What did you do with your flock today?

[ChicksnMore]

Has anyone had eggs with 'meat spots' in the whites, and will they stop appearing eventually, or do they continue? I think I have one or two girls whose eggs regularly have them.

I had a bunch of Rhode island reds long ago that almost always had meat spots. They were in a mixed flock and we're the only ones laying those, so I assumed it was in their genes. They layed eggs like that their whole lives.

Nohope perked up tonight after some vitamin B complex and E and an Amoxicillin. He ate a bunch and drank almost a cup of water. And tonight he is patiently allowing me to pet him while I drink wine
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King NoHope on his throne I'm also glad you're getting this time with him. He looks so comfy and content.

 

[FBMcrazy8]

Well I really wanted to vaccinated my chicks with the Marek’s vaccine anyway as the others were vaccinated already and the effort to keep them safe is well worth it. I came here to really see if you all did were you got it from and if there was a way to get smaller bottles without the waist. But I never found anything so I went ahead and just ordered it. I wish my friends hatch was closer to mine cause I would give it to her to use on her birds. Which I found out that she wasn’t vaccinating hers but will be now as she lost only a few birds last year but they all sent up flags to have the disease. Just didn’t really touch the majority of her flock. I’m actually really surprised how many people don’t vaccinate.

 

[kurby22]

Well I really wanted to vaccinated my chicks with the Marek’s vaccine anyway as the others were vaccinated already and the effort to keep them safe is well worth it. I came here to really see if you all did were you got it from and if there was a way to get smaller bottles without the waist. But I never found anything so I went ahead and just ordered it. I wish my friends hatch was closer to mine cause I would give it to her to use on her birds. Which I found out that she wasn’t vaccinating hers but will be now as she lost only a few birds last year but they all sent up flags to have the disease. Just didn’t really touch the majority of her flock. I’m actually really surprised how many people don’t vaccinate.

Yes, I try to share it when it's possible, but the rest gets wasted and it feels so unfortunate!

 

[FBMcrazy8]

Yes, I try to share it when it's possible, but the rest gets wasted and it feels so unfortunate!

And honestly could be why so many people don’t vaccinate. The vaccine is designed for bigger facilities. Too bad they couldn’t just shrink it down. Even to 100 doses rather than 1,000.

 

[kurby22]

And honestly could be why so many people don’t vaccinate. The vaccine is designed for bigger facilities. Too bad they couldn’t just shrink it down. Even to 100 doses rather than 1,000.

Agreed! I think as backyard chickening gets more and more common, there may be a willingness to provide such things at lower doses, but it seems they don't feel us backyard chickeners are worth the time profit-wise...I think it's narrow-minded and sort of dumb. If we can't easily vaccinate our birds, then they won't be able to control the viruses affecting the commercial folks. Just my two cents!

 

[TropicalBabies]

I've noticed a few other Marek suspicious type posts on emergencies lately.

@Shetland lover you are a wealth of information and always eloquently stated. I can almost hear your lovely accent when I read all of the alarming information Thanks for breaking it down and making it easy to absorb ♡

 

[kurby22]

Fowl Pox is a really interesting virus. It's categorized as a large DNA virus and can have integrated Reticuloendotheliosis Virus in it. That addition to Fowl Pox can lead to lymphoma. It also differs significantly in it's makeup between field and lab strains. Field strains have cell adaptations that allow it to persist much longer in the environment. It's also very slow to spread (which means vaccination is still useful even when some of the flock is symptomatic)
There are three types of Fowl Pox, cutaneous, diphtheritic, and/or systemic. The first one results in the classic skin lesions (dry fowl pox) and has low mortality so unless the bird is very young, old or immunocompromised, full recovery is likely. They then have passive immunity but this can decline over time, opening the bird up to re-infection. Interestingly, just like with human chicken pox, mothers can pass immunity to their offspring.
The other two versions are much more dangerous. Diphtheritic (wet fowl pox or fowl diphtheria) results in lesions which develop on the mucous membranes of the mouth, oesophagus, pharynx, larynx, and trachea. Caseous patches can form in the larynx and trachea, they look like the plaques caused in oral thrush or trich and prevent the chicken from breathing. They adhere very strongly to mucous membranes. The third type, systemic, results from very virulent forms of the virus. It causes lesions on the internal organs. Both types have high mortality rates. It's also possible for an individual chicken to have all three forms at once.
Mosquitoes are the the main mechanical vector of the virus but other biting insects can also spread it. It can also be spread via pox scabs, dander and dust through skin to skin contact, via abrasions and cuts. It can also be transmitted by breathing in the virus present in the scabs that fall off the infected birds. When it is transmitted in this way, the result is almost always diphtheritic or systemic infection.

That's just a few highlights. It's a very well studied virus with lots of information out there as it has a worldwide distribution and can result in considerable economic loss in commercial settings.

I am sending in a live sample to the RAL lab today and they happen to test for this, so I’m adding it to the panel!

 

[FBMcrazy8]

Agreed! I think as backyard chickening gets more and more common, there may be a willingness to provide such things at lower doses, but it seems they don't feel us backyard chickeners are worth the time profit-wise...I think it's narrow-minded and sort of dumb. If we can't easily vaccinate our birds, then they won't be able to control the viruses affecting the commercial folks. Just my two cents!

Well really though, if they think about it, it could be more beneficial to go with small doses available because then more people will buy them. The more people the more revenue. But I get it, to break it down and have smaller doses seems like a waist because commercial keepers need the higher numbered doses. Just like what you said though, it could change with more back yard chicken keepers.

I was watching a local news channel and they were staying with local egg prices a lot of people where looking at starting to keep their own chickens (which we all here knew that was going to happen). They only reported that the city they were reporting out of, didn’t have many ordinances to chickens. I hate though how they don’t tell people the ugly of keeping chickens. It isn’t all fun and games and there is a lot to it. Not including the predators that are out there that can get them. The diseases and illnesses are in a category all on its own. And there is going to be a lot of unwanted chickens or even dead chickens because some won’t do the research and just do an impulse buy.

 

[Shetland lover]

He always walked weirdly like he was just a teensy bit drunk, but that was from about 12 weeks on. Paralysis didn't happen until maybe 1-2 days before death--whereas Asha and Nohope and two other Polish roosters presented more like Nohope. They all lived long past their ability to use their legs and my one Polish rooster had even started walking again right before he died. The Polish pullets got sick, emaciated, paralysis and then died within days of looking sick. I would have believed Mareks if everyone had presented like the Polish pullets did...but when Axle my Polish rooster got progressively better with vitamins and time I stopped thinking that is what it was because I had not found anything that said they could improve that way!

Nohope had pretty bad thrush which I was able to fix with meds, I gave him at least a week's worth of activated charcoal in case it was toxins of some sort...but despite being fully better in every other way he continued to progress to less and less use of his legs. My assumption with the purpling comb is that his tumors are growing in his lungs and therefore the oxygenation and breathing is getting more difficult. I could be wrong on that though. Every now and again he will gasp for air like he's got something caught in his throat but really it's just gasping for more oxygen I think. The comb is even flopping just slightly today so I'm guessing things are progressing

Mareks induced paralysis is transient so in the unlikely event a bird recovers from the virus, they can recover use of their legs. It's not common but possible, it depends how much the nerve sheath has been permanently damaged. It could be that your birds with the odd presentation of the disease were/are beginning to recover from the virus but actually succumbed to lymphoma caused by the virus? I'm only throwing ideas around. I don't know for certain.
It sounds like JoJo may have caught Mareks earlier than you thought or he had some sort of pre-existing Neuro condition or injury that affected how he walked.
Even if Nohope doesn't make it (I'm crossing everything that he does, he's a superstar and a real fighter ), you're giving him the best life possible. And as long as he's still enjoying his French fries, snuggles and is free from pain, all to the good. You are caring for him beautifully.
Have you thought about supplementing his diet with gamma linolenic acid(GLA)? It has been shown to be beneficial in reducing inflammation of and protecting the nerve sheath. Hemp seed, blackcurrant seeds/oil, safflower and borage are all rich in GLA and safe for chickens.

Charcoal is a great shout but unfortunately, it won't detoxify heavy metal poisoning. You need a specific chelate for that. Vitamin K is also useful to have on hand for chemical poisonings, e.g. rat poison.

Don't give up. You're a great chicken mom

 

[kurby22]

Mareks induced paralysis is transient so in the unlikely event a bird recovers from the virus, they can recover use of their legs. It's not common but possible, it depends how much the nerve sheath has been permanently damaged. It could be that your birds with the odd presentation of the disease were/are beginning to recover from the virus but actually succumbed to lymphoma caused by the virus? I'm only throwing ideas around. I don't know for certain.
It sounds like JoJo may have caught Mareks earlier than you thought or he had some sort of pre-existing Neuro condition or injury that affected how he walked.
Even if Nohope doesn't make it (I'm crossing everything that he does, he's a superstar and a real fighter ), you're giving him the best life possible. And as long as he's still enjoying his French fries, snuggles and is free from pain, all to the good. You are caring for him beautifully.
Have you thought about supplementing his diet with gamma linolenic acid(GLA)? It has been shown to be beneficial in reducing inflammation of and protecting the nerve sheath. Hemp seed, blackcurrant seeds/oil, safflower and borage are all rich in GLA and safe for chickens.

Charcoal is a great shout but unfortunately, it won't detoxify heavy metal poisoning. You need a specific chelate for that. Vitamin K is also useful to have on hand for chemical poisonings, e.g. rat poison.

Don't give up. You're a great chicken mom

I have not read about the GLA, but I will look into adding it to his food! I will also get some Vitamin K for the future. The charcoal was a "just in case it was something toxic" stab in the dark haha. That is good to know though! Is there an amount that is too much of any of those things? I am thinking hemp seed should be pretty easy to find! Thanks!