Paralysis (Possible Marek's Disease), Treatment, Cure?

[EggSighted4Life]

Thanks for filling me in. Maybe I'll switch to the pyrethrin spray. I briefly read that permethrin is the synthetic version of pyrethrin. Please inform on which is best.. thank you!

If you are worried about organic then you can go with spinosad or elector PSP or whatever else you found. They were a lot more pricey when I looked at them. I didn't know about the other options when I bought mine that is labeled as horse fly spray to keep the mosquitoes off my goats. It is a small trigger spray bottle that has lasted me more than a year with 2 goats, 3 dogs, and 60 ish birds and was under $10. When I found out I could use it on my birds for mites and lice, it was a bonus I didn't expect.

I will consider the organic version if/when I have to replace this bottle. But aside from that since I am going to have to combat parasites on a continual basis (and rats), I might work the carbaryl products in as an alternative... because mites have shown resistance according to data. Maybe by switching them out I won't get too much resistance built to something that really does work well. But this is a learning process for me as well. So do whatever seems to fit your financial/moral/actual need the best!

 

[Kiki]

Great thread...thanks for sharing.

 

[chickengeorgeto]

Three years old is likely too old for a hen to contact Marek's Disease. Therefor I think that your hen has or had a different malady.

Just so we can be completely sure, there is no treatment or cure for Marek's Disease.

Permethrin is best, the potency is well regulated which is not the case with pyrethrin or the powdered flowers of the mum plant.

 

[Lola<3]

If you are worried about organic then you can go with spinosad or elector PSP or whatever else you found. They were a lot more pricey when I looked at them. I didn't know about the other options when I bought mine that is labeled as horse fly spray to keep the mosquitoes off my goats. It is a small trigger spray bottle that has lasted me more than a year with 2 goats, 3 dogs, and 60 ish birds and was under $10. When I found out I could use it on my birds for mites and lice, it was a bonus I didn't expect.

I will consider the organic version if/when I have to replace this bottle. But aside from that since I am going to have to combat parasites on a continual basis (and rats), I might work the carbaryl products in as an alternative... because mites have shown resistance according to data. Maybe by switching them out I won't get too much resistance built to something that really does work well. But this is a learning process for me as well. So do whatever seems to fit your financial/moral/actual need the best!

Thanks so much for sharing : )

 

[Lola<3]

Three years old is likely too old for a hen to contact Marek's Disease. Therefor I think that your hen has or had a different malady.

Just so we can be completely sure, there is no treatment or cure for Marek's Disease.

Permethrin is best, the potency is well regulated which is not the case with pyrethrin or the powdered flowers of the mum plant.

Thank you!

 

[chickengeorgeto]

If you take a top notch breeder quality RIR and breed that over a top notch breeder quality White Rock, yes, you should get a strong bird with hybrid vigor.

However, that is not what the hatcheries do. They select year after year to develop lines for egg production. Long term longevity is not the industry's concern as most commercial practices retire out (cull) birds over 2 years of age ..... So, in time, the hatcheries have selected for birds that mature quickly and lay madly for 2 years..... The hatcheries work years to perfect their particular lines..... but as any animal breeder knows, when you focus on one particular feature, there is always something else that is affected and/or lost....

This is true, every upside has a downside, but I wonder what traits that you would suggest that the hatcheries focus on or shoot for in a laying hen, other than laying eggs that is? Please enlighten me in this regard.

 

[EggSighted4Life]

Three years old is likely too old for a hen to contact Marek's Disease. Therefor I think that your hen has or had a different malady.

Just so we can be completely sure, there is no treatment or cure for Marek's Disease.

Permethrin is best, the potency is well regulated which is not the case with pyrethrin or the powdered flowers of the mum plant.

It's my understanding that Marek's can be contracted at anytime and possibly laying dormant until some OTHER weakness like parasite infestation/nutrient deficiency (or maybe simply aging) allows the virus to become active and out compete the immune system.

Though there is no KNOWN treatment or cure for Marek's, some birds are more resistant than others. Since all of my birds have been exposed (according to our state vet/poultry lab it is considered to have exposure in EVERY north American flock), I have to presume it COULD pop up in ANY bird at ANY time. One reason it's important for people to cull weaker members... keeping the herd strong, if you will.

One thing I'm curious about... is if people who raise turkeys still get the turkey herpes vaccine for their chickens and if it then causes issues for said turkeys... all though I get that the virus is dead when used for vaccine. And why not vaccinate with the virus they are more likely to actually catch? Guess I'm no scientist, yet! Probably NEVER will be. But I do have the desire to learn about things I'm interested in. I just wish that the info wasn't all trying to scramble together, the more I learn. Thanks for sharing your info and joining in on that learning journey!

 

[Lady of McCamley]

This is true, every upside has a downside, but I wonder what traits that you would suggest that the hatcheries focus on or shoot for in a laying hen, other than laying eggs that is? Please enlighten me in this regard.

I think the hatcheries are doing exactly what the hatcheries need to do. Respond to market demand with the best ag principles they can to do so.

The greatest market for them right now (and foreseeable future) is commercial industry which has followed a very industrialized line process to create birds that crank out the most eggs possible. We got cheap eggs, but those practices also produced unhealthy birds raised in unhealthy conditions.

Social pressure, and more importantly, consumer awareness with desire for eggs raised from hens in more "sustainable" conditions, has created a new market to which the industry is responding by removing cages and allowing some "range" (how much is debatable).

Ag science is confirming that food quality and animal health are (not surprisingly) related. Our overall prosperity in America has now allowed us to focus more on quality of food rather than quantity of food. (A starving man doesn't debate where the egg came from.)

I don't expect commercial poultry growers to treat their animals like pets, unconcerned with the bottom line (as it is hard to make a profit in the egg business), so they won't have the need for geriatric chickens roaming among the field of daisies in retirement. However, they are adjusting and creating better environments which will require better birds to which the hatcheries will respond.

As Congress has pressured the FDA to remove all approved worming meds and antibiotics for laying hens, growers will require more naturally stronger birds.

This will in the long term benefit the back yard chicken keeper.

If local, small holders continue to gain popularity, rather than a passing fad, we will see the hatcheries market more to these kinds of consumers...people who want naturally healthy chickens who live longer and still produce decently. But I don't see that ever a major market concern for the hatcheries.

I'm a fan of the free market and consumer awareness. It is the consumer who drives the market. We ultimately get what we want as voted by what we will pay for.

LofMc

 

[EggSighted4Life]

Yes, the industry is responding... to a market that doesn't understand chicken behavior....

I don't understand how big chicken get so much production... must be extra lighting or something. But despite the stress... they still lay tons of eggs. One of the ways big chicken saves on their cost is having the capacity for grain storage... my feed cost puts me easily at $2.50 per dozen that with free range and fermenting... but I guess I do also have dual purpose breeds and I don't feed the cheapest layer feed I can find (Ok it's the cheapest flock raiser I can find) it's more about a hobby as well as a life style than just about eggs. My birds get superior nutrition and space. Too bad customers don't understand WHY I can't put out cheap products... and none wanna pay for your time or other expenses like actually raising the bird. Neighbors are happy to take free eggs but none call for more... OH well, I do this for ME. Sorry, kind of off topic.

 

[ChickNanny13]

Yes, the industry is responding... to a market that doesn't understand chicken behavior....

I don't understand how big chicken get so much production... must be extra lighting or something. But despite the stress... they still lay tons of eggs. One of the ways big chicken saves on their cost is having the capacity for grain storage... my feed cost puts me easily at $2.50 per dozen that with free range and fermenting... but I guess I do also have dual purpose breeds and I don't feed the cheapest layer feed I can find (Ok it's the cheapest flock raiser I can find) it's more about a hobby as well as a life style than just about eggs. My birds get superior nutrition and space. Too bad customers don't understand WHY I can't put out cheap products... and none wanna pay for your time or other expenses like actually raising the bird. Neighbors are happy to take free eggs but none call for more... OH well, I do this for ME. Sorry, kind of off topic.

Know EXACTLY what you're mean/saying. I also ferment my feed; Flock Raiser ($24/50#). Layer cost way less but I prefer the extra protein, haven't found any layer with more than 16%.
Here those raising to sell fresh eggs ($5/doz) are having to deal with higher feed cost (spreading the word about fermenting) & availability. "Mainland treated" eggs are sometime sold for 2doz/$5. So raising for eggs here is a "hobby" like fishing, cheaper to purchase at the market but more fun fresh I raise as a hobby, 4 - 6, Pets with Benefits. It's just Hubby & I so the overload goes to our elderly relatives on a budget.