Allotment Gardening Advice Help Chat

Poultry and Pets => The Hen House => Topic started by: flocko on April 19, 2008, 09:49

Title: Help!!! Could it be Mareks disease?
Post by: flocko on April 19, 2008, 09:49
I have a 26 week old Brahma cockerel who for the last 2 days is having trouble standing he just keeps flopping down to the floor as if he has no strengh in his legs. His colour is good and his eyes bright he is eating a little. I have given him some grapes(his favourite) some live yogurt and oats which he has readily eaten. Could he have Mareks? if so what can I do for him,he is currently indoors in the warm.

His other companions (another Brahma cockerel and a Brahma hen) are OK as are my other chickens which are a bit older than this lot. Any help or advise would be appreciated.
Title: Help!!! Could it be Mareks disease?
Post by: Lost in France on April 19, 2008, 11:03
Might be Mareks, but you never know really without a P.M. and lets hope it doesn't come to that. I have lost a couple of my silkies to Mareks...if you look at their feet the toes curl up and they become less mobile whilst eating and drinking normally and seem quite alert. I have got them through by doing what you're doing, keep inside in the warm, lots of treats to ensure they remain alert and eating well...radio on for company!!  :roll: :wink: Make sure he keeps drinking and, if he stops eating, give electrolytes in the water by syringe (Dioralyte) Unfortunately the two that I've lost to Marek's were always vulnerable after the first symptoms and eventually, after lots of periods in remission, they have both now died...one was fine for over a year after her first symptoms so you should keep a close eye on him after he recovers, just in case. We had to dispatch the first hen at the end as she was clearly not recovering...although it broke our hearts to do it. I think young birds are the most vulnerable to Marek's but , sadly, it can strike at any age.

If you bought the birds from a large breeder then they should have been vaccinated as chicks but that's not feasable for small breeders.

Do hope he pulls though.

Judi
Title: Help!!! Could it be Mareks disease?
Post by: flocko on April 19, 2008, 15:35
Hi Judi

Thanks for the advise, I'm pretty sure its Mareks he cant stand at all now but still eating and drinking little amounts. Time will tell I suppose I'm keeping my fingers crossed that he recovers and the other two dont catch it.
Title: Help!!! Could it be Mareks disease?
Post by: Lost in France on April 19, 2008, 16:44
I'm not sure that it's very contageous, my others are all ok. I've got my fingers crossed that he pulls through.

Judi
Title: Help!!! Could it be Mareks disease?
Post by: Aunt Sally on April 19, 2008, 20:10
It is very contagious herpes virus and is passed by what is called feather dander.  It can survive for months in poultry house litter and dust, so good hygiene is essential  :!:

Chicks in big flocks are vaccinated at day old (as GrannieAnnie did), I believe it's done with a spray of vaccine.  Chooks which have had Marek's and survived are never cured and will always be a source of infection.  

Very young birds are most susceptible to the disease.  Birds with Marek's will become paralyzed for a few days and then recover, but will eventually die of it  :cry:
Title: Help!!! Could it be Mareks disease?
Post by: flocko on April 20, 2008, 10:50
Can it spread to the other chickens regardless of age?

I think my laying hens are safe as we were told they had been vaccinated when we bought them but my other hens are Brahmas that we hatched ourselves and were not vaccinated.

Would it be kinder to the rooster to dispatch him :cry: or should we just wait and see incase its something else. This boy always had an akward gait. Could it be possible he has hip problems especially as he is such a big bird? in either case its not looking good for the poor chap.
Title: Help!!! Could it be Mareks disease?
Post by: Lost in France on April 20, 2008, 11:14
:( So sorry he's not better yet...what an aweful decision to have to make. With regards the others, if they've been together for a while, I would have thought that, if it is Mareks, any spread would already have happened but I might be wrong. I had assumed that whatever mine had wasn't very contageous because most have been fine but maybe some build up a resistance...?

It's so sad watching them go downhill, hoping all the time that they'll recover.

Big hugs,
Judi
Title: Re: Help!!! Could it be Mareks disease?
Post by: fish on April 20, 2008, 11:34
Quote from: "flocko"
I have a 26 week old Brahma cockerel who for the last 2 days is having trouble standing he just keeps flopping down to the floor as if he has no strengh in his legs. His colour is good and his eyes bright he is eating a little. I have given him some grapes(his favourite) some live yogurt and oats which he has readily eaten. Could he have Mareks? if so what can I do for him,he is currently indoors in the warm.

His other companions (another Brahma cockerel and a Brahma hen) are OK as are my other chickens which are a bit older than this lot. Any help or advise would be appreciated.


 jesus! you have a poorly cchicken and you bring it into yer home? what if,allthough unlikely it was H5N1  ???????????????  are you mad????? thats how epidemics start!!!!!

heres how i dealt with it ( the correct way!) :

(http://i102.photobucket.com/albums/m92/fishfish_01/ai.jpg)
Title: Help!!! Could it be Mareks disease?
Post by: Lost in France on April 20, 2008, 12:19
Am I the only one who thinks the last response was a bit OTT? Should we  think that all poorly chickens have avian flu?? The symptoms described bare absolutely no resemblance to those of avian flu....and bringing a poorly bird indoors is just what we do to help them through!

We're not big breeders, just have a few birds, we're very aware of hygeine etc. The epedemics I've read about start with the big breeders out to make money not those of us who are very careful with our birds and their hygiene!

Whoops...I feel very angry and wound up now....! :evil:

Time for a coffee...

Judi
Title: Help!!! Could it be Mareks disease?
Post by: Vember on April 20, 2008, 13:29
Have to say I agree with Judi 100%

My Birds are my babies, if they get sick I look after them the best I can. If that means they come inside then so be it.

My Goose has been raised by me she is our only goose and has lived inside since we got her! Every night she waits at the side door to come in  :lol:  During the day she mixes with my other birds but until she has some company (waiting for eggs to hatch 3 weeks to go) inside she stays!
Title: Help!!! Could it be Mareks disease?
Post by: Foxy on April 20, 2008, 13:32
flocko I am so sorry about your Brahma - I know some breeds are more susceptible to others, I hope he makes it and perhaps its something else.

fish - we are all extremely conscious regarding bio-security, risk assessment and keeping ourselves updated through the proper channels ie Defra in order to keep informed re:outbreaks of highly pathogenic HN51

In the UK the worst infection has been identified though a  commercial route those conditions are very different to how we keep our poultry.

In regard to wildfowl transmission the swannery in Dorset with a dense population of 600 swans only had a mortality of 1.8% (11 swans infected out of a population of around 600-mortality 90-100%) that was despite the likely shedding of virus with infected birds before symptoms identified.
This would suggest a very low risk of infection to backyard poultry keepers who in additon would be very aware 1. of local outbreaks through defra
2. maintaining  appropiate levels biosecurity

IMO I would not be paying ANY attention to the media creating scaremongering articles like the one you have posted. (pS Mareks is the correct spelling!!!!)
Thank you
Title: Help!!! Could it be Mareks disease?
Post by: fish on April 20, 2008, 14:14
"Am I the only one who thinks the last response was a bit OTT? Should we think that all poorly chickens have avian flu??"

Well given that flocko didnt know what was wrong with the bird ,ie what the symtoms were ,i and anyone with some bio security sence wouldnt have put themselves and the nation at a whole at risk.
Title: Help!!! Could it be Mareks disease?
Post by: Lost in France on April 20, 2008, 14:54
I don't wish to cause offence ...but my reading of the posting is that Flocko's bird is bright and feeding but is wobbly on it's pins! Different symptoms entirely to those in the case that set off an avian flu scare!

I'm sure none of us on this forum are unaware of bio-security...and we all take the "appropriate" precautions. When my birds are sick they come indoors but that doesn't mean that we don't wash our hands thoroughly etc etc..after all we don't want to be ill either!

If we all fell victims to media-hype, we'd stick to goldfish and what a sad world we'd live in!!  :roll:

Judi :wink:
Title: Help!!! Could it be Mareks disease?
Post by: flocko on April 20, 2008, 15:07
Dear Mr Sanford

Thank you for your comments if you read my intial post you will realise that I have described the symptoms and was asking other forum members for their advise on dealing with this and if they felt I was correct in my diagnosis. Unlike yourself it seems rather than get advise from other forum members  you panic, get the press and DEFRA involved.
flocko
 :wink:
Title: Help!!! Could it be Mareks disease?
Post by: Ruby Red on April 20, 2008, 15:51
Quote from: "Lost in France"
Am I the only one who thinks the last response was a bit OTT? Should we  think that all poorly chickens have avian flu?? The symptoms described bare absolutely no resemblance to those of avian flu....and bringing a poorly bird indoors is just what we do to help them through!

We're not big breeders, just have a few birds, we're very aware of hygeine etc. The epedemics I've read about start with the big breeders out to make money not those of us who are very careful with our birds and their hygiene!

Whoops...I feel very angry and wound up now....! :evil:

Time for a coffee...
     
   Ditto Judi. Still dont forget its the age of "Elf n Safety". Quatermas is alive and well lol

Judi
Title: Help!!! Could it be Mareks disease?
Post by: Bodger on April 20, 2008, 17:26
All is not lost even if it is Mareks and it might not be.

Mareks is a virus but not all birds develop symptoms by any means.Certain breeds are notoriously susceptble to it and silkies are the ones that spring to mind.
I had mareks here about 8 or 9 years ago. One day my birds were in fine fettle and the next, one of them would develop a limp of drop a wing. Sometimes it would start to manifest itself in a very mild form with what I would describe as a droopy or lazey eye. The Americans call it Range Paralysis by the way. For some reason, it always seemed to take my very best and quite often a few days before a show as well.
I had two choices to make at this stage. I either innoculated all my chicks at day old, or I could choose to only breed from stock that seemed resistant to it. As I say, the disease only seemed to hit certain strains and i dispensed with these and only kept and bred from the resistant ones. My strategy seems to have worked and although a bit of luck may have been involved, I havent had a case for the last six years.
I was lucky I guess, because even at its worse I only had half a dozen cases a year, I've heard of breeders who suffer far more.
One thing I do recomend is not to mess about with anybirds that you supect of having Mareks. You should simply cull them and dispose of their bodys ASAP. Inspite of what people say, there's no way back from Mareks, if anyone tells you that they've nursed a hen back from Mareks, then take it from me that the bird never had the disease. Its very much a progressive disease.
From what the poster has described, I'm not certain that the bird has the condition. Sometimes the condition comes on very quickly and you may find your bird dead. On other ocaasions it may take a considerable time to run its unavoidable course. The characteristic pose of a bird that has died of Mareks is for it to have one of its legs stuck out rigidly behind it, a wing dropped or both.

You quite obviouly havent put the whole nations health at risk by what you've done in caring for your pet. :lol:  :lol:  :lol:  but in this case I'd cull the bird and dispose of it.
Title: Help!!! Could it be Mareks disease?
Post by: Aunt Sally on April 20, 2008, 17:43
Thanks for that detailed information Bodger and it verifies some of what I said in my previous post.  

A bird which recovers from Marek's, probably helped by our excellent nursing care, will succumb again and eventually die.  They will, however, be a constnt danger to the other birds in the flock even when in remission as they will still shed virus.
Title: Help!!! Could it be Mareks disease?
Post by: flocko on April 21, 2008, 10:17
Just an update on the rooster and thanks to everyone for their support.

He is still the same unable to stand but still has very good colour on his comb and wattles and bright eyed, eating and drinking little and often. I am going to give him till wedneday/thursday (unless he goes downhill before) and then I think it would be kinder to send him to the big rooster in the sky. :cry:

Forgot to mention that he Doodle OOOO'd this morning too, the first time since he's been poorly.
Title: Help!!! Could it be Mareks disease?
Post by: Lost in France on April 21, 2008, 12:36
Have got everything crossed that he pulls through. TLC goes a long way...lets hope it's not Marek's and he's just under the weather but, if he recovers, best keep a close eye on him.

Good luck little cockerel...we're all rooting for you!

Judi
Title: Re: Help!!! Could it be Mareks disease?
Post by: zbarker on August 09, 2009, 11:30
Hi, I am a new member called Zoe.  I do not know how to make a new topic, so have replied to your email from a year ago! 

I have a 7 and a half week cockerell and he seems to have the symptoms of Mareks disease.  One leg goes one way and the other goes the opposite.   He is alert and stressed and the other 8 hens I have are attacking him.  'Mum' has 3 other hens same age as this that came together and they seem ok at the moment.  Will they get it, how do I know what to do?

I have put him in a box with food and water and he stayed in the house last night and he is outside in the box now.  He tries to struggle to his feet and then sits down again.  It is really upsetting and is breaking my heart.

How long do I wait to see any improvement - if any?  Is he feeling pain as it looks so uncomfortable?

Anyone with any suggestions, please can you write.

Many thanks Zoe in Preston, lancs
Title: Re: Help!!! Could it be Mareks disease?
Post by: dizzylizzie on August 09, 2009, 11:49
oh well we are stuffed.....not only do i bring my poorly chickens into the house...i kiss them as well :tongue2: :D, my children kiss them..my husband dosent....but he kisses me :D :D
i will get a bio-hazzard sign for my gate and warn people of the danger!
flocko, i hope he gets well for you hunny x
u to zoe
Title: Re: Help!!! Could it be Mareks disease?
Post by: grumpydad on August 09, 2009, 13:01
been there twice in the last week, losing both of them, different breeds, both apparently vaccinated as day olds, very sorry but there is only one end result.
take it to a local vet to get some anti biotics to see if it works.
i know how distressing it is trying to feed and look after them, these are our first as well.
good luck and hope she pulls through.
martyn
Title: Re: Help!!! Could it be Mareks disease?
Post by: Henbane23 on November 10, 2009, 16:28
Hi again, i posted  on here a yr or so ago re: Mareks disease as we had a banty hen who developed this after being freaked out by a loose dog that came on our land and chased all the hens killing some.  It was all very upsetting as our hens are our pets, all have names. When any off kilter we always bring them in and look after them. Sadly, the banty had to be dispatched to the great chicken coop in other realms, she couldnt walk and not fair to keep them like that.

A couple of wks ago - same thing happened again - loose dog on our land killed 3 of our hens - we still havnt found one of them and last wk a young cock was seen limping so we checked out his feet and all ok, next day he couldnt walk so we brought him in and fed and water him  but it was so sad to see him unable to walk and move around and do all the things hens do so he had to be dispatched - all very upsetting and we cried. It makes me angry that people with dogs let them for whatever reason run wild doing damage, killing hens and causing all this distress.

I noticed that the young cock and the banty that both developed Mareks were related, the bantam was a pure breed and maybe more suseptable to this. Another hen that was chased and grabbed but escaped minus her tail and other feathers hasnt developed Mareks and not related to the other two.

It is good to read how other people on here have pet hens and look after them and bring them in when poorly.
Title: Re: Help!!! Could it be Mareks disease?
Post by: cheekymouse on February 06, 2010, 17:31
I am comforted that there is someone else out there who is worried about Marek's. My hen elspeth has been twisting her head from side to side and tilting back. She appears to lose consciousness now and again. Her appetite is still really good-I've been giving her chick crumbs (ex-bat) and tonic. She can hardly stand up. It is heart-breaking as the rooster tries to support her and sits alongside her. regarding the bossy intervention regarding avian flu-that was callous. we love our birds, that's why we give all our time to give out special care, and I've been in tears....