Single silkie post-Mareks - Options?

[member 615286]

It is strictly your decision, but I suggest having a necropsy done on your latest sickest pullet first so you know what you are dealing with.

It is not true that you cannot introduce new birds into your flock if you have either Marek's or lymphoid leucosis. There are just precautions you need to be aware of. You are correct, however, that no birds must leave your flock as it will spread the disease.

Are you closer to Rocky Ford or Fort Collins? What I did the last time I had a bird necropsied, is I boxed her up alive but comfortably with lots of towels to cushion her during the car trip, and I drove her to the Rocky Ford lab where they took her form me and humanely euthanized her. I had the results later that day. They can tell you what virus your pullet might have and they can confirm it by sending tissue samples to Fort Collins where the pathology lab is located. The total cost is around $200 for necropsy and pathology tests.

I want to thank you again. Your direction to Rocky Ford was so helpful. They are amazing. Mareks came back positive. Second of the three put down today

The last girl is not showing symptoms.
I don’t want to euthanize her if she’s healthy and not miserable.
but she’s the only one left, 7 months old, November in Colorado.
thanks for sharing any additional thoughts you might have.

 

[member 615286]

It really depends on which virus your flock is carrying. If it's Marek's, it's very simple. Just have new chicks or birds vaccinated for it, observe the two-week quarantine during which resistance is acquired, then introduce the vaccinated birds to the flock.

If it's leucosis that your flock carries, I can answer most questions you have about it since I've been dealing with it in my flock for fourteen years. There is no vaccination, but healthy birds develop resistance to the virus, and almost never show symptoms.

There are precautions to take with hatching eggs from your flock and having a broody incubate and brood chicks which I've had to learn the heart breaking hard way. LL is both trickier to deal with but much less likely to affect healthy adult birds than Marek's.

Have you read my thread on my three pullets coming down with paralysis and how I treated them? https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...update-now-another-pullet-going-lame.1432738/ I made a chicken wheel chair that helped prolong quality of life for afflicted pullets. I euthanized when the pullet could no longer hold her head up to eat. I only tube feed to get a chicken through a crisis but not as a means of prolonging life.

Thank you for sharing all of this.

 

[member 615286]

Thank you @mamajos.

I hate to plug my article but yes, I hope you read it and if you have any questions I'll be glad to answer them to the best of my ability.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...-i-learned-to-deal-with-mareks-disease.76944/

One hen is going to be miserable. She may survive this outbreak for you. There is the thought that the older a bird is the less susceptible they are to Marek's disease. Young birds can show the first signs of infection at 9 weeks. My birds never showed symptoms of early infection with the exception of one 9 week old who developed paralysis in both legs.

I'll have to go back and read the thread but maybe if you can find an older bird or two that have been vaccinated you would be able to come up with some companionship for your remaining survivor. Bringing in vaccinated birds and finding local resistant birds frankly saved my flock along with my chicken hobby. I know there are people with the opinion that vaccination just causes new strains of MD to pop up but when it is your only option, you go with it and hope for the best.

Thank you.
It is mareks. The second was euthanized today. I understand the third should not be left alone.
I’m not sure how hard it will be to find vaccinated birds that need homes. I live in a small town in Colorado. I don’t know if I should be ordering vaccinated chicks online and raising them during the winter but while in the meantime (2 weeks from whenever I could get them here by) she is alone.
I don’t want to put her down just because, but won’t let her be miserable either.
Any additional thoughts or direction is very appreciated. Thank you.

 

[azygous]

As long as any of your chickens are asymptomatic, assume all is well. Marek's is not a guaranteed death sentence. Not all chickens carrying it will become symptomatic.

Since my flock carries the sister virus lymphotic leucosis, I expect a bird from time to time to sicken and die from it, but most live normal lives. You and I just have to adjust to containing the viruses to our flocks, careful that any visiting chicken friends don't take the virus home to their flocks by having them bring special footwear they will disinfect when they get back home, and we don't wear our work shoes when we leave our premises.

Chicks introduced require special handling, yours will need to be vaccinated and quarantined until the vaccine takes effect, and I can't let a broody hen brood any chicks.

 

[member 615286]

A single hen can endure for a while as long as she receives attention. She would respond best to chicks and would have no problem accepting them. It's also easier to quarantine vaccinated baby chicks during the two week period it requires for them to build resistance to the virus.

Marek's vaccine doesn't immunize. It encourages the vaccinated birds to develop resistance. They can still become infected with the virus and can still pass it on to unvaccinated birds. They usually won't get sick, though.

Thank you. I think she’d be great with chicks
but am unsure how long before I can find and obtain them, and then the additional two week quarantine…
I don’t know what to look for or where
(Other silkies? Different bantams…whichever I can find? The coop I build is for bantams so I’m a little limited; mypetchicken.com(?))
Would I keep her in the garage with the chicks and their brooder?
Thanks for any further direction.

 

[azygous]

Your lone hen will be okay until you can bring some new chicks on board. There's no rush. With daily attention, she will be fine. Introducing new chicks to the hen will be easy once they have developed resistance from the vaccine. You can wait and buy them come April from your local feed store and vaccinate them yourself, buying the vaccine online from an outlet I can give you the info on.

I would suggest not chancing mailorder chicks since the post office is only becoming slower and more unreliable thanks to the evil postmaster general we have. Three-day express now takes a minimum of five days, too long for chicks to be expected to survive without heat and water.

 

[member 615286]

Hi. I was wondering if anyone could give me some guidance...
I had three 7-month old silkies. One was euthanized last week following progressing paralysis, assumed from Marek's (however the test has not come back yet to confirm).
A second is showing similar symptoms, (progressing paralysis).
Assuming she goes too, and the third is also infected but either has delayed symptoms onset, or does not end up affected(?), what should I do?
My novice understanding is silkies should not be kept alone. And that I can not introduce new chickens if they/she is infected. And should not introduce her to someone else's flock.
In which case, should I put her down too? Or keep her alone? Other considerations?

*Thank you*
(note: new to chickens, have learned a lot, will vaccinate in the future)

Gosh,
What a steep hard learning curve. I can’t help but feel so sad
For the last one left. She was
Squaking all afternoon. It pulls at my heart strings.
I’ll give her plenty of attention until I figure out what to do for her. I have their brooder plate (producers pride) set up vertically in the coop(?), hoping this is the heat she needs. (The heater setting was too hot).

Further thoughts are really appreciated thank you all.

 

[azygous]

Yes, when you get your new babies, you will vaccinate them and wait two weeks. Then you will bring your hen in and house them in proximity to one another. This way they will all bond, and the hen will accept them as her flock. She may even adopt them and take over raising them, if she's a Silkie that takes to this sort of thing as many do.

 

[microchick]

I am so sorry. Know that you aren't alone. This is a club that nobody wants to belong to but is filled with members that know your pain.

Have you checked craigslist in your area? Or here on the want ads at BYC? Some hatcheries offer started or older birds for sale. Cackle has them but they want 100+$ for them. Pretty cashy.

Does anybody in your neighborhood besides you have chickens that you could approach for help?

I know. This is the pits. Just remember, you did nothing wrong and everything right trying to help your birds. it's a learning experience for all of us

 

[member 615286]

As long as any of your chickens are asymptomatic, assume all is well. Marek's is not a guaranteed death sentence. Not all chickens carrying it will become symptomatic.

Since my flock carries the sister virus lymphotic leucosis, I expect a bird from time to time to sicken and die from it, but most live normal lives. You and I just have to adjust to containing the viruses to our flocks, careful that any visiting chicken friends don't take the virus home to their flocks by having them bring special footwear they will disinfect when they get back home, and we don't wear our work shoes when we leave our premises.

Chicks introduced require special handling, yours will need to be vaccinated and quarantined until the vaccine takes effect, and I can't let a broody hen brood any chicks I

As long as any of your chickens are asymptomatic, assume all is well. Marek's is not a guaranteed death sentence. Not all chickens carrying it will become symptomatic.

Since my flock carries the sister virus lymphotic leucosis, I expect a bird from time to time to sicken and die from it, but most live normal lives. You and I just have to adjust to containing the viruses to our flocks, careful that any visiting chicken friends don't take the virus home to their flocks by having them bring special footwear they will disinfect when they get back home, and we don't wear our work shoes when we leave our premises.

Chicks introduced require special handling, yours will need to be vaccinated and quarantined until the vaccine takes effect, and I can't let a broody hen brood any chicks.

Thank you