Possible Mareks Disease... Could use some help/info

[Havrah]

Very beautiful girls by the way and love the cake! Did u make it? I can tell u love urs like I do mine they are totally spoiled too they are my kids I would do anything for them.

 

[ebuxton]

That is very interesting "Havrah"! I wonder if it would be safe to give if she does not have Mareks?! Right now, it is very uncertain, all she currently has is a limp. What symptoms did your birds have? Were they still able to roost? I have her inside with us hoping that with rest, she will improve. Otherwise, I imagine we will begin to see other symptoms. Thanks for the info. I will ask my husband to pick some up on his way home.

 

[ebuxton]

Yes, I put frozen fruit and a can of corn in a jello mould and froze it. It was in the 90s that day. They LOVED it! and it lasted long enough for everyone to have some! (I have 16 birds)

 

[Havrah]

Yes it's totally safe and a good pain med if she's experiencing any. If there's a chance it's mareks u don't want to wait too long or it might not work. My little girl had what u would call torticollis(twisted neck)a symptom of mareks here's a pic of her when it first happend she would walk normal for a moment head to side then she would go in to a tail spin head under body it was horrible to watch luckily it didnt last long I started her on the hypericum ASAP.

The others all had a variety of different symptoms leg lameness and such not all the same.

 

[Havrah]

That is so creative u could add all kinds of goodies in that cant wait to try it!!

so need to make sure ur hubby gets the homeopathic kind this thread has a picture of the little tube it comes in. Also need distilled water to mix it with. I've heard of this correcting other issues as well.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/...ericum-worked-in-15-minutes-shes-walking/0_50

 

[Havrah]

How's she doing?

 

[ebuxton]

Well, she is still limping. But she never got any worse! And she really makes an effort to get around. I let her back with the others since everything I read about Mareks seems to imply that they would have all been exposed anyway. Should I assume that means we are only dealing with an injury and not a disease? None of my other birds have any kind of symptoms. I have noticed that one of the roosters started acting really mean lately. I don't know why, he used to be pretty mellow. He is also very big! I am starting to think I will have to get rid of him. He might be the reason why my Polish is limping. I actually crated him the other night. I know there is a certain amount of bossiness to be expected, but he is literally tearing around the yard after some of the girls, and it doesn't matter who: Silver-laced Wyandottes (like him), Golden-laced Wyandottes, and the silver-laced Polish all are being chased around by him. The Silver-laced Polish Roo won't put up with it though, he's pretty protective of his girls. I think I probably have a ratio issue that I need to deal with in some way. I am hoping and praying that the Mareks scare is over, but still not sure...

Thanks for checking on us.

 

[Havrah]

Yeah I've had the same prob with my Roos when they become teenagers hormones go crazy and turn into little monsters sometimes its definately worse with too many Roos not enough hens or space. Sounds like u have them free roam which is better I've heard ratio is supposed to be 10-12 hens per roo. But some Roos just don't have manners and can stress the hens out and cause injuries. Often I've found they grow out of that stage but not always. I put mine in time out. Lol right now I have so many Roos that just hit that age they started harassing and raping the poor girls and competing with eachther I had to make a separate area for them till I can find good homes for them.
Have u checked the leg and foot for sign of injury feel both sides see if they feel the same. Feel for swelling or hotter area or if there's a bone out of place. Move the leg back to front and around. Make sure to check the bottom of the feet and toes for injuries. Leg injuries are hard to heal in birds unless u set a broken bone ASAP it will always be outa wack cause they heal very quickly. It can be a dislocation that can be fixed by moving the leg around a certain way but it might be too late for that too. U can or may have found information on this already. Unfortunately it may not be corectlble at this point. I've had very young polish with leg problems that I've corrected with leg hobbles.
If ur able u should get some of that hypericum to have on hand if nothing else but to treat pain. U can see if it helps her at all. But it's good that she's able to be with the flock a bit definately keep that roo away from her I would definately rehome him. Also if u ever hatch chicks u can do a mareks vaccine in day olds if u separate them for the ten days or so it takes to work. It's good ur getting nursing experience I worked as a vet tech for a while has helped alot.
Keep us updated let me know if u want more specifics or resources for anything I mentioned.

 

[ebuxton]

Yep, I have 3 roosters and 13 hens. Now we can see why I have an issue starting up. They are actually pretty cute because they all hang out in their own little groups. I have 5 S-L Wyandotte hens- one roo, 4 S-L Polish hens- one roo, and 4 G-L Wyandotte hens- one roo. I have been informed by other chicken enthusiasts that I have to get rid of 2 of my roosters. We will have to see who ends up staying. I only ordered one rooster, the S-L Wyandotte meanie, the G-L Wyandotte roo was the result of hatchery error and the S-L Polish roo was from a straight run.
As far as the leg, Yes, I went over it with a fine-toothed comb. There was no discoloration, no swelling, no signs of pain even. Its a big mystery. I guess there is still a possibility that its Mareks. No one has told me when I should not consider it anymore...