Urgent. Two died in 24 hours…Merek’s?!?!

[TCCL]

Yesterday one of my 6 month old Silkies was having what appeared to be wry neck symptoms. Today they are dead and even worse, one of their siblings of the same age was found dead as well. The dead sibling seemed a little sluggish at the end of the day yesterday but that is all. All my birdies free range, sleep in wide open shelters, eat the same food etc. None of the others have any symptoms at this time.

The worst case scenario would be Merek’s disease, right? What can I do to protect my remaining birds?

 

[Eggcessive]

Sorry for your loss. I would be worried about something else being wrong with 2 dead in one day. Look for any mold in the feed or scratch grains if you use those. Moldy feed, poisons, certain plants, or eating remains of a dead animal remains or maggots could also be a possibility. If you still have a body, refrigerate it but don’t freeze, and contact your state vet Monday am early to see if they will do a necropsy to look for a cause. They also canntest for Mareks. Here is a list of state vets:
https://www.metzerfarms.com/PoultryLabs.cfm

 

[DobieLover]

Can you send one off for necropsy?

 

[TCCL]

Can you send one off for necropsy?

I’m looking into if I can take them to the Knoxville lab

 

[TCCL]

Sorry for your loss. I would be worried about something else being wrong with 2 dead in one day. Look for any mold in the feed or scratch grains if you use those. Moldy feed, poisons, certain plants, or eating remains of a dead animal remains or maggots could also be a possibility. If you still have a body, refrigerate it but don’t freeze, and contact your state vet Monday am early to see if they will do a necropsy to look for a cause. They also canntest for Mareks. Here is a list of state vets:
https://www.metzerfarms.com/PoultryLabs.cfm

Thanks so much. Knoxville seems the closest. I’m looking into taking them there.