Very Sick--Crook Neck or Worse?

[Nambroth]

I hope necropsy can lead you to some solid answers!

Ex-battery or egg farm hens can some with some heavy baggage. Depending on how they were raised, and their individual genetics and health, they may have no problems, or they may have a boatload. Sadly, the egg yolk peritonitis is not at all uncommon with heavy production breeds such as leghorns. Because they are bred to be egg-laying machines, they tend to have the worst of the reproductive issues and are prone to internal laying problems. I'm so sorry you had to deal with it.

As for having problems-- gosh, that's probably really a mixed bag. Chickens are different to everyone. Some folks will get a flock of hens, and if a few die, eh.. who cares, they are cheap as chicks. They are just utility. Some get a flock and they become pets as well as utility, and a more close bond is made and with it comes more care in case of illness. Then there are those of us nuts that love our birds as pets and give them the same vet care as any other pet. People fall between all of those categories and limitations such as budget and access to proper vetcare can really change how a situation is dealt with.

So to answer your question-- some get lucky and face few if no problems, and then others seem to get all the bad luck. I fall into the former category. For me, the joy of having these great animals outweighs the sorrows and financial trouble I've had, but I understand not everyone can feel that way!

If you test positive for Marek's, there are a few ways to approach it. You should check out the threads where those of us are dealing with "life after Marek's". First it would be good to find out if your hens were vaccinated against it as day old chicks... it is not foolproof but may give your living hens an edge. The egg farm hens probably were vaccinated, if the operation was of any decent size. Regardless, you can assume that they all carry it even if they do not show symptoms. There are steps you can take to limit the amount of Marek's in the environment where your chickens are, which we can help you with if you do test positive. You can bring new birds in, but only if they were vaccinated as day-old chicks, and there is always a small risk. Before you make any hard decisions, wait for the results of the necropsy.

 

[miquwid]

I'm so so so sorry I've had some bully and predator deaths and chick that just wasn't going to make it. Um it's hard after my first attack which was on three birds two survived and one died It took all it could to just look at them again I honestly didn't think they would make it. Um first just go through your grieving process it's important and will help you. Second relax find out your information and go from there. I did get six egg laying machines knowing they would have a shortened life span. I love them all. A vet said that his partner wanted 4 chickens he said get six because one will die and one will be a roo, and sure enough it happened, and then her dog ate three. So what your feeling is completely normal it's just the luck of the draw. Take care you will be okay.

 

[realsis]

I'm so sorry she passed . It can be difficult sometimes raising chickens. And heartbreaking . I hope the rest of your flock continues to stay healthy! I just wanted to say I'm sorry you lost her. Let us know what the lab results said. God bless

 

[la babs]

Thank you Nambroth for the very experienced thoughtful reply. And thanks for the condolences miquwid and realsis. I'll post the post mortem results.

 

[la babs]

Necropsy results: Probable Mareks. The UC Davis lab vet told me to always get chicks vaccinated for Mareks. The one who died was not. Her sister, also not vaccinated, is healthy and laying eggs daily. Any thoughts? Thanks.

 

[miquwid]

I'm sorry that it was that, at this point on you can only add chickens that have been vaccinated, and you really have to be careful and bump up your boo security so that this doesn't spread to others. good luck

 

[Nambroth]

Necropsy results: Probable Mareks. The UC Davis lab vet told me to always get chicks vaccinated for Mareks. The one who died was not. Her sister, also not vaccinated, is healthy and laying eggs daily. Any thoughts? Thanks.

If it is Marek's (and in terms of bio-security you should assume it is), it's possible her sister built up an immunity and is a healthy bird. She may remain healthy until the day she passes of old age, or she may develop symptoms if she has a compromise to her immune system... such as other illness or stress. It's really hard to say.

Even though the necropsy is not a 100% guarantee of Marek's in this case, it is important to keep from spreading it. You must assume that your other birds are shedding the virus. A symptomatic bird will shed a lot more virus than one that has an immunity, but they can still spread it. Good luck to you! There are a handful of us living with this disease. It can be done if you are careful.

 

[la babs]

Thanks so much for these thoughtful and informative replies. As newbie, it is so good to know I can come to this site and get this level of intelligent response. Thanks again.

 

[Nambroth]

No problem, and good luck to you. Managing Marek's can be done. There are a few threads here about it and the various measures we have taken to live with it and continue to keep chickens responsibly. I should assemble a list of the good threads sometime to make them easier to find! Just need to find the time... Until then a search of "Marek's" here on the forum will lead you to a lot of reading.