possible marek's? Silkies / Polish hens dying.

[mljurgens]

Hi,

I purchased 2 silkie bantams and 2 polish hens at a chicken swap in May. They are 4 months old. Four weeks ago, the silkie rooster went lame, but after a day or two, seemed to return to normal, only to go lame again and die two weeks ago.

Yesterday, we awoke to one of the polish hens sitting in the bottom of the pen, and is similarly lame. She is eating and kind of hobbling around the pen to get to food and water, but I fear she is going down the same path.

I don't know if I can help this bird, and how to protect, if I can, the remaining two.

I thought they were vaccinated, but cannot find the vendor I purchased them from.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

 

[leadwolf1]

This is one reason I would never buy a bird from a swap.

I'm sorry to say that it sounds like you are dealing with Marek's.

First. Separate the sick bird. It has been shown that symptomatic birds shed more virus then asymptomatic. Practice strict quarantine procedures with the sick bird. Clean the enclosure with bleach. Spraying everything with a bleach/water mixture. Put in all fresh bedding. Scrub feed/waterers well. Allow all to air dry before refilling or putting the chickens back in.

Second. Find a state lab to perform a necropsy on your sick bird. She will need to be euthanized. The lab may do this for you. If not, you will need to find a way to euthanize her. Keep her refrigerated if you can't get to the lab immediately. You can find this information of the internet or by calling your local government extension office. State labs will normally do them for little to no cost. MIne were $35.

Marek's is spread through the soil, air, dander, feces and saliva. Once it is on your property, it can remain there for 7 or more years. The only thing you can do now, if it is Marek's, is to only purchase vaccinated chicks and keep them isolated for 6 weeks to 6 months. As for the ones you already have, the only thing that you can do is purchase the vaccine and vaccinate. At this point, they have been exposed and only time will tell if they will survive. Polish and Silkies are the most susceptible to this disease. I'm not sure why but, it's true. Keep in mind that the vaccine is only 90% effective at best. It also does not keep your birds from getting Marek's. It only prevents them from developing the tumors associated with the disease.

Unlike other illnesses that are gone if you cull your entire flock, Marek's remains on the property. Even if you lose all your birds, you will not be able to bring in unvaccinated birds again. If your two survive, they will remain carriers for life. Marek's can then attack them at any time, especially if they experience any stress. So, feed must remain the same. Conditions must be kept as perfect as possible. In pullets, point of lay is the time when most are loss due to the stress involved with the hormone changes.

Any other questions, feel free to ask or PM me. I have been battling Marek's for over a year now. I've lost 40+ birds. There isn't much that I don't know about Marek's.

 

[mljurgens]

Thank you for taking the time to respond in such detail. I really appreciate it. These birds have quickly become very dear to me and the thought of losing them all is very sad.

I currently have these three birds living in my kitchen in a couple of large, joined plastic crates while my coop is under construction.

I have an additional 8 hens in second very large pen in my garage. These hens are also from the swap (different breeder from silkies and polish hens) and are a mix of Australorpes, Comets and something else I can't think of at the moment. They appear to be fine.

The two flocks have had little contact with each other, as the vendor of the silkies/bantams said that the smaller birds would be picked on by the larger. Their pens were side by side in the kitchen when they were 3/4 week old chicks, and remained beside each other for a month or two before being moved into the garage where there is more room.

Would you suggest that I vaccinnate all birds? Are there potential side-effects to a doing this a second time? Also, since the flocks have been apart, is my property that contaminated? Where can I buy the medicine and do you know what it is called and how to dose them?

Finally, is there anything else that could cause these symptoms in my birds? I am looking for a place to take the sick bird for examination so I can have a confirmed answer.

Thank you again for your help.

In addition to the lameness, the silkie's neck became very floppy, he struggled to keep it up. The current polish hen does not seem to have the symptom yet, but is moving less as the day progresses. She is eating and drinking as I have placed her beside the food and water. She is not separated from the other two at the moment.

 

[leadwolf1]

There are other things that could cause the same symptoms but, rarely do you have two birds that come down with it and die. Yes, your property and your house is contaminated. It is in the dander and is spread through the wind and by you or anyone else that walks in and out of your home. If you haven't been practices strict quarantine procedures then, your other birds are infected to. A/C will spread the dander all through your home. Your clothing and hair carries it everywhere.

I will give you a vitamin therapy that will work if it is wry neck or a vitamin deficiency. Again, having two birds with these problems is very rare but, it doesn't hurt to try.

.5mls poly vi sol, without iron, once daily. This is a children's vitamin and can be found at Walmart.

400 ius of vitamin E twice daily. Just snip off the top of the capsul and squeeze into the beak.

There is no medication for Marek's. You can provide supportive therapy. Vitamins and probiotics. Marek's can go into remission, as shown by your roo, but will make a comeback and when it does, it is usually fatal. You can purchase the vaccine online. It comes in vials with dosages of 1000. You can not buy it in smaller quantities. This is where I purchase mine. You will also need TB syringes and one larger 3cc syringe with at least a 23 G needle in order to reconstiture the medicine. It must be kept cold and used within 1 hour of reconstituting.
http://www.twincitypoultrysupplies....in_page=product_info&cPath=46&products_id=574

Marek's will cause different symptoms in every chicken. No two will display exactly the same. It is a devastating illness that has many faces. Literature does not begin to touch the signs/symptoms of Marek's Disease.

 

[mljurgens]

Thank you again for your time and explanation. I think I just mostly don't want it to be something so devastating, but wanting doesn't make it so....

The Polish hen has died and I am about to begin the process of cleaning / disinfecting the upstairs pen for the remaining two that were closest to her, and carry on to the downstairs pen, too. At least the coop isn't finished being built yet, so it should be okay, but I am beginning to wrap my mind around accepting that my property is contaminated.

Thank you for the in-depth explanation of how the dander can travel. I didn't even think about it being on my clothing or in the AC.

Can the vaccine be purchased in local agri stores? Seems like a large quantity for such a small group of birds. Thank you for the link. Is there any danger to giving it to the flock even if some may have had it already?

Going forward, how do you make sure your chicks have been vaccinated properly?

 

[leadwolf1]

There is no danger in vaccinating your whole flock. I've done it, twice. Once when Marek's first started and again in June as a booster. I'm trying anything right now to save what is left.

You cannot find the vaccine anywhere but in a select few online sites. The site I sent is the cheapest.

I purchase vaccinated chicks, isolate for 6 weeks, revaccinate, isolate for 6 weeks and then slowly introduce them to everyone else. Even doing this, I lost 5 out of 9 pullets this spring.

 

[zhockeymom]

How do I know it's Mareks though? My polish almost seems like she had a stroke. She was fine until about a week ago. None of my other hens are symptomatic at all. I think I have come to the conclusion we need to cull her as much as it upsets me. I don't want her to suffer.