Thiamine

[oldhenlikesdogs]

Yea, I guess that’s why I’m so confused. I keep reading conflicting information. People who definitely know what they’re talking about say there’s a very low mortality rate, others say it’s a total death sentence.. when I was looking for a picture of a chicken with the same paralysis as mine, all of them were labeled as mereks symptoms and whatnot. It doesn’t really matter, it was years ago and we’ve moved since then, it’s just the inner knowledge bug in me that wants to know.

If it wasn’t a very nasty strain of mereks, based on the symptoms I described, what would be the most obvious next choices for you guys?

Get more chickens, change your husbandry a bit and don't feed Dumor. In my experiences it's not the best quality.

Things like botulism from moldy feed can cause paralysis.

My Mareks birds looked fairly healthy except for the drunken uncoordinated walking. That's the problem sometimes culling marek birds as they look fine except they can't walk up to the end.

 

[Tesumph]

Get more chickens, change your husbandry a bit and don't feed Dumor. In my experiences it's not the best quality.

Things like botulism from moldy feed can cause paralysis.

My Mareks birds looked fairly healthy except for the drunken uncoordinated walking. That's the problem sometimes culling marek birds as they look fine except they can't walk.

Yes, we changed a lot since then. This incident was when I was 12 or something. Our last flock was beautiful and thrived but we had to rehome. Our coop got smashed by a tree during Harvey. I’m currently saving up for new coop materials.

I suppose it could’ve been botulism although we were careful with cleanliness. They did look healthy besides the “drunkenness,” only towards the end did they start wasting away.

 

[21hens-incharge]

Very interesting thread.

I hope to never see it but good to know the injection worked.

 

[ronott1]

Anytime I get one with some sort of ataxia or paralysis, especially that age, I assume Marek's, but so many other things can look like Marek's so I will usually try treating for those first. It's been my experience that people don't usually lose a large percentage to Marek's, and I think @ronott1 might have more info on this.

There have bee a couple that have been devastated by mareks. Getaclue and microchick. They must have the super strain that was created by the leaky vaccine.

Around here where we do not have egg batteries nearby, it is mild but some die at two years old from mareks cancer.

A bad sign is if you start getting ocular mareks

 

[ronott1]

Was this in California?

The Sheriff--feed came from either Sacramento or Auburn. It was a bad lot but I do not remember the brand

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

I personally don't worry about Mareks. We deal with it as it shows up. There are different strains with some probably being worse than others, perhaps that's why some people lose many. We keep some turkeys which is said to give chickens immunity as turkeys can carry a strain that doesn't affect them. So maybe the turkeys help.

 

[ronott1]

I personally don't worry about Mareks. We deal with it as it shows up. There are different strains with some probably being worse than others, perhaps that's why some people lose many. We keep some turkeys which is said to give chickens immunity as turkeys can carry a strain that doesn't affect them. So maybe the turkeys help.

Me either!

 

[micstrachan]

Reviving this thread to ask @casportpony about thiamine therapy for ataxia. Or Kathy, if you prefer, please share what you know about thread for ataxia in my thread on Minnie. Wondering if I can give it orally and what’s the best source, dosing, etc.