Very sick pullet. Help!

[microchick]

Thank you for the kind words and tag,@Wyorp Rock.

Indeed, I'm more than willing to help whenever I can.

It's late here in Missouri. I promise to read over the thread and post more tomorrow morning.

Hang in there, @SmiYa0126 I know this feels like the end of the world at the moment but trust me it's just a stretch of really nasty road. You aren't alone.

I will invite you to read my article. You can cut And paste the link in my tag line at the bottom of this post. It may answer a lot of your questions and ease your fears concerning Karen's disease.

 

[Bellsferrycottage]

First off, apologies for quoting the wrong member last night. That will teach me to try to use my tablet while in bed to reply.

Secondly, I'm so sorry to hear that your final diagnosis is Marek's. Makes sense though given the age of your flock and a diagnosis of reproductive cancer along with the symptoms.

My flock developed symptoms when they were just a year old and the next three years were hell on earth so I know what you are feeling right now and what you are going through.

I won't mislead you. It will get worse, then it will get better. Just don' t give up. Your surviving birds will be resistant to Marek's disease and you can breed resistant birds from your survivors.

First off, close your flock. No unvaccinated birds in and no birds out. Your entire flock has been exposed and are now carriers, meaning they can spread the disease through their dander and bodily fluids.

I won't repeat my experiences. I pretty much covered everything in my article but I will say this. Marek's isn't the end of keeping chickens. The disease is everywhere and you did nothing to endanger your flock or make them sick. The virus is air born in bird dander and even wild birds can carry it so unless you can put your property under a dome, there is no escaping it other than to raise resistant birds or vaccinated birds.

I know a lot of people here frown on vaccination but in all honesty, until you have walked in the shoes of a flock owner who is having to cull one or two birds a week due to this horrible disease and feel the heartbreak and sorrow they are feeling, you truly do not understand how devastating this disease is. Sometimes, vaccinating is the only way you will be able to add birds to your flock if you so desire. That or adding genetically resistant birds like Egyptian Fayoumis (which I did) or birds like Naked Necks. At least that is what I discovered personally

Unfortunately birds like Silkies, Orpingtons, Welsummers to name a few along with Sebrights are all at the top of the list when it comes to susceptibility. All popular back yard flock birds.

What should you do with your flock now? Wait. Hang on, keep them as healthy and well fed as you can and see what happens next. You will lose more birds. How many? I don't know. I lost 2/3rds of my flock before the purge stopped and it's been 4 years since I've lost a bird that I could point a finger at and say 'Marek's Disease'. But I know it's out there. I know my flock is exposed and carriers but that isn't stopping me from keeping birds and it shouldn't stop anyone.

As @Wyorp Rock said, I am glad to answer any questions you might have, now or in the future. Just tag me, quote me or PM me. I may not be on every day but I am on the forum fairly regularly so I will check my alerts and pm box.

Just hang in there and know you are not alone in this. There is a big club of folks with MD here on BYC. It's one that nobody wants to belong to but we are all here to help one another.

Blessings.
Becky

Thank you so much. You have no idea how much your article and your words meant to me. I was shocked for a couple of days trying to figure out my next move. Having something I can’t control and can’t cure is debilitating to me on top of the several virus outbreaks that cost so many lives in the small vet practice I work at. My goal now is to keep them as happy and well fed as much as I can. It’s devastating having this happen to me after researching for 2 years and only getting my first flock of 9 (now down to 7). Thank you so very much. @Wyorp Rock Thank you so much for all your help throughout this whole ordeal too. I feel like I’ve found some real friends in this site.

 

[Bellsferrycottage]

A little update. None of the girls and the boy (29 weeks old now) and the silkies that are over a year old has exhibited any symptoms of Marek’s. My spring chicks are finally laying now and I do carry them everyday making sure none has been losing weight. Taking it day by day and considering myself very lucky I haven’t lost another one. I am thinking of adding 2 more to our flock, vaccinated ofcourse, come spring time.

 

[SmiYa0126]

@Wyorp Rock @azygous @Eggcessive 911 emergency, one hen already died

 

[Bellsferrycottage]

She started eating and drinking corrid water on her own tonight. But still lethargic.

 

[Bellsferrycottage]

What are you feeding including treats?

Tucker Milling Show flock pellets
Dried mealworms from TS. Not everyday and not more than 10% of their diet.

Very minimally black oil sunflower seeds. Like a tbsp in my hand once a month or so.

Occasional overgrown cucumbers from the garden but they haven’t had it in a while.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Layer or Starter and for how long?

I'd still work on the basis of Coccidiosis since you started the Corid, but would consider giving an antibiotic since the fecal float didn't show an overload.
Sulfa antibiotic would probably be the way to go.

 

[Bellsferrycottage]

Layer or Starter and for how long?

I'd still work on the basis of Coccidiosis since you started the Corid, but would consider giving an antibiotic since the fecal float didn't show an overload.
Sulfa antibiotic would probably be the way to go.

Layer feed, started at 18 weeks

Thank you. She’s still very sleepy this am. But when I prop her up she eats her food and promptly falls back asleep.

 

[Bellsferrycottage]

Still very lethargic and not eating much. I soaked her in warm water with epsom salt to clean her vent. She feels like she’s skin and bones. I feel like I’ve done everything I could at this point and I’m such at a loss. If and when she passes I’m aiming to send her body to my state lab.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Thank you for all your help. I’m a little bit traumatized to go to my coop now and find another one sick and unable to move. Mareks keeps getting thrown a lot around here and I’m scared for that. The 3 1yr old silkies were bought somewhere else and I’ve quarantined them for 30 days before integrating to my flock in July. I’ve done everything I could, researched for 2 years and read a chicken keeping book before finally committing to chickens, spent all the money in hardware cloth and making sure every nook and cranny of the run and coop is secure, and something like this happens to my babies that are way too young and I feel so helpless. They are pets and I was looking forward to many many years of spending time with them even if they’re way past their egg laying years. I check on them every single morning before work and after work and I have the not knowing what took them so fast to the point where their severely emaciated in days kills me.