URGENT REQUEST!!!!! Lost 8 chicks :'( NEED ADVICE...

[angel8035]

I seriously doubt this is Mareks. It seems like your chicks suffered some stress in shipping. It is hard but usually when the fade in the first week or two after shipping it is because of stress during shipping or birth defects and there really isn't much you can do except try to support them with the vitamin water. You can try giving them some wet chick crumbles to get them to eat.

 

[IrishAcreFarm]

Bjw13. I just got an order this week from a hatchery and am having the same problem. Out of 16, we had two dead on arrival, and three on their way out. After 24 hours, one of the dying ones is still with is, and I have no idea what to do. She is chirping, but basically has no control over her body. She is rolling backwards and on her side. Wont eat, but we help her with water. She also was vaccinated for Mareks. What did you end up doing? Can they get mareks from the vaccine? Is this what it is, or just shipping stress?

 

[mithious]

I'm not saying her situation is mareks, but it IS a great opportunity to get people that are just getting into chickens and learning, to futhur educate themselves on mareks!!!

Also, no way to tell if it IS or IS NOT mareks without a necropsy being done on one of the chicks! That's a lot of birds to lose....and from what I have read on BYC threads ( from people who have it in their flocks, researchers, and professionals )...it is more prevalent in the back yard chicken flocks, than many people know! Most people put the loss of chicks down to shipping stress...and yes, it could be that...but if you had 8+ chicks die, would you really want to go on a guess? and take the chance of spreading this further? I wouldn't!!!! IMHO, better safe than sorry...don't know if you have read some of the heart wrenching posts on here by OP's that are going through this...but highly recommend the reading!!!

Also, having a necropsy done at a local extension, to be sure, is not that expensive, especially when you look at the cost of feed, what you have put into your flock emotionally, and to protect other back yard flocks and to help curb this from further spreading!!!

JMHO

 

[mithious]

Bjw13. I just got an order this week from a hatchery and am having the same problem. Out of 16, we had two dead on arrival, and three on their way out. After 24 hours, one of the dying ones is still with is, and I have no idea what to do. She is chirping, but basically has no control over her body. She is rolling backwards and on her side. Wont eat, but we help her with water. She also was vaccinated for Mareks. What did you end up doing? Can they get mareks from the vaccine? Is this what it is, or just shipping stress?

I put up links to tons of info, in the above posts. There is no way to know if it is mareks, without a necropsy ( which can be done by your local extension for less than a vet, or your vet )...No, they can NOT get mareks from the vaccine, the vaccine is a modified live turkey version of mareks...but they have NOT built immunities to mareks until 14 to 21 weeks after vaccination, atleast, and with so many chicks being shipped across the country by the post office, it is possible for chicks to come in contact with it, as it is literally everywhere...it is also possible to have it in your flock already and not even know it...there is NO cure for mareks!!! Also, birds that DO reocover, become carriers for life!

The vaccine does NOT stop the chicks/chickens from getting mareks! It only stops the tumors from forming and helps the chicks build an immunity to mareks, so if they do come in contact with it, they have a better chance of surviving it! But it takes time for the vaccine to help them build the immunities, just like when you have your kids immunized.

I never had mareks in any of my flocks...but the links I put up, are from OP's that currently are dealing with it in their flocks...I would highly recommend reading the links...the description for mareks is the baseline for symptoms, but if you read the thread also, links provided above, you will read other symptoms also...please refer to those links as they are the professionals!!! This is how I am learning!!! First link is the description, second the thread with OP's, prefessionals, talking about how they got it, what they are doing, ect...best to read from them!!!

Best of luck !!! and sorry I have no definative answers for you!

 

[mithious]

here is the link for the thread of professionals

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/462327/can-adult-chickens-be-vaccinated-for-mareks

 

[mithious]

Here is the link for the description for mareks BYC has up

https://www.backyardchickens.com/g/a/6168595/mareks-signs-and-symptoms/

 

[keesmom]

It is NOT Marek's. It takes at least 4 to 12 weeks for the disease to develop after a chicken has been exposed. I suspect the problem is shipping stress.

 

[mithious]

Also, if you read the middle to later part of the thread by the professionals, they list other, non-typical symptoms, especially in chicks they have brought into their flocks, that do not stand up to the symptoms listed by the extension...one example, not all chicks present with one leg forward, one back, but an overall paralysis..the inability to walk, being weak, not eating, drinking, or drinking very little...and other non typical symptoms....there is also some discussion on a more lethal and possibly vaccine resistant strain being seen in some flocks or new chicks....that is why I recommended that all read the thread I posted!!!

 

[Eggcessive]

I agree with Keesmom--not Mareks. Shipping stress kills many chicks this time of year. You can try electrolytes and fluid, but they are just too vulnerable in this heat >most breeders will not ship eggs, chicks, or grown birds this time of year. I would check with the hatchery for replacement in September.

 

[farnorth]

Day old chicks do not arrive with Marek's. It's great everyone wants to educate about Marek's but the OP wants help with shipping stress. I would think the responses should be something helpful to deal with shipping stress and not how to prevent Marek's. Her chicks were vaccinated and they aren't even old enough to have developed any disease yet.

I am going to suggest feeding the chick a little bit of egg yolk and keep getting it to drink but don't force it to drink as you might get water in the lungs.

We had one that started to go downhill right after arriving it got week and wobbly and it simply had not learned to drink even though we dipped beaks at least twice to teach them. The one needed a little more help so we helped her drink every so often and when she started drinking on her own she got stronger and started eating. We had vitamins and electolites in the water
. Now she is fine.