Chicken bald back

[Chortle Chook]

Last week one of my little Silkies had to be put down by the vet with Mareks. It was just awful watching her getting thinner and thinner while still having an apetite; and then collapsing altogether and not being able to stand. I suspected Mareks when she became as thin as a rake and couldn't get on the perch, but it wasnt' till she really collapsed that my vet agreed it was Mareks and the autopsy after she was PTS confirmed it. I am now really scared that my old lady Silkie will also go down with it as when I posted on the Silkie Club facebook site people were saying that the vaccine only lasts one year Also are my Polands at risk and does this mean I can never have any more Silkies?

[Chickabee]

Horrible disease. I had a cream legbar die from it about a year ago. I sanitized the run and coop. I've not had any more incidents. Sorry about your bad news

[coco]

I had a hen die from suspected Mareks about 18 months ago. Everyone else has been fine

[mollyripkim]

Lost two last year (same age from same breeder), touch wood no-one else has got it including Henrietta the oldest silkie who is about 5 now. I hope yours will be ok.

[Redwing]

To be honest your options are limited

 

I would give everything a thorough clean and try to put it behind you as you can't really do much more

 

Try to minimise times of stress (moving them, vets trips, newbies) for your birds and give them extra support at any stress times that you can't prevent such as moulting

 

Change clothes before visiting other people's birds and shows

 

Personally I would not worry too much about vaccinated newbies as they could be carriers anyway and chances are the stress of having newbies would bring it out in any of yours more than the newbies themselves

 

Some people never have another go down with it so it's not all doom and gloom

[Beantree]

Lymphoid Lucosis is often mis-diagnosed as Mareks. In a case of LL you will only lose the one bird. In our case it was a Cream Legbar at pol. Easy to see in our case because she had a tumour the size of a golf ball on her bottom.

 

I have heard Silkies are prone to it. Fingers crossed for you Chortle Chook. There isn't much you can do apart from keep stress levels to a minimum and them all in top health.

[Chortle Chook]

Thanks very much everyone. You have made me feel a little better. Though I still keep nipping out to check my existing chickens, I'm calming down and I think my old (6yrs) Silkie is just a bit slow because she is a granny. She is still using the perch and seems quite (possibly too) plump.

[sparkysmum]

Hi Chortle Chook, I am so sorry you lost your Silkie to Mareks, it is too horrible. Sadly I do have experience of this. I had 3 lovely sablepoots, took 2 to a show, shortly thereafter one succumbed to Mareks , then the other a little while after that. Vet felt it was the stress of travelling to the show and being at the show which made them much more vulnerable. Sadly Sablepoots and silkies are so vulnerable to the disease. Happily the 3rd sablepoot was resistant and we still have her. It does hopefully mean that my remaining birds are resistant to mareks disease. It was a dreadful time and like you i checked on them constantly and was never really "secure" until that season had passed.

 

I do hope your other ladies will be resistant and will keep everything crossed for you. Take care. Axx