sick EE New UPDATE road to recovery

[bigmike&nan]

You did real good kid !! You got a name for her yet ?? She's a real sweetheart. Maybe you can call her Sweet Pea

Michael and Nan

 

[welovechickens]

What cute pictures! She looks so innocent.

I'd do something like that for my babies too, if they needed it! You're a good chicken mom.

 

[chickenfanatic]

very cool

 

[nerfy]

That is so neat! Hope she makes it.

 

[Glenda L Heywood]

Mareks in chickens
Well, my experience with Mareks is that it is spread
by the infected dander of the infected bird. The only
experience I ever had was once when a man brought some
8 month old Cochin Cockerels over to be butchered.
Well, I did not take them into my chicken buildings
but did store them in rabbit hutches for two days
while butchering them. They all had been vaccinated
for mareks when babies. As I felt the dander flying
off the birds got into my pens as some of my old birds
soon afterwards got the paralysis of the wings, legs
and neck.
But as each one became infected and signs
became evident I killed them. Also it was at time in
August when Iowa weather is very hot. That added to
the stress of Mareks. I had no need to try and save
them as to my thinking there is no cure but death for
mareks infected birds. Most birds of this type become
paralized and lay on their side and cannot eat or
drink without you putting them up to the water or
feed. So not much need to infect the rest of the
birds.
This type of Mareks is a neutral type, loss of body
weight, anemia, labored resporation and diarrhea are
all common symtoms. Many birds that are pre laying age
will come down with it.
Mareks is a virus belonging to the Herpes virus
group.
The virus is concentrated on the feather folicles and
shed in dander, being sloughed from skin and feather
cells.
The virus has a long survival time in dander and can
be found in chicken houses that have been isolated for
long periods of time.
Young birds are the most suseptible as the virus has a
short period of incubation time.
Mareks also has a visceral type,with lesions seen in
the gonads, liver, spleen, kidney,and heart, lungs and
muscles. Most birds dying rapidly with massive tumors
inside the body.
Then there is the Leukosis type Mareks disease,
usually called gray eye. Which mortality is not as
fast, but the blinding of the eye and gray iris in the
eye. Then the emaciation diarrhea and death will
follow.
The skin leukosis is in the feather folicles and
causes skin lesions, this being the most infectious as
it is in the dander and feathers.
Most all hatcheries today vaccinate day old chicks for
mareks and will only sell chicks non vaccinated if you
order plenty ahead of time
.It is a subcutaneous
injection in a sterile environment. 90% effective
vaccine.My reference material is from a Texas A&M Vet
book on diseases. Also you can catch information at
the web site of Mississippi University at
http://www.msstate.edu/dept/poultry/disviral.html
Also my web site at http://www.gkpet.com
has articles one of which is Mareks.
If one does get this disease I would suggest burning
the bodies as the feather dander would then be
destroyed.
Also may I suggest that you feed your birds
electrolytes and vitamins and good mash with fresh
oyster shell and grit either boughten or can obtain
river sand, most birds do not succumb to this disease.
Feeding greens such as swiss chard, kale, turnip
greens, mustard greens, chick weed, lambs quarters,
and the like.
Now regular head lettuce is a waste of
time and energy as it is mostly water and no food
value to the birds. Makes such a mess in the bird pen
or house. I always raked up the greens if they were
old and tossed them out, so as not to have spoiled
feed for the birds.
The vitamins and minerals from the greens is great for
the birds.
Also another item that can be fed to the birds is
soaked whole oats with buttermilk and yoguart
Take a gallon of whole dry oats and in a stainless
steel or crock container put the oats and use a 1/2
gallon of buttermilk and a quart of yoguart, any
flavor, and soak over night and then stir and feed the
birds in a clean trough.
When they have eaten them
wash the trough and dry for another days usage. This
gives the birds a good source of stomach lactobicilus
and stablizes the birds to not take on sickness so
easily.
As you know clean water daily is very important to
your birds health. Sanitize the waterers every week
with a solution of 1 cup clorox in a 5 gallon bucket
of water, let the wateres sit submerged in the water
for at least three hours and then scrub with a bottle
brush in clean water.
As to the mareks situation I would take one of the
birds perferably a live sick bird to a diagnostic
laboratory and see what they say. If you have a
agricultural lab around this is great. Call a Vet and
ask where in your area there is one.
Also if you start to vaccinate you will have to
continue to vaccinate all hatches of birds.
Let me know the answer.

 

[dlhunicorn]

what makes you think this bird has mareks? (the swollen joint with fluid is not typical for mareks but is for other things, one of which is Erysipelas > see link
http://www.msstate.edu/dept/poultry/disbact.htm
You can also alter a baby walker (be sure to cut a hole for her bum) and this will allow some mobility.

 

[inezbouley]

Maybe try using a harness like a saddle but backwards?

it could offer more stability because it would surround the chicken and then you could hang her up by the strings. Lemme see if I can demonstrate it with a drawing.

Basically, if you can locate where they were talking about chicken saddles on here, there was a pattern that looked like a little apron. It was a good idea and if you add a piece of heavy duty fabric to the back and place the saddle on backwards, you can have something that won't be constricting.

I don't know if the picture is understandable. Basically wherever you see dots, it is the underside of the chicken or hidden by a wing etc. The colour words coincide with the colour on the picture.

Just an idea....

 

[inezbouley]

Here's a link to some saddles with that "apron" look I had seen.

http://www.homesteadingtoday.com/showthread.php?t=181223

Good luck!

 

[AHappychick]

bigmike&nan :

You did real good kid !! You got a name for her yet ?? She's a real sweetheart. Maybe you can call her Sweet Pea

Michael and Nan

oh thanks! I think I will name her sweet pea that is perfect. how are you guys doing?​

 

[AHappychick]

Oh thanks everyone,

I am going to try some of the things you suggest Glenda L Heywood many of those things I have been doing.

thanks inezbouley for the great pic I will try to make one later today.

As for why I think it is mareks I lost her pen mate a few weeks ago and did a necropsy and confirmed the mareks was infecting my juvinile flock. Also she has been now seen by a vet and he looked into her dialated eye and said that he felt it was a nerve issue which is a clear indicator of the mareks.

She is eating well still and pooping good so I think she has a chance since my others went down hill very quickly and had no appitite.

On Easter I took her back out to visit with her best friend my BR and the only one left from that group. It seemed to boost both of their spirits.

here they are during their visit