Rooster with mass in neck, possible tumor, thymus response -- Marek's

[Lisa202]

I'm sorry for your loss. I just lost my great rooster Mister 2 days ago to a hawk and I had no idea how bad it was going to affect me. We surely do get attached to them. I miss him so much, he was such a good boy.

 

[Nambroth]

Oh, I am so sorry... There is a guy on here from Australia... He's going to rear his new birds in an area his old birds were not. Back dig out the top layer of soil on his old chicken yard, fill in with new soil, and disinfect and let that yard and coops lay fallow for a time... He's got mareks also in his older flock, has the vac order for the birds in his bator now...

About trousers... I am guessing that it'd be best not to hatch any of his offspring if the LL is genetic...?

Oh dear. Yes, I am afraid that is well out of my means, and I am not willing to cull my girls in an attempt to eradicate it. This is something I will have to live with.

At least all of my hens were vaccinated as day-old chicks. Still, I will be watching them.

We decided not to try and hatch any of the eggs from our birds. Too many "what ifs" to make me nervous. Plus, I could never keep all of the chicks here, but I couldn't give them away or sell them because they could transfer Marek's to someone else's flock. That would be really irresponsible.

 

[drumstick diva]

was Panic Pants vacinated for Mareks? I can't remember if he was a chick or older when he joined the flock. I'm thinking he was before Trousers -could he have shed virus and infected Trousers (thru the soil)

 

[artsyrobin]

So basically you need to have a 'closed' flock? No birds leaving? Can you bring new ones in if they are vacinated? Is there no way to disinfect the soil? Just wondering

 

[Kjordanov]

Put some olive oil down his throat, it helps move stuff around.

 

[cluckcluckluke]

Nambroth I am so sorry to hear hear all this. I hope nothing happens with your girls.

Can you not still bring vaccinated chicks into your flock?

I don't understand how could trousers get both Mareks and LL?

 

[Nambroth]

was Panic Pants vacinated for Mareks? I can't remember if he was a chick or older when he joined the flock. I'm thinking he was before Trousers -could he have shed virus and infected Trousers (thru the soil)

Yes, he was. Panic was a day old chick I purchased. He was gone before Trousers arrived here.

So basically you need to have a 'closed' flock? No birds leaving? Can you bring new ones in if they are vacinated? Is there no way to disinfect the soil? Just wondering

Yes, this is correct. There is no reasonable way to disinfect my entire yard and gardens. I can bring new birds in if they are vaccinated, but I better be sure that I want to keep them of course, because they can't leave.

Put some olive oil down his throat, it helps move stuff around.

I'm not sure if you read this thread?

Nambroth I am so sorry to hear hear all this. I hope nothing happens with your girls.

Can you not still bring vaccinated chicks into your flock?

I don't understand how could trousers get both Mareks and LL?

I can bring vaccinated birds in, and they will have around a 90% chance of not developing symptoms of Marek's. But I forsee it being very difficult to find a Roo from this cochin line that was vaccinated as a day old..

Just like people can become ill from more than one virus, so too can chickens. It's possible that he only had it in his DNA and that's what the test picked up on. The pathology lab is further investigating and testing for me. I regret that I am not an expert and I do not know exactly what this entails, but I trust their expertise. They are going out of their way for me.

 

[artsyrobin]

as far as trousers line, every large fowl cochin i have met are wonderful personalities, so if his line isn't an option, other giant cochins are something to consider, when you are ready for that. Does this mean the breeder you got him from has it in her flocks??

 

[Wishing4Wings]

Well, tonight when I was out showing my art I got the call.

Confirmed Marek's via DNA and other testing, 100% positive.

He also tested positive for ALLV, Avian Lymphoid Leukosis Virus. It was explained that this virus, as a retrovirus, attaches itself to the DNA and that it's possible that he was NOT actively shedding the vrius and that it may not have even effected him. Because they test via DNA, the 'marker' for ALLV showed up but it does not necessarily mean that the virus is active in his body. The fellow doing the DNA testing for us is going well out of his way to further test and learn if the virus was active or not.

I talked with my vet at length, and she asked me how my biosecurity was. In the end she feels strongly that he had Marek's when I adopted him, though there is no way to know for sure unless his prior owner tests. I am letting her know, of course, that the possibility is there in her flock.

So now I wait to hear on the ALLV testing. I am heartbroken that I will never be able to breed faverolles like I wanted to someday, and that my options for chickens are very narrow in the future. I am most sorry that this happened to Trousers and wish I could go back in time and vaccinate him as a chick. I know the vaccine is not 100% foolproof but it would have given him a chance.

So sorry to hear this. More sad news on top of sad news. I know very little about Marek's, but was wondering if you have heard of Oxine as a disinfectant. It is supposed to be antiviral and safe for chickens. Perhaps this or some other method could rid your coop and yard of the virus when the time comes for you to start again with a future flock. Perhaps breeding Favorelles some day is still possible.(?)

I am also wondering just how prevalent Marek's really is. If vaccinated chickens that are exposed can shed infectious virus, then it might be in our flocks without us ever knowing. This is a sobering thought.

 

[artsyrobin]

a thought occurred to me overnite regarding raising faverolles, if you got bantams and kept them isolated in bantam run could the soil be disinfected to enable you to do that? or would it still be risky ?