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debbiedoobs

poorly silkie keeps falling over!

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Yeh we agree, I rang the vets wanting to speak to him to see if there's anything else to try before we go ahead with it. Think we'll be goin to our local vets as not sure we'll be ok to do the hour drive with us both blubbering! I hate it cos she's very aware of her surroundings but just can't walk, can't believe I'm gonna be goin through this with the others if it is mareks! It's my own fault for bein so nieve bringing new chickens in and none of them being vaccinated!

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Not your fault at all, don't do that! You have done more for your girl than lots would, some don't advocate going to the vets as the cost so you have done everything possible, bless your heart. I remember replying to your first post ages ago and it's still ongoing! You can't carry on like this for your own health and sanity!

I really hoped I was wrong with the mareks, will be interested to see what the vet has to say.

Good luck and rest assured you are a perfect chicken mummy.

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Awe that's so nice of you, made me weep a little. :( I know you're right, I have some pretty serious health problems and is starting to make me ill. I put it down to the fact we don't have kids so I get really attached to our pets. Getting a little impatient waiting for the vet now. We agreed to have blood sent to be tested for Mareks So we will know for definite if the girls have it X

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I know exactly how your feeling but please, please don't think that your going to loose them all to it, there's an item about it in this months (or maybe last months) Practical Poultry magazine.

 

I've lost quite a few of my troop to illness over the past couple of years and yes Mareks has reared it's ugly head in the count but always as a secondary infection brought on by the stress of something else (egg laying, sneezes and snuffles, seahorse syndrome, moulting etc). As you see from my signature there's a fair few girls named and all acquired/hatched at different times during my venture into chicken keeping, the older girls have survived the loss of their coopmates to no ill effect.

 

Big hugs to you for trying everything for your little chookie and having to make a tough choice.

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Well our little girly Claudia is now buried in the garden with our dog and belle our other chicken that we lost. The vet said apart from possibly trying her with a fungal treatment he didnt think there was anything else we could do. So we took her down to our local vet, so after sobbing a lot, she fell asleep peacefully. Although I know it's the best thing for her I still wish there was something else I could have done. I just want to thank everyone for their lovely comments and advice, it's really helped us both get through this hard time. X x

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I have only just caught up with this thread and was so hoping for a different outcome for you. I am so very sorry. Sending you a hug. I admire that you did everything you could for your little girl - and a bit more. She was truly loved and cared for so never doubt yourself on that score or question what you could have done, you did it all. My heart goes out to you - such a painful time. Do hope you are coping ok. xxx

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Only just caught up with this.

 

Mareks is a virus like a herpes type of virus, so even if your other girls have been exposed, they may never develop it. Just like not all human develop cold sores even if they have been exposed to them.

 

Silkies are particularly prone, and I have lost 2 girls (a pure silkie and a silkie cross) to Mareks, but have since had 6 Mareks vaccinated Silkies with no issues.

 

The two girls I lost were before the other 6 arrived, but I still have several girls still with me that were pre the Mareks outbreak.... Some vaccinated, some not.

 

I've never heard anything so ridiculous as culling a whole flock due to one Silkie with symptoms :shock:

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I feel so much better from reading everyone else's experiences. I am now feeling so much better since losing Claudia, my poor little beautiful girl. I am giving my other girls extra attention (cuddles mainly)! Layla our lavender silkie who is the youngest is broody at the moment and is even tamer than usual, she's only 5months and only been laying for a few weeks, she's adorable though. She comes and sits at the side of me or jumps up onto my knee. :D

Thought that Connie my partridge silkie was poorly the yesterday but thankfully seems better today, hate how often they get ill! :( I think that we will be vaccinating any chicks we hatch in spring just to stay safe. :)

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If you want to vaccinate, prewarn your vet as they need to order the vaccine in.

 

It took about 2 weeks to come in.

 

Also, the vaccine once activated can only be used for an hour and a half.

 

The vaccine is in 1000 doses, so a ridiculous amount of wastage.... But I felt it was worth it when I hatched Silkies.

 

The vaccine cost about £30 as far as I can remember.

 

The chicks are best vaccinated when they are a few days old, I took them all to the vet in a box within a box, the outer box had a hot water bottle in it to keep them warm.

 

It also meant that whilst they were being vaccinated, there was a second box which they went into once they'd been done!

 

I don't think a consulting room had ever been so popular as all the staff wanted to see the cute chicks :lol:

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I know what you mean about being a nervous wreck every time you see the slightest hint of a symptom :| Every time any animal of mine has died, I think the others are about to get it. I now keep turning my poor chooks bottom up as last summer one of mine died because she was egg bound; and I keep checking my dogs' legs as one of my dogs died of bone cancer in his leg a few years back :(

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It's horrible, I'm trying to stop myself from ' bonding' so much with them. It's so hard though as my health has stopped me from bein well enough to work, so getting the chickens was to give me some company from bein alone every day whilst my hubby is hard at work. I always get so attached to my animals! Thing is I really didn't realise how much fun they'd be, it's amazing that something so small could be so cute with amazing personalities. I watch them every day so manage to notice the subtle changes they have when they are poorly. I'm coping ok now with the loss of Claudia, it's the thought of the others getting poorly. :(

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