With all the late lecture about extremely pathogenicavian influenzain North America , it might storm some chicken keepers that Marek ’s disease is still considered the greatest endangerment to the health of your flock . To put it simply , the virus that causes the disease is omnipresent in the environment , and there is no cure . Therefore , prevention — through vaccination and biosecurity — is your just friend .
Using these idea , the commercial-grade poultry industriousness has near extinguish Marek ’s disease as a cause of death rate . Therefore , using the same approach shot , hobby chicken custodian have the potentiality to significantly reduce poultry mortality from Marek ’s disease .
Gone Viral
Marek ’s disease virus ( MDV ) is one of the most general avian disease , and it typically affects chickens between 2 and 7 month of years . MDV is a herpesvirus that can be discover in every nation and is consider to be ubiquitous in the environment . It was discovered by József Marek of Slovakia in 1907 . He primitively examine divinity , but for reasons unidentified — and to the welfare of chicken around the cosmos — he gratefully change his major to veterinary study .
When a chicken is infected with the computer virus and get the disease , one of the most common clinical sign is paralysis . This is because the virus has a tendency to taint the sciatic heart in the pelvis and leg . In addition , birds with Marek ’s disease can get tumour of multiple tissue paper and organs . what is more , the immune organisation can also be compromise , result in immunosuppression and increased susceptibility to other unrelated disease .
Get Dander Down
MDV is known to be present in the feather follicle and is very hardy in the environment . Therefore , feather hackles from infected birds is debate extremely infective to other previously unaffected chickens . Specifically , crybaby can inhale the hackles into their lungs and become septic .
Once infected , the crybaby may or may not show sign of the zodiac of disease , but it is considered to be infect for life , which is significant because the bird can act as a carrier and spread the disease to insensible chick . This is why combine honest-to-goodness chickens with younger chickens is highly risky . The aged chickens , which bet sizeable , are often a source of the computer virus for younger chickens .
Spotting Marek’s Disease In Your Flock
There are four main forms of Marek ’s disease . The form of the disease is predicate on what tissue paper or organ system the virus has invaded and caused disease . Chickens can be affected by more than one conformation simultaneously .
Neurological Form
When a chicken get the neurologic form of Marek ’s disease , the most distinctive clinical sign is partial palsy . The wimp almost looks like it ’s doing the splits . However , this is because they are unable to move their leg . This often leads to destruction , because the chicken is ineffective to get food or water for itself .
Visceral Form
When a chicken gets this form of the disease , it usually will have enlarged plumage follicles , as well as tumors within its variety meat , such as the liver , spleen and gonads . Clinically , you would see a lethargic crybaby .
Ocular Form
The iris of the eyes is affected here ; the eye may appear maverick , and you may detect the chicken acting like it ’s blind .
Cutaneous Form
Enlarged reddened feather follicles and white jut on the peel that shape brown crusty scabs are signs here .
Additionally , MDV can infiltrate the chicken ’s immune system , which can result in immunosuppression , making the razz more likely to get other diseases .
It ’s important to realize that while the palsy noted in the neurologic descriptor can be see comparatively well in many cases , many of the mansion mentioned can only be reliably name at necropsy ( i.e. , autopsy ) by a veterinary pathologist . Many states put up free or discounted necropsy service for backyard domestic fowl as part of their Avian Influenza and Exotic Newcastle Disease surveillance programs . Therefore , if you have a sick or idle birdie , work with your state ’s diagnostic lab to name the disease your chickens may have so you may prevent it in the remainder of your quite a little and in future flocks .
Marek’s Disease Vaccinations
There are two good methods of vaccination . The first is to vaccinate in the nut , also get laid as “ in ovo , ” on the 18th mean solar day of brooding . This is ideal because the birds are able-bodied to start mounting an immune reply before they are hatch and exposed to the virus . These type of in ovo vaccinations required specialized equipment and are done by many , but not all , hatchery . If you get chicks from a hatchery or a feed - supply storage , ask if the birds are immunise against Marek ’s , as well as if they were give way the in ovo vaccinum , which offers the best possible aegis against Marek ’s disease , especially the more virulent strains .
The second vaccination option is to inoculate on the first twenty-four hour period after hatching , ideally immediately after hatch . This type of vaccine is typically available at most provender - supply stores . With this 2nd technique , you must understand that chick can become infected with Marek ’s disease almost like a shot after hatch .
If you hatch eggs at home , your biddy can also be vaccinated while still carrying the testicle . If the vaccine is effectual , enatic antibody — antibodies from the biddy transferred to the chick — will persist in the chick for up to three weeks .
Biosecurity Is Best
Your goal should be to have thebest standard of cleanlinesspossible in the places where hatching and pout take spot . Keep it simple :
Because Marek ’s has such a high transmission electric potential , it is life-sustaining toraise chicksin a uninfected environment . An significant gadget characteristic of a herpes - computer virus is that it is dogged in the environment . Because the computer virus is present in the feather follicle , getting rid of the feather dander is primal to eliminating the spread of Marek ’s . you could accomplish this by wiping down or “ ironical cleaning ” materials down to get free of hackles .
Marek ’s disease is very mutual but preventable . By focalise on right inoculation and good biosecurity , we have the opportunity to significantly reduce the most common effort of backyard - poultry mortality .
Poultry Science is write by faculty from the schooling of veterinary practice of medicine at the University of California , Davis ( www.vetmed.ucdavis.edu ) and the University of California Cooperative Extension ( www.ucanr.edu ) . This column was write by Dr. Evan Adler and Dr. Maurice Pitesky .
This clause originally appeared in the July / August 2016 issue ofChickens .
