The Poultry Keeper

Phil@Birchams · Joined: 28 Jul 2006 Posts: 11 Location: Beccles

Hi,

Regrettably my first post is to ask if anybody has any experience of Marek's in Speckledy growers, or in Marans of any age.
Any help gratefully received.

Phil

CP · Posted: Sat Jul 29, 2006 10:06 am Post subject:

Sorry to see your first post in the clinic. I have no experience of Marek's, so unfortunately unable to help.

Hope someone can give you some advice soon. Wink

Henwife · Joined: 31 Jan 2006 Posts: 3412 Location: Monmouthshire

Unusual in a hybrid as they are usually vaccinated as chicks - though they can still get it. otherwise almost any chicken can go down with it, usually at times of stress, particularly PoL. Marans are not one of the more susceptible breeds (Silkies and Cream legbars are) and fayoumis are said to be resistant.

Spana · Joined: 30 Apr 2005 Posts: 2205 Location: North Cornwall

Phil, what makes you think it might be Mareks ?

I had a little bantie which the vet and I thought might be Mareks and I had her tested at the lab to be sure. It only cost £37 for a five page report and was well worth it to be sure.

Is it just one or have you got several that you suspect?

Phil@Birchams · Joined: 28 Jul 2006 Posts: 11 Location: Beccles

We had 100 Speckledy, vaccinated at day old with Rispens Mareks vaccine.
My Vet has diagnosed Mareks via two post mortems.
We are losing two a day at present, at 15 weeks old, mortality having now hit the 25% mark.

Thanks your posts,

Phil

milkmaid · Joined: 19 Apr 2005 Posts: 7306 Location: isle of lewis

sorry to hear that it's quite a chunk Sad

Spana · Joined: 30 Apr 2005 Posts: 2205 Location: North Cornwall

Thats bad. I wish there was something I could say to help, but cant as Im sure you have thought of and done everything.

CP · Posted: Sun Jul 30, 2006 9:44 pm Post subject:

That is bad, especially as they were vaccinated anyway. Crying or Very sad

Sorry I can't help. Sad

summayah · Joined: 14 Apr 2005 Posts: 4289 Location: luton

I am so sorry Phil, I cannot begin to feel what you must be feeling, watching your flock being decimated after you thought there were protected.

I am so very sorry for you. But that doesn't seem enough, sorry.

Lisa · Posted: Sun Jul 30, 2006 11:27 pm Post subject:

Phil@Birchams · Joined: 28 Jul 2006 Posts: 11 Location: Beccles

Hi Lisa,

Apparently there are many different strains of Marek's, the vaccines being ineffective against the very virulent ones. Also the vaccines do not take effect for a couple of weeks, and then only prevent the effects of the disease, not the infection itself. Plus the vaccine needs to be stored in liquid nitrogen, and has a very limited effective life. If you add to that human error in the vaccination process itself, then it seems to become a lottery as to its effectiveness. The chicks were purchased from one of the largest UK suppliers, so I can only trust their reputation.

Having got the infection, the birds will cease to die from it at POL, and there will be no effect on egg production on any remaining birds. Apparently some birds will only transmit the disease, but not succumb to it themselves. Unfortunately the disease remains virulent in the environment for up to twelve months, and apparently the virus is present but dormant in most birds.

All our other birds are mostly Hybrids in lay, except for our breeding flock of Marens, which are housed quite separate. I have read that Marens have some natural resistance to Marek's, but know no more than this. Our home bred chicks and growers are not vaccinated at all, a subject we are still taking advice on. However, if there is some Maren resistance to MD, one would have thought the knock on effect of this would help the Speckledy growers.

Being in the infancy of starting a free range egg enterprise biased towards traditional breeds, we are questioning if the Speckledy cross simply has a predisposition to problems; we certainly had a very bad bout of feather pecking with them, which in turn could stress the birds, leaving them prone to a Herpes based infection (such as in Humans).
Alternatively the root cause could be our care of the birds, who knows? We are looking at better ways to house future flocks, and improving zero contact between flocks. We will have an in depth chat with our Vet next week.

What we really need is someone who has past experience of the disease first hand.

Meanwhile, thanks for all your posts.

Phil

Lisa · Posted: Mon Jul 31, 2006 5:18 am Post subject:

Thanks for the extra info (I didn't realise there were different strains of Mareks).

Hope you find the info you need - best of luck with your vet next week.

summayah · Joined: 14 Apr 2005 Posts: 4289 Location: luton

I am just so sorry for you, it must be heartbreaking.

I hope you manage to contain the disease within your spekledies, without it spreading to the others.

Good luck with your meeting with the vets

Henwife · Joined: 31 Jan 2006 Posts: 3412 Location: Monmouthshire

I don't keep birds of one breed in the same numbers that you do, and don't vaccinate. I have had the odd bird going down with Mareks - usually PoL, but I'm trying to remember whether any of the Marans have ever been affected - I think not. My vet and I did discuss vaccination and came to the conclusion that it wasn't worth it as I should have had to cull out all my stock (currently about 150 birds), keep new stock on land not previously used for birds, and still run the risk of an outbreak. I would certainly get in touch with your supplier as a vaccine breakdown of that magnitude might indicate a faulty batch.

nikki green · Joined: 22 May 2006 Posts: 78 Location: Gironde

Hi,
I only have 4 hens and a fairly limited knowledge when it comes to ailments and diseases, can someone explain to me what the symptoms are for Mareks disease and do you all vaccinate your birds for other diseases too?? Mine haven't been vaccinated against anything. My vet has never mentioned it. Any advice welcome!