The Chicken Queen Strikes Again Mareks or Avian Leukosis

[BB Ranch]

My friend bought 15 pullets recently from a private breeder. He was told they were vaccinated against Marecks. Two died and were diagnosed with Marecks (with tumors) or Avian Leukosis. They also had bacterial infections in their lungs that were contagious to humans. The one chicken had a neural tube defect and encephelcole. This means that the skull was split and a tumor was sticking out when the chicken hatched. May of the 15 are roosters. The feed store told me that the breeder is known for having sick birds and is spreading Merecks around the Bay Area in Northern California. Here is the question. I read the rest of the flock will have a chance if I vaccinate with Marecks. It will prevent tumor formation. Others say that if I vaccinate with lowered immunity it will kill the birds. Does anyone know what to do.

 

[justbugged]

I would cull all of these birds. I would clean any area where the birds have been with bleach. If in the future you want some chickens, I would suggest that you buy them from a reputable hatchery. I would also pay the little bit extra and have the hatchery vaccinate the birds before I got them. I would not ever buy anything at a feed store that is re-selling sick birds.

 

[BB Ranch]

I didn't buy them, my friend bought them from a breeder who is incompetent and a pathological liar. This disease is spreading around 5 counties that this person sells in. Chickens develop immunity to the disease and if they survive they can be resistant to the disease and can pass this immunity down the line. I was asking what I can do because the flock is not sick. Some of the flock was vaccinated, some not. I don't believe in culling or killing. I understand that if I vaccinate them now, there is a risk. Others say if you don't vaccinate they may develop the tumors. Here is how we have to get rid of this disease. The vaccinations are not working, even the hatcheries say this. They told me last week that they are no longer vaccinating and it is only on special request. The State of California refuses to make vaccinations for chickens mandatory. We have to start getting resistant flocks. My families has been raising chickens over 100 years and never seen any of these diseases. I had never seen it before. The hatcheries are stopping vaccinating for Marek's and they say it is not working. The herpes virus mutates. The vets say there is no reason to cull and to try to get a resistant flock. That is the goal here. So our chickens die of old age or predation, not disease.