The Legbar Thread!

[lonnyandrinda]

Congrats! They are looking great!

 

[ChicKat]

Congrats! They are looking great!

X2

 

[GaryDean26]

Just a quick question for everyone- my original legbars all were vaccinated for the basic mareks but they all have at least 1 bad eye that looks like that form of mareks. It seems thar probably 3/4 of their offspring have the same thing. Anyone else have this? It doesn't ever effect them like mareks, just ruins their eyes and it seems like it is only the legbars that have it.

Mareks vaccination is NOT 100% effective. I had to cull one of my original CLB's for Mareks like symptoms (I hated doing that with a bird I paid $100 for). I haven't had any problems since, but one of the other exhibitors of CLB pullets at a show in Texas in March was blind in one eye as was one of the cockerels at the evaluation at the Western Regional CLB club activity. The only bird I have personally owned that has ever had a bad eye was a Hatchery RIR.

If 3/4 of the offspring have bad eyes it goes with out saying to NOT breed any with bad eyes. If a defect is that wide spread you risk seeing it in offspring even if you only breed stock with out it and breeding stock with it could lock the defect into the line.

I am assuming that you didn't vaccinate offspring. If that is the case and you aren't seeing mortalities from Marek in the offspring then I would reason that neither Mareks nor the vaccine is a factor in the eye problems of the offspring.

 

[ChicKat]

Okay -- pls tell me how you determine blind in one eye. Can you visibly see something wrong with they eye? (not meaning the Marek's disease effect on eyes - I'm familiar with how that would appear).

So - we are guessing that there may something genetic and inheritable?

Remember Marek's doesn't have vertical transmission - and infact a chick may get some immunity if it comes from a hen that may have been exposed and never contracted Marek's. Also I believe that Marek's is everywhere and stress on the chicken is a huge trigger for the disease.

ww.backyardchickens.com/a/mareks-disease-fact-site

If you know of any new or valuable or unlisted research - please feel free to add to this fact collection site. Thanks.

 

[GaryDean26]

The blind eye doesn't dilate and the pupil sometime is a cloudy color. Just compare the pupil on both sides of the bird. If they are the same size and both have dark black pupils, then the bird is normal. The birds I am referring to have one pupil that is half the size of the other and the bad eye has a different colored pupil that the good eye and the rest of the birds in the flock.

 

[flyingmonkeypoop]

Mareks vaccination is NOT 100% effective.  I had to cull one of my original CLB's for Mareks like symptoms (I hated doing that with a bird I paid $100 for).  I haven't had any problems since, but one of the other exhibitors of CLB pullets at a show in Texas in March was blind in one eye as was one of the cockerels at the evaluation at the Western Regional CLB club activity.  The only bird I have personally owned that has ever had a bad eye was a Hatchery RIR.

If 3/4 of the offspring have bad eyes it goes with out saying to NOT breed any with bad eyes.  If a defect is that wide spread you risk seeing it in offspring even if you only breed stock with out it and breeding stock with it could lock the defect into the line.

I am assuming that you didn't vaccinate offspring.  If that is the case and you aren't seeing mortalities from Marek in the offspring then I would reason that neither Mareks nor the vaccine is a factor in the eye problems of the offspring.

We vaccinate for mareks as well but the issue still shows up, I've noticed that the blindness doesn't show up until they are 6-8 months and in both genders. I sold a pair to a guy this spring (who I thought was a friend) and told him they are both blind in one eye. He hatched mostly males and then started spreading a rumor around that I sold him birds with mareks. I have never lost a birds to mareks since we have started vaccinating, and it seems that even the broody hatched chicks that don't get vaccinated have some immunity to it.

 

[flyingmonkeypoop]

So this must just be a genetic defect. It hasn't shown up in my rose comb birds yet, just from my pure pens.

 

[ChicKat]

Thanks GaryDean26--

I was picturing the eye-chart thing......

 

[KPenley]

Thanks GaryDean26--

I was picturing the eye-chart thing......

Heehee I think the chicken eye chart test is to hold a worm in front of each eye and see if there is a reaction

 

[ChicKat]

Heehee I think the chicken eye chart test is to hold a worm in front of each eye and see if there is a reaction