Does anyone have any experience of Marek's disease in their poultry? I have ex-battery hens and one of them ,who I've now had for 3 years so she must be between 4 and 5 years old, has started struggling to walk. First she developed a limp and now seems to have lost all feeling in her right leg. She can stand but uses her wing to balance herself and doesn't seem to put any weight on her right leg at all. Seems fine otherwise, still eating and preening. It was the vet who first brought up Marek's disease as a possibility but I had assumed because she was an ex battery hen she would've been vaccinated. He's treating it at the moment as if its an infection and has given her a calcium booster and a weeks course of antibiotics. Early days yet but doesn't seem to be making any difference so far. I'm very attached to her and am worried that if this treatment doesn't work the vet will just say she's old now and I might as well have her put to sleep. Infact, she's the first of my hens so far that I've taken to the vet for any reason that has come home alive. They so rarely seem to recover. Can anyone offer any words of advice or hope?!
