Please tell me this isn't Marek's

[Atlantakycklingar]

Hey everybody,

I have a hen that is about 3 months old, purchase in a group of 8.

Today I noticed that she is wobbling about, I wouldn't even call it limping, more like fumbling about.

Her left leg seems to be injured or not working properly. She sit a lot, and moves around laboriously with her left leg often knuckled up beneath her, ie she's often walking on the knuckles, and occasionally with them in the correct position. She'll even sometimes have one toe out, and the others curled up under.

Seems to be eating and drinking okay so far, but is definitely smaller than the rest.

Previously, I always purchased day old chicks or hatched my own, but this time I bought some 2 week old chicks from someone. Is it possible that I got Marek's from them?

Also, is it possible that she just injured her leg?

What should I do? Any precautions I should take?

Thanks in advance!

 

[Nambroth]

Hi there, I'm really sorry to hear you are having problems! I know that heart-sinking feeling you are probably having. Take a deep breath!!

Unfortunately, no one online can really tell you for sure if it's Marek's or not. The best we can do is to try to help you puzzle out the symptoms and flock history to make an "educated guess". Fortunately, if you do want to have testing done (they can test blood from a live bird) or lose a bird (I truly hope that you don't!) you have some of the best poultry science labs in your state, at the University of GA's poultry sciences extension. They are in Athens, but it's still much easier when they are in the same state as you are.

The best thing to do is to learn about all of the look-alikes and see if any of them seem to 'fit' with what you are experiencing. Please check this link, and scroll down to "SYMPTOMS AND DISEASE DETAILS" then scroll a bit more until you see: "Are there any other diseases that look like Marek's?". There are a list of diseases and ailments that can cause these types of symptoms (paralysis-like problems, lameness or poor control of the legs, wings, and sometimes neck). Read through and see if anything fits. Important things to look at are your flock history... meaning, have you ever experienced any other illness in your flock, or had a chicken die, or have you added any new birds? I know you added the new chicks, and that is a possible source for disease, yes. How long ago did you add them to your flock?

 

[Atlantakycklingar]

Never had any other illness or chickens die other than when a hawk got one and an opossum got two.

Got the chicks in January and added them to the flock about a month ago I'd say, maybe a month and a half.

Thank you so much for the link, I'll look through it right now!