What do I do to prevent Marek's from spreading?

[buffchick]

These chicks will be 5 weeks old on May 16th. The lame leg of my "sick" one, is on the left side. The chicks are eating a chick starter of 18%, they need 16%, but I could not find chick starter with that percentage. I am going to start cutting their feed time down. I usually give feed at 7:30-8:00 am and take it away at 7:00pm. The feed is not medicated as far as I know. I have asked the feed stores around me about medicated chicken feed and they don't have it. Where can I get it and what brand is medicated?

As far as the Marek's spreading--if it is that--- what do I do??
Should I go ahead and treat all my chickens for cocci?

buffchick

 

[horsejody]

Quote:
Is this vaccine available "over the counter" so to speak...you know for the average folk? Like me? Or do you have to take the chicks to the vet?

Sorry I missed this post earlier. I ordered mine from Twin City Poultry Supply.

http://www.twincitypoultrysupplies.com/store/

Make sure you order a small needle at the same time.

 

[mipsy6]

It doesn't seem like buffchick's question about preventing Marek's from spreading ever got answered in this thread, which is too bad, because I have the same question.

I have a 17 week old RIR pullet who might have Marek's, although she's been sick for over a month and hasn't died, so maybe not??? Her primary symptoms are (1) wobbly legs/difficulty standing aka "drunk chicken" and (2) retarded growth. She doesn't have the curled toes or weird splayed leg position that I have heard indicated Marek's. Anyway, she's still alive and I don't plan to cull her since she seems happy enough.

I have one other RIR pullet who has been in with the sick one all along, and she's fine.

Last weekend, I got an additional chicken. In a way, she's a "back up chicken" in case my sick chicken dies. (I don't want my healthy RIR to be lonely.) My new chicken is a 2-3 month old black sex link. Here's my question:

If my 17 week old RIR has Marek's, that means her healthy-seeming sister may also be a carrier, right? Does that mean when I introduce the new sex link in a month that she will probably get Marek's too? What if I cull the sick chicken before I introduce the new one?

FYI, I don't have any vets that see chickens in my area.

 

[priszilla]

I read at another site a snippet that said that turkeys can have a form of Mareks that is not lethal to chickens but that may give them immunity to mareks.Anyone know anything about this?

 

[WrenAli]

There is no preventing Marek's from spreading. You either cull everything and start over or live with it. There are many posts on this site about Marek's. DHLUnicorn has quite a bit of info on it.

Not sure about the Turkey version. But knowing diseased I doubt that it would give a very effective immunity. It may help with some.

 

[mipsy6]

I guess I haven't really found many posts on "living with" Mareks. Most people talk about their chickens dying and/or having to be culled.

Could you help out a newbie and direct me to a thread that might have more insight on living with the disease? Since I have a very small backyard flock, I wouldn't mind just accepting the fact that Mareks has contaminated my yard. I would just rather not sentence a bunch of birds to a painful death if I don't have to.

Thanks in advance for your help!

 

[WrenAli]

Here are two sites with info on Marek's.
http://dlhunicorn.conforums.com/index.cgi?board=linksgeneralinfo&action=display&num=1161855136

http://www.shagbarkbantams.com/page9.htm

 

[cjeanean]

My cornish X had the same problem with the bloody stool! They were on medicated feed from day 1 to 3wks, then I put them on 22% gamebird starter. At about 5 weeks I noticed the blood, and immediately gave them terramyacin. Within two days it had cleared up, and they are fine now, normal poops, whatever. I don't know what caused it, however they ARE messy as hell and if being in their own crap can cause it then that's what did it! I had to clean their brooders out twice a day!!! One of my meat chickens has a problem in its left leg as well, and has had this problem for about 2 weeks. I brought it in to give it some vitamins and everything, but it did no good. I realized that its toe is broken or hurt, since one toe is all swollen in one place and he can't put weight on it. Check your chicken's legs, cause I know my chicken got hurt from all the weight of the other ones when they piled up at night. Good luck!!!