Vaccinated hen getting Marek's or ??

[rebrascora]

Did all your previous birds die when you had Marek's diagnosed. If not, then some of the remaining birds will be carrying the virus. The thing with Marek's is that they can be infected and then it lies dormant until something triggers an outbreak, usually a stress of some sort. My gut feeling is that this bird is exhibiting Marek's, but is not suffering the fatal tumours that kill. The vaccine is supposed to prevent that, so maybe it is doing it's job.
From my experience with Marek's, birds that have been found fallen and stuck in unusual places have had an attack of it. Some die pretty quickly afterwards and it is clearly not as a result of the fall. Others battle it and some recover.... but then I have one of the milder strains of the virus.

 

[amymboxer]

I had a vaccinated silkie that never got sick and one other hen that never had been ill but not vaccinated. Wondering too if it is a mild case with the Amerucana but I did not think it was possible without killing the hen. It ruthlessly killed hens very quickly around laying age except one other lived for awhile when it got into the flock and died later. I suspect it travelled on the wind from a nearby area. The surviving non vaccinated hen is a reliable layer and over 2 years old so is the silkie hen. The vets think the non vaccinated hen was just resistant to the virus like some birds are. So yes possible so I vaccinate and wait awhile to bring the young ones into the flock they are in the house or in the garage and always careful not to cross contaminate as much as possible. Guess I will just wait it out. Hen seems better now and walking better too. The vets told me once symptoms occur they do not recover from Mareks.

 

[amymboxer]

Also it is so prevalent in our area they say impossible to prevent and just vaccinate.

 

[drumstick diva]

Hope your hen will have the best possible outcome. While there is life there is always hope.

 

[EggSighted4Life]

Also it is so prevalent in our area they say impossible to prevent and just vaccinate.

Yes according to my state poultry vet at UC Davis... it is in EVERY poultry environment.

Some birds will be more resistant and there is even a gene that has been identified that correlates to it.

The vets told me once symptoms occur they do not recover from Mareks.

Pretty sure I've seen some "recovered" birds on here. Guess it kinda depends what is meant by recovered.

It could be on the wind... or brought in by any wild bird traveling between many yards.

I've seen Marek's... I don't vaccinate yet... and raise chicks in my flock all the time, Silkies included. Faced molts from hens that were here when I saw the Mareks. Just feeling very fortunate so far... and learning as much as possible! Starting to consider vaccination as a possibility...

Thanks for sharing. Hope your girl does fully recover, I see chickens defy the odds all the time!

 

[amymboxer]

Unfortunately this hen did not make it. I am sure the Marek's got her. I thought maybe I was wrong but s couple days later she was dying. Surprised it took this long to kill her. She was 9 mos old and vaccinated. I will keep a watch out for the rest.

 

[rebrascora]

So sorry to hear you lost her. It's a horrid disease!

 

[EggSighted4Life]

Sorry for your loss.

There are other things that present very similar, without confirmation. But we have to use our past experience and go with our gut instinct sometimes.

Also sorry for asking more questions... Did the vaccination take place at hatch and who administered it? (I saw someone recently who's vet told them to vaccinate all their fully grown birds, which would be ineffective.)

I know it has good results but there will still be some who it effects EVEN when it was administered correctly. Stinks to be that 1.