Possible mareks disease?

[Noggin5]

hi all,
I was hoping you’d be able to help me diagnose my little sexlink- I noticed today she’s been acting like this- sitting down and not seeming to have strength to stand.
My husband just told me now that she was like this yesterday evening as well. I’ve separated her into a carrier with food and water just in case.
Her eyes seem bright, although when I went to give her another once over, her left eye was closing and right was open like normal.
I don’t know if she’s been laying lately, she’s one of a flock of 10 and I can’t tell unless it’s my Easter eggers who’s laying. She does seem a little thinner than she has been in the past. I suspected mareks (hence the separation) but if it’s that, the whole flock’s been exposed. She’s 2 or 3 years old so I was curious if it was unlikely to be that since she’s older and I read that it typically presents in younger birds?
I have also read on this forum to try vitamin supplements- any suggestions for what I should get from tractor supply, if you think that might help?
I feel bad she won’t be snuggling with her friends in the coop tonight while I figure this out
Thanks for any advice!

 

[Unexpected chicken lover]

I'm sorry, I'm not well versed in Marek's but I do know younger ones are more susceptible but it lies dormant and stress or anything can trigger an onset of symptoms....anything new going on in your flock? I'm going to call on @KikisGirls , she is much more knowledgeable about illnesses than I

 

[Noggin5]

Thank you! Nothing new since a few months ago when we brought some new girls in- and I can’t confirm if any/all of them had the vaccination, either- they’ve come from various places over the years!

 

[Kiki]

You can try vitamins...Nutri-Drench is a good one and it is sold at TSC but I don't think that is going to help much, I am sorry.
I think this maybe Marek's.

If the newer birds did have the vaccine they can still be carriers of the disease and could have passed it on. The vaccine sucks, imo, because it only prevents some of the symptoms and does not prevent the disease.

 

[Noggin5]

You can try vitamins...Nutri-Drench is a good one and it is sold at TSC but I don't think that is going to help much, I am sorry.
I think this maybe Marek's.

If the newer birds did have the vaccine they can still be carriers of the disease and could have passed it on. The vaccine sucks, imo, because it only prevents some of the symptoms and does not prevent the disease.

Thanks so much, I didn’t even know that about the vaccine. What would you do in this situation, given your experience? Try the vitamins and see what happens? Since it was such a quick onset, is it also a fast killer? Can I do anything at all to prevent the spreading of it even though they’ve all likely been exposed at this point? Or is my whole flock doomed?

 

[Kiki]

Thanks so much, I didn’t even know that about the vaccine. What would you do in this situation, given your experience? Try the vitamins and see what happens? Since it was such a quick onset, is it also a fast killer? Can I do anything at all to prevent the spreading of it even though they’ve all likely been exposed at this point? Or is my whole flock doomed?

Some birds can recover.

Some of your birds may not even show symptoms.

I have not lived through this disease yet so I can't speak from experience here.
I am going to tag someone who has and will be better able to help you decide what to do.
@rebrascora @Nambroth

 

[Kiki]

For what it's worth I would offer vitamins and see what happens.
If she didn't improve with in a day or started to get worse I would cull.

 

[rebrascora]

Hi

Sadly it does look like Marek's. It is interesting that she has an eye closing as this can be one of the more subtle symptoms.

Nothing new since a few months ago when we brought some new girls in- and I can’t confirm if any/all of them had the vaccination, either- they’ve come from various places over the years!

This puts your flock at high risk of getting infected with Marek's even if you perform strict quarantine for a few weeks. Bringing in anything other than day old chicks from a hatchery or hatching eggs yourself, increases the risks, especially if they are from various sources. The incubation period is at least 3 weeks, so it may have been the new girls that brought it in most recently or your current sick girl could have come to you infected and it has just been dormant until now.

The virus is spread via dander dust which is inhaled into the respiratory system to infect other birds. It then goes through an apparently dormant phase (at least from external observation) and will remain so for at least 3 weeks but it can be significantly longer like months or perhaps even years until an outbreak is triggered. This is often stress related and what stresses one bird may not stress another. Common triggers are integration of youngsters into an adult flock, too many adolescent cockerels in the flock running amok, surge of hormones at point of lay, change of hormones during moult etc but can be as individual as a minor challenge for position in the pecking order. Like people, stress is perceived differently by individuals.
It is surprising how quickly onset occurs, often overnight they go from perfectly normal to hobbling. I've had a few that within a space of a week, went from being perfectly fine to hobbling, to floundering on their side unable to get up, in classic Marek's splits posture, to up and limping to then running around like there had never been anything amiss. They are of course prone to future attack which might happen in a matter of weeks or even longer than a year, but during that time you just cannot tell that there is anything wrong with them. Others take weeks or even months of supportive care but can make considerable improvement and some deteriorate and either die or are euthanized once they lose interest in food.

They are actively shedding the virus whilst they are symptomatic but I take the view that my flock have already been exposed, so I keep them in contact with the flock as much as possible. Separating them stresses or depresses them and then they get worse or give up fighting it.
It is a very odd disease as no two birds respond the same and some recover from an episode without any treatment, so people who claim that their bird responded to St John's Wort or various other remedies may have found that their bird recovered regardless of the remedy administered and I am sceptical of such claims. I've tried some of these suggested treatments and in the end the most important thing is to keep the bird as happy as you can. If you make their food unpalatable with supplements or additives or force feed them medication, it is counter productive. I now give them a good poultry vitamin supplement to support their immune system which they find palatable, put them out in a large cage on grass in the sunshine whenever possible within sight of the flock and give them extra nutritious treats to keep their interest in food. Encouraging the flock to forage around them by scattering a bit of scratch helps to stimulate them to eat and fermented feed or probiotics help to support the digestive system.
There are however people who cull to prevent further shedding of the virus and I think that may be a very valid practice. I just cannot personally bring myself to euthanize a bird that is bright eyed and keen to eat and wants to live unless I know there is no hope and my experience indicates that some do recover and have a very good quality of life in between outbreaks. That said I have one of the milder strains of the disease and everyone has to make their own decisions based on their own situation and goals.
I still broody rear chicks within my flock.... I currently have a broody who had a Marek's episode 6 months ago about to hatch eggs this coming weekend. 1 (or 2 if I am unlucky) may get the disease and die, 1 or 2 may get it and survive and if my previous experience continues, most will not get it but of course, at least half will be cockerels that will be culled anyway, so they may never get the chance to show symptoms.

I hope your girl is a survivor, but entirely understand if you do not want to take the risk and decide to cull her. Good luck whichever way it goes and if you have any questions about it or need some support, please feel free to ask.

Best wishes

Barbara

PS. If she doesn't make it, it can be beneficial to have a necropsy done to give you a confirmed cause of death.... Marek's is an extremely common and widespread disease, so it is the likely diagnosis for your girl but it is possible that she has something else. State Ag Dept diagnostic labs will perform this service and it is usually significantly cheaper contacting them direct rather than submitting a bird through a vet or getting a vet who may have little knowledge of poultry to perform it themselves. Most have websites which list services and charges.

 

[Kiki]

Thank you! Nothing new since a few months ago when we brought some new girls in- and I can’t confirm if any/all of them had the vaccination, either- they’ve come from various places over the years!

If you are in the US check here for your state lab:
Necropsy and disease testing lab info

State labs are the way to go...cheaper and even free necropsies in some states...should you want to get one.

 

[Noggin5]

Wow, that is so incredibly helpful, thank you all so much for taking the time to reply! Such good information. This morning she was just sitting in the bottom of the carrier with the one eye closed and other wide open. She seems alert otherwise but I can’t tell if she ate or drank overnight- I suspect not. I haven’t had to cull before and honestly dread the thought, but I suppose I’ll give it a day or two to see if she improves- I’d hate to see her suffer. I really hope the rest of the flock isn’t affected.