to stop the down slide. Keeping sick birds around and treating them has always been not recommended at least in my experiences.

Practice good husbandry, especially as chicks are maturing. Stress can make the difference between a chick building immunity to Mareks or becoming symptomatic. Don't crowd, overheat, allow multiple cockerals to harass pullets, older birds to harass chicks, provide good feed, clean water, dry bedding, and generally make it a nice place for chicks to grow up to minimize the numbers that may become sick due to a stressed immune system.

That's my 2 cents on Mareks.

Very

I'm just too soft to cull the sick ones and although I have lost some, I have also had some pretty miraculous recoveries, so if birds are bright eyed and eating and show the will to fight it, I support them in that. Once they stop eating, I euthanize.

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

Very

I'm just too soft to cull the sick ones and although I have lost some, I have also had some pretty miraculous recoveries, so if birds are bright eyed and eating and show the will to fight it, I support them in that. Once they stop eating, I euthanize.

It is extremely difficult to make that decision to cull a young bird that I have raised and gotten attached to. When I first saw Mareks in a young bird I did as all probably do and I kept it separately and did my best to help it to no avail. I watched it slowly become worse and we culled right at the end. It wasn't a better outcome, and was probably worse outcome for the bird.

I now give them a week or two to watch if the symptoms progress. I always leave them with their friends if they are doing okay. I feel a quick end before it gets too bad is best. I do get upset over it, but unfortunately I can't protect them all. The best I can do is try to prevent it, and to prevent it's spread to others who may be susceptible.

I grew up on a farm and farmed for a while myself. You learn pretty quickly those hard lessons, and you learn you have to make many decisions about animals lives that aren't pleasant. It's one of the many reason we got out of dairy farming. Keeping chickens is a much better thing for me, and the culling decisions I make now are always in the best interest of the animal or other members. They are still hard, but unfortunately that's a part of life.

 

[Tesumph]

The first flock I had was when I was around 13 and didn’t know much (although I did tons of research, I was inexperienced). Right when some started laying, all the birds started getting sick one by one. Started with lameness in one or both legs, then the wings, then they seemed confused and disoriented with some respiratory distress I think. It was a long time ago but the lameness is what I remember most. My mom and I desperately tried to nurse them back to health when a bird started showing signs but we could never turn it around.
Towards the end as soon as one started stumbling and went off feed we put it down. We ended up with two hens from around 14 and those two were pulled through a wire grate and torn apart by raccoons. Needless to say it was all horrifying and we didn’t get chickens for a couple years, and we had moved by then. I still wonder if that was mareks or something else we totally messed up. If I had been older I would’ve gotten a necropsy for sure.

I have some videos stored somewhere, maybe I’ll collect them and start a thread and see what people think.

 

[rebrascora]

It is extremely difficult to make that decision to cull a young bird that I have raised and gotten attached to.

I'm sorry if it looked like I was suggesting you were heartless.... that was not my intention at all. In fact I admire your determination to do the right thing for your flock as a whole. I know that I am increasing the risk by supporting birds that are actively shedding the virus. Euthanizing a bird is never easy. For me, I have to be reasonably sure there is no hope before I can do it and because I have had some that have successfully battled this disease and regained a good quality of life, that encourages me to support them in fighting it for as long as they are bright eyed and eating.

 

[casportpony]

I have some videos stored somewhere, maybe I’ll collect them and start a thread and see what people think.

I'd be interested in seeing that.

 

[microchick]

Like @rebrascora and @ronott1 along with others, I am fighting Marek's in my flock and have to agree 100% with what has been said.

I had a particularly virulent strain of the disease hit my flock early last year and while my birds for the most part survived the initial infection with only a few loss in the original infection, I lost approximately 40% of my flock within a year. At the moment I have one hen remaining with Ocular Marek's. She just turned 3 and is going strong. I have other birds that I sure are showing the long term effects of the disease but for the most part mine all succumbed to infections, neurological problems or heart and lung involvement before the age of 2 and a half years of age. I recently had to put down a Buff O rooster with ocular Marek's because he received a severe pecking injury in his good eye that blinded him.

Like rebrascora said. When they stop eating your hands are tied.

I also do my best to keep them happy, healthy and stress free (right, like that is possible with chickens who create their own stress) and hope for the best. I'm not unrealistic though. I know it is everywhere and I'll eventually loose more birds but for now I celebrate my flock.

 

[ronott1]

Like @rebrascora and @ronott1 along with others, I am fighting Marek's in my flock and have to agree 100% with what has been said.

I had a particularly virulent strain of the disease hit my flock early last year and while my birds for the most part survived the initial infection with only a few loss in the original infection, I lost approximately 40% of my flock within a year. At the moment I have one hen remaining with Ocular Marek's. She just turned 3 and is going strong. I have other birds that I sure are showing the long term effects of the disease but for the most part mine all succumbed to infections, neurological problems or heart and lung involvement before the age of 2 and a half years of age. I recently had to put down a Buff O rooster with ocular Marek's because he received a severe pecking injury in his good eye that blinded him.

Like rebrascora said. When they stop eating your hands are tied.

I also do my best to keep them happy, healthy and stress free (right, like that is possible with chickens who create their own stress) and hope for the best. I'm not unrealistic though. I know it is everywhere and I'll eventually loose more birds but for now I celebrate my flock.

 

[PouleChick]

Fascinated to hear what happens with your lovely chook. I hope it turns out OK.