I have been doing alot of reading on Marek's as well, having just lost 3 birds from it...
One of the comforting(?) things I did read is that vaccinated or not ALL birds are exposed to this disease as it is airborn and very contageous. There seems to be a window of time during which, if your chicken will be ill from it, he/she will get sick. I believe it was 15-24wks? My understanding, also, is that if you have younger and older chickens together and the younger ones get it, it does not mean the older ones will. I do not know if my older chickens were vax'd before I got them(as chicks from a local gal) however they were with the sick ones and as far as I can tell, no one else is showing any signs of illness, even the 2 younger ones I hatched here and were not vax'd. I got 4 new chickens in June of this year, and I believe the older 2 were already infected(based on the gestation period of the virus, as well as their general health which wasn't the best) I isolated the 4 new birds, which is when I believe my other chicken probably got the virus. There is a 4th bird who seems fine and just started laying eggs...I am cautiously optomistic that she will be fine. I am also hoping that because I am picky about cleaning out my coop, which was the only place the older/younger chickens were ever together(they free range the rest of the time) it reduced any major exposure.
I am a total newbie. I never thought to ask about vaccines because I wasn't planning on vax'ing my birds. I may revisit that after this... It was horrible to watch these birds deteriorate, knowing I could not do anything to help them, with the only option being to end their suffering. My birds all presented like yours, for the most part. It started with a limp, almost a drunken walk. Then they couldn't get up to roost. Diareah. They still ate and drank, but I don't know how much stayed with them. My 2 d'uccles did not try to flap to get away but my mutt roo did, just like you say with Louis. My guy sort of flapped all lopsided, but couldn't really get anywhere. He also had the curled up foot, which he put out in front of him with the other behind. My other two limped, and would sit on their butts with one, sometimes both feet oddly out in front of them...I won't go into it but you are right, it continues to get worse. I wish I had culled sooner, but it was so hard for me to come to that point. They do go downhill fast, at least mine did, once the virus has taken hold.
I'm so sorry for you...and Louis. It really does suck.
One of the comforting(?) things I did read is that vaccinated or not ALL birds are exposed to this disease as it is airborn and very contageous. There seems to be a window of time during which, if your chicken will be ill from it, he/she will get sick. I believe it was 15-24wks? My understanding, also, is that if you have younger and older chickens together and the younger ones get it, it does not mean the older ones will. I do not know if my older chickens were vax'd before I got them(as chicks from a local gal) however they were with the sick ones and as far as I can tell, no one else is showing any signs of illness, even the 2 younger ones I hatched here and were not vax'd. I got 4 new chickens in June of this year, and I believe the older 2 were already infected(based on the gestation period of the virus, as well as their general health which wasn't the best) I isolated the 4 new birds, which is when I believe my other chicken probably got the virus. There is a 4th bird who seems fine and just started laying eggs...I am cautiously optomistic that she will be fine. I am also hoping that because I am picky about cleaning out my coop, which was the only place the older/younger chickens were ever together(they free range the rest of the time) it reduced any major exposure.
I am a total newbie. I never thought to ask about vaccines because I wasn't planning on vax'ing my birds. I may revisit that after this... It was horrible to watch these birds deteriorate, knowing I could not do anything to help them, with the only option being to end their suffering. My birds all presented like yours, for the most part. It started with a limp, almost a drunken walk. Then they couldn't get up to roost. Diareah. They still ate and drank, but I don't know how much stayed with them. My 2 d'uccles did not try to flap to get away but my mutt roo did, just like you say with Louis. My guy sort of flapped all lopsided, but couldn't really get anywhere. He also had the curled up foot, which he put out in front of him with the other behind. My other two limped, and would sit on their butts with one, sometimes both feet oddly out in front of them...I won't go into it but you are right, it continues to get worse. I wish I had culled sooner, but it was so hard for me to come to that point. They do go downhill fast, at least mine did, once the virus has taken hold.
I'm so sorry for you...and Louis. It really does suck.
