I have Mareks...so now what?

[oldhenlikesdogs]

Hholly was being helpful, chickens die, most don't live past 4 or 5, that's something you will have to come to terms with, the best any off us do is to give them good lives and enjoy them while they are here, mine aren't exactly pets but we don't eat them either, I have respect for life and for death.

As far as the Marecks and 4H you will have to contact your local extension and see what their requirements are for showing. Mareks is shed in the feather dander, so if you leave your house in clothes that you wore while handling the chickens you might bring it with you. The USDA has guidelines on poultry and preventing the spread of diseases, I would urge you to check them out.

 

[IACraig]

I am also having issues with Mareks in my flock. It takes a couple, then I think its under control then it pops back up again. Frustrating, but theres always something with chickens.

I have read a lot on Mareks and I am not sure how much I know about it. It seems sooner or later a flock will become exposed. Mareks can be spread by pigeons, any wild birds, or from people. How much can we protect our flocks unless they are in a bubble? I would expect to lose half your birds or more. The ones that survive should be immune. About all you can do at this point is maintain good health in your flock and keep the dust and feathers cleaned up in your coop minimizing your birds exposure. I would expect some of your birds to survive.

 

[SFlChicks]

Sara1226 hang in there. My girls are also pets and we are crazy about them. They are funny and affectionate and each is unique.
We lost one girl suddenly a while ago and now another is lame for the second time in a couple of weeks. I totally get how you feel. Part of me wants to check on her every 30 seconds and part of my never wants to check the coop again.
Hold on to all the moments and treasure the experience.

 

[sara1226]

Thank you everyone for the comments. Most of the chickens I have left had been vaccinated, so I'm hoping that some of them survive the exposure. I read that there are several vitamins that are important for boosting their immunity to Mareks:

Garlic
St. John's wort
Vitamin b complex
Iron

It may or may not be true.. But I'm sure going to try!

I'm going to take it one day at a time. Doing the best I can to keep them happy and healthy. Today was a good day. They were full of energy and enjoyed some yogurt and squash.. Separately though, not together. Although I'm sure they would have eaten it either way!

 

[ClaireDL]

I've got one that I had euthanized after trying to save him for over a month. The necropsy came back with Mareks as a likely diagnosis. None of my other birds got sick even the ones who grew up with him...It really depends of the individual immune system. So I don't see the reason to cull all of them if they don't present any symptoms. However, I would try to boost their immune system with vitamins and electrolytes and clean the coop more often than usual by disinfecting with apple cider vinegar.
Mareks is transmitted by the dandruff...

 

[sara1226]

Well I have some confusing news. The vet that did the necropsy had called me and said he took a blood sample from my chicken and sent it to a lab to confirm it was Mareks, and the test came back NEGATIVE. I had another one die yesterday (Christmas morning...my favorite chicken... I was devistated), this one showed no signs of illness, no limping. Was walking around fine eating one minute and then minutes later just fell over dead. I am now thinking I have Leukosis in my flock. Which in some ways I think is worse news than Mareks... There is no vaccine.

If it is leukosis are they all going to die? Do I need to give up on having chickens?

Please help..

 

[ClaireDL]

My vet had told me there was no blood test for Mareks..Glad to know there is one...I'm really sorry for your loss..It always seems to be the best ones that leave us first..I can't help you with Leukosis, I've got no experience with that disease....Sometimes, to move the coop to a different area will solve some of the issues as some disease can be in the soil ( worms especially)...Good luck ..

 

[sara1226]

Update: we had another chicken pass away. Losing one every couple of weeks now. My vet called a state university pathologist and explained the history of my flock and described what the necropsy looked like. They are now almost certain it is Leukosis.

Does this mean my remaining 6 will die? Has anyone had this exposure to their flock and have any survivors?

I love having chickens, they are pets and my whole family is attached to them but we keep being devastated by deaths. I guess it's time to call my chicken keeping a failure and give up.

 

[pulp2paper]

Let me say, I know exactly how you feel. This is my first year with chickens. I hatched over 30 under hens and hatched almost 100 in an incubator.
Yes. It's easy. All u have to do is feed them.. that is a LIE. I love M6 chickens. I cook for them, give treats daily and all will.come to me when I go outside.
I started each day with them and ended each day touching each one on the roost pole and saying goodnight.
When my first pullet started limping as she left out the coop door, I thought she must have fell off the roof pole.
3 paralyzed pullets and 5 dead chickens in 2 weeks. I knew somethong else was going on.
I treated with this antibiotic for this diagnosis. Helped for a month or so. Then more sick birds. Differnt symptons. Treated again. Different meds. All find for a month or 2. Then sick birds again. This went on for 6 months. Final the states vet office came and got a bird that died that morning.
MAREKS... I was devastated.
I made the choice not to cull them. I just love them and try toake each day the best it can be for each of them. But when one gets sick now. I give it a day and if no improvement, I help it pass. I have learned that once sick, they will not recover and I can't let them suffer.
I have 8 left out of 120+. (I have lost about 20 to dogs, chicken hawk, snake, and unknown culprit one night) the rest died due to mareks.
But i love each one and hold each one daily. Feed treats and soil them rotten.

 

[sara1226]

I just thought I would give an update on my Mareks experience. I've learned some things I didn't know before. My vet helped me send out two of my deceased chickens to a state lab. It was concluded that I have Mareks in my flock for sure. The vet was confused because I lost 3 chickens that were vaccinated. The state pathologist said the strain I have is one of the less common strains. There are different types of vaccines.. Cheap ones that only cover one type of strain, and more expensive ones,that cover more of a broad spectrum of strains. Most people chose to save money and go with the cheap vaccines. I guess that's what happened with my flock. The pathologist said that Mareks is more common in this state than people realize. A big hatchery like McMurray uses a better vaccine, so IF I ever get more I have to get chicks from there. I will continue to lose more chickens..even vaccinated ones it seems. I have ONE chicken left from my original group that I've had since May. Considering I've had her for 8 months, and I think the disease came from where she came from.. I think she might be a survivor and she is a carrier. Some of yours might survive too if they became immune. My vet suggested I wait until summer time and see what I have left.. If I have a few survivors I can try to raise a few McMurray chicks and see if I can add them in and if they will survive. One thing I don't understand is how long the incubation period is, but I am still learning. I've only had chickens since May, but this whole experience has been very difficult. Just thought I would share what I learned today.