I bought 40 Barnevelders & 20 Black Copper Marans recently in two age groups. I have 8 wire & wood brooder/grow-out pens in my barn. I have chicks of various breeds in all cages. I separated out these new ones into two cages by age. The older ones started getting sick on Saturday. I saw some bloody poo and automatically assumed Cocci. We added Sulmet to their water immediately. The BCMs appear fine. However, more than half of the Barnevelders appear sick. I found one dead this morning. I noticed 3 or 4 others acting sick (puffing up feathers, standing still, and constantly chirping without stopping). I watched one in particular and noticed it's bottom had BLACK tarry looking poo around the vent. She kept standing there with her eyes closed and acting like she was trying to poo and couldn't. She kept straining and straining. Then, I noticed that her left leg was stiff and red and it looked swollen around the ankle compared to her other leg up to her "knee".
Is this possible Mareks? I just had a conversation with someone yesterday who said that Barnevelders are prone to Mareks. Also, is it possible that my other chicks in the barn will get it if it is Mareks? They are all in separate brooders but in close proximity to each other.
I can't find anything that lists symptoms for Marek's. We just went through two rounds of Cocci in the last two weeks. I am VERY frustrated!
Is this possible Mareks? I just had a conversation with someone yesterday who said that Barnevelders are prone to Mareks. Also, is it possible that my other chicks in the barn will get it if it is Mareks? They are all in separate brooders but in close proximity to each other.
I can't find anything that lists symptoms for Marek's. We just went through two rounds of Cocci in the last two weeks. I am VERY frustrated!
