Rooster balance problems - how big is the chance of Marek's?

[5GodsDown]

No, he shouldn’t have iron tablets. Do you have vitamin B complex?

I don't, but I'll check at the store tonight. My boss' vet just answered to give riboflavin oraly, but I guess he forgot to mention he's probably not digesting it very well. I didn't see him eat when I left this morning, he ate less yesterday too, but his water was almost empty. I don't know if he spilled it, but there were little pieces of food in it, so I think he did drink since his beak would've been dirty from the mushy food. I put him on the ground in the coop when feeding the chickens and he clearly wanted to come eat with them, but he just uncoordinatedly flaps around and can't stand up. When I pick him up he flaps his wings and moves his legs. He has a lot of power though...

 

[5GodsDown]

Scratch that, I just went home for lunch and had to refill his bowl because he ate everything. He also drank some water. I can get some vitamin B complex at the pharmacist, but my vet suggested to make an appointment at the poultry clinic. I did make the appointment, but I'm a little bit scared of the costs. Due to being royally f*ed over by taxes at the moment the next months will be tough... also, they don't sound nearly as friendly as the people at my own vet's office But ok, they are specialists, I suppose they won't suggest unnecessary tests.

 

[GodofPecking]

I've had exactly the same advice too.

But I got it from a few different experts in a few different places.

The vet said I should make an appointment for my chicken. A used car salesman said I should buy a new car, and a tow-truck driver said I should have my car towed "for safety" even though I simply witnessed the crash, but wasn't involved.

I think they just wanted my money.

I have Mareks in my flock. I have had many many chooks come down with it. Some die fast, some recover, some die slowly, poor buggers, some like yours take some time to recover.

You can give away your money to buy vaccines so that someone else can suffer the same fate as you. You can also choose to breed from your rooster once he recovers, which he will I think. That will pass on his very low resistance to mareks to his offspring.

I'd keep him, but not breed from him, but I'd use him as an indicator of the health and strength of other chooks. If they catch it and die, they're not good to breed from, if they catch it and are better in one day, that would probably be best because you know they can resist it for sure. Otherwise if they never catch it they are good, but you might not know if they were exposed ? dunno.

Best thing is to do your best to breed healthy, happy, disease resistant chickens. Using vaccines just breeds more chickens which probably require vaccines to live. This is good if you have a vaccine company or you're a vet. Vets are also called experts and you should give them all your money. They'll readily agree with that advice.

 

[5GodsDown]

I've had exactly the same advice too.

But I got it from a few different experts in a few different places.

The vet said I should make an appointment for my chicken. A used car salesman said I should buy a new car, and a tow-truck driver said I should have my car towed "for safety" even though I simply witnessed the crash, but wasn't involved.

I think they just wanted my money.

I have Mareks in my flock. I have had many many chooks come down with it. Some die fast, some recover, some die slowly, poor buggers, some like yours take some time to recover.

You can give away your money to buy vaccines so that someone else can suffer the same fate as you. You can also choose to breed from your rooster once he recovers, which he will I think. That will pass on his very low resistance to mareks to his offspring.

I'd keep him, but not breed from him, but I'd use him as an indicator of the health and strength of other chooks. If they catch it and die, they're not good to breed from, if they catch it and are better in one day, that would probably be best because you know they can resist it for sure. Otherwise if they never catch it they are good, but you might not know if they were exposed ? dunno.

Best thing is to do your best to breed healthy, happy, disease resistant chickens. Using vaccines just breeds more chickens which probably require vaccines to live. This is good if you have a vaccine company or you're a vet. Vets are also called experts and you should give them all your money. They'll readily agree with that advice.

I understand your point of view and that will always be the problem with salespeople or people like vets selling their service. They are supposed to have a heart for animals but in the end they still live from it. My vet is in no way connected to the poultry clinic, she just honestly said she can't help him. I sincerely hope the specialists will not suggests tests just to rake in the money, but in the end that will be my choice. I got my rooster for free because he turned out not to be clean and the breeder couldn't keep him with her flock, but I love this guy very much, it's an absolute joy to see how he treats his chickens and I don't want to deal with the thought that I maybe could've helped him but just didn't want to give the money for it. When I told my dad my rooster was sick and I was trying to cure him, his first question was about the costs, but I told him it's not his money and not his place to determine the emotional value of my animals.

I am now aware of the possible issues with vaccins in chickens, I wasn't when I first got my chicks this year, for me it didn't mean that much that they were vaccinated. The thought of Mareks in my little flock is devastating because I am very attached to my three chickens and rooster. People have asked me for chicks from my flock in spring and I wanted to expand, but with Mareks this is no longer possible. I could vaccinate all chicks, but then what? I'd just be spreading Mareks carriers around...

I hope he survives, but then he has to get up again, because not being able to walk is no life for a chicken. I can only hope from my visit at the poultry clinic that I get more information from people who have probably seen similar cases. At least they have a lot of positive reviews on google...

 

[Eggcessive]

Since there is no cure for Mareks, I am not sure that doing tests and giving medications will do much good or be worth the money. But is up to you to check if they have other suggestions. I would have started the B complex a few days ago, since a vitamin deficiency would be a much better diagnosis. But riboflavin deficiency has to be treated when symptoms first appear, or symptoms may become permanent. Many people have lame chickens and they sometimes use chicken slings or make chairs for them. Sometimes it just takes time to figure out if the symptoms will ever get better or not. Then decisions may need to be made about quality of life. Here is a link about chicken slings and chairs:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/versions-of-chick-chairs-please.1166308/

https://chickentherapychairs.weebly.com/

 

[GodofPecking]

Something new people have no idea about is that the mareks vaccine GIVES THEM mareks, no kidding, you can look it up. It makes them carriers, and it does not stop them getting mareks and won't stop them dying at all.

If he has had it, that's about as good as you can do. wild birds have it, and it's possible that they can get it that way. Just life and best not to worry about it.

Chicks don't seem effected by mareks. I never noticed any little ones having trouble with it. It is a thing that happens with newly arrived birds mostly.

The best thing that you can do is to have more chooks. then you'll be somewhat less attached to each one. PLUS, you'll have more chooks.

 

[5GodsDown]

Since there is no cure for Mareks, I am not sure that doing tests and giving medications will do much good or be worth the money. But is up to you to check if they have other suggestions. I would have started the B complex a few days ago, since a vitamin deficiency would be a much better diagnosis. But riboflavin deficiency has to be treated when symptoms first appear, or symptoms may become permanent. Many people have lame chickens and they sometimes use chicken slings or make chairs for them. Sometimes it just takes time to figure out if the symptoms will ever get better or not. Then decisions may need to be made about quality of life. Here is a link about chicken slings and chairs:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/versions-of-chick-chairs-please.1166308/

https://chickentherapychairs.weebly.com/

I am also going there for other possible issues. If there are no other options and the vet admits it will probably be Mareks, I can still decide what to do with him, but at least I have some certainty then.

He has been receiving steady doses of vitamin B since Saturday, it's one of the 3 components in his vitamin treatment and I will get the extra vitamin B complex at the pharmacists' tonight. I honestly didn't know I could just use human meds for that, so thank you for the suggestion.

 

[5GodsDown]

Something new people have no idea about is that the mareks vaccine GIVES THEM mareks, no kidding, you can look it up. It makes them carriers, and it does not stop them getting mareks and won't stop them dying at all.

If he has had it, that's about as good as you can do. wild birds have it, and it's possible that they can get it that way. Just life and best not to worry about it.

Chicks don't seem effected by mareks. I never noticed any little ones having trouble with it. It is a thing that happens with newly arrived birds mostly.

The best thing that you can do is to have more chooks. then you'll be somewhat less attached to each one. PLUS, you'll have more chooks.

I don't think that is correct. They wouldn't vaccinate if that were true.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/the-great-big-giant-mareks-disease-faq.66077/

 

[Eggcessive]

I would have to disagree that giving a Mareks vaccine does not give chickens Mareks. If there is a chick or chicken exposed to Mareks in a flock, they will become a carrier even if they have had the vaccine.

I have a flock where most birds were vaccinated at the hatchery, and later hatched or bought some chicks who were not vaccinated. I have never had a chicken with Mareks.

 

[GodofPecking]

I don't think that is correct. They wouldn't vaccinate if that were true.

Who is they ?

I don't use it, I breed healthy chooks instead. I want chickens with a natural resistance to disease rather than susceptible to everything that comes along and needing endless propping up and crutches.

People will always do things they are told to whether it is good for them or not, BIG tobacco, More doctors smoke camels than any other brand. BIG payouts for weedkiller side-effects. Grapefruit diet. Popular diet, invented by a Californian citrus company, who'd have thought.[/QUOTE]