[moomoos42]

Hi. I wonder if anyone can advise me please? I let the Gals out today and my husband noticed that one of Ellies eyes doesn't look quite right. Her pupil seems a bit blurry round the edges and smaller than her other one. Her other eye is normal. We've got 4 hens (sisters brought a year ago) and the others eyes are all normal. I check the gals once a month for red mite ect and can't say i've noticed this before. She doen't seem to have any problems seeing food and i'm getting 4 eggs a day. Could it be ocular marec's? If so what do we do? thank you

[darkbrowneggs]

Hi there, I hope it isn't but if you want to do some reading try this LINK  and there are pictures HERE
All the best
Sue

[joyfull]

Beat me to it Sue - that would be my first guess too 

[moomoos42]

Hubby followed your link, thanks. We don't think it's that as i brought them last november and they were 17 weeks old so they are now over a year old . The local smallholder i got them from said they had been vaccinated but i don't know what against. i've attached a photo of her eye.

[moomoos42]

i've had a look at the images myself and compared them to the one i took of Ellie's eye. i think you are both right can the vet help? or is there no hope.

[joyfull]

she can recover but will remain a carrier and could infect any other birds. Really the only thing to do is to cull and hope the others haven't got it.
I would take her to a vets for a proper opinion but I think the end result will be the same 

There is a vaccine that can be given and your breeder may have given in however once opened the vaccine has to be used within a very short time span (I think it around an hour or so) and after that it loses it's effect. This could have been the problem.

Grumpy Dad on here bought some birds (his and his wifes first foray into chicken keeping) from a breeder who said they had been vaccinated against Mareks but sadlky lost all but one (an autopsy confirmed the cause - and even then the sellen never admited anything and wasn't helpfull), he then got some fresh birds and they all caught it off the carrier. He didn't want to cull a seemingly healthy bird so then took a risk and got some hybrids and luckily for him (not a risk I would have took and did tell him so) things have worked out - these birds are resistant to it and all are happily living and laying away.

[moomoos42]

I'm sorry to report that Ellie has been put to sleep, a trip to the vet this morning confirmed marek disease. She'd started to look worse, very runny poo and a strange shaped crop. The vet said that it can be that quick in older birds. She's the first hen we've lost. We'll miss her.

[newChickenMummy]

I'm so sorry to hear about Ellie    my thoughts are with you

[joyfull]

so sorry, I'm sure she had a lovely life with you. However I'm sure you don't need me to tell you to keep a close eye on the rest of your girls. Did the vet give you any further instructions about their care?.

[bantam novice]

So sorry 
Good luck with your other girls.

[ANHBUC]

Sorry to hear your sad news.  You seem to have caught it quite early so she did not suffer.  Our thoughts are with you, hope your other girls keep well.

[moomoos42]

thank you for your kind words. The vet said it's unusal in a older chicken and she must have been a carrier. They were all vaccinated when i got them at 17 weeks but it's only 90% effective. I find we can't stop looking at the other Gal's eye's. But the way they managed to get into next doors garden after the windfall apples yesterday, i think (and hope) they are ok.