Disinfection question- Marek’s disease

[SuperFluffyChickens]

So, just a quick question, not an emergency or anything. I’m getting ready to hatch a clutch of eggs - not from my flock - and I wanted to make sure the brooder and the room it’s in are thoroughly disinfected before they hatch next weekend. I don’t actively suspect my flock is carrying Marek’s. But last year a seemingly healthy hen passed away suddenly and the necropsy suspected Marek’s because she had a tumor on her kidney and visceral gout. However none of my other birds have ever shown symptoms. Just in case, I am waiting for a testing kit to arrive. Anyway, onto my question:

How do you disinfect fabric? I’ve scrubbed every surface of the brooder room with Virkon including the walls and floor, since the room the brooder will be in is also the “Henspital.” However, I’m wondering how to sanitize the curtains that were in the room, and the sheets that were on the bed in there. I’ve got a mattress protector for the mattress, but what about the sheets and pillows? What about my clothes that I’ve worn into the coop? Does laundry disinfectant kill Marek’s? Is hot water enough? My gut is saying to just buy news sheets and curtains. But I don’t want to have to buy a new wardrobe just to hang out with my chicks once they’re here. Anyone have any ideas/suggestions?

Forgive me for sounding paranoid, but I don’t think I could handle raising baby chicks only for them to all die off one-by-one from such a horrible disease. So I’m not taking any risks.

Thanks!

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

Unfortunately it's near impossible to disinfect everything for Mareks. It can be carried in on the wind or in wild birds to your area. It's transmitted in the dander of infected birds.

Even if you keep them clean in the brooder you eventually need to move them outside. Bigger bird producers keep their birds in enclosed buildings with filtration on the air intake. That's not feasible for most home keepers.

Eventually your chicks will encounter diseases in your area and hopefully are able to fight them off. Not every bird infected with Mareks will die from it. Their are many strains, some more deadly than others. Even vaccinated birds can still succumb to mareks.

So do your best, that's all you can do. I've seen Mareks a few times here. It is hit and miss. The key is to build a strong immune system in chicks and keep stressors low.

I think just washing fabric in hot water or with bleach will remove any remaining dander.

 

[SuperFluffyChickens]

Unfortunately it's near impossible to disinfect everything for Mareks. It can be carried in on the wind or in wild birds to your area. It's transmitted in the dander of infected birds.

Even if you keep them clean in the brooder you eventually need to move them outside. Bigger bird producers keep their birds in enclosed buildings with filtration on the air intake. That's not feasible for most home keepers.

Eventually your chicks will encounter diseases in your area and hopefully are able to fight them off. Not every bird infected with Mareks will die from it. Their are many strains, some more deadly than others. Even vaccinated birds can still succumb to mareks.

So do your best, that's all you can do. I've seen Mareks a few times here. It is hit and miss. The key is to build a strong immune system in chicks and keep stressors low.

I think just washing fabric in hot water or with bleach will remove any remaining dander.

Thank you. I understand. I admit, I’m feeling a bit paranoid, but in the end we do all we can and the rest is up to Mother Nature. Sadly I know someone, a breeder, who lost most of their breeding stock to Marek’s, and literally can’t start breeding again unless they move to a new property, since like you said even vaccination isn’t 100%. So I’m a bit spooked. I’m Autistic and have a really hard time handling losses, although the joy and stability keeping chickens brings me makes it worthwhile. I lost 1/3 of my flock this January to a mink that slipped into my coop one night so I’m still reeling from that as well. My chickens are pets more than they are livestock to me.

The eggs I bought are from a wonderful local breeder and most of them are landrace breeds so I expect them to be hardy. I’m raising them in the spare bedroom in my house until they’re big enough to live with the rest of my birds. So that’s the room I’m disinfecting for now.

If my flock turns out to be carrying Marek’s, I may vaccinate the chicks myself. The eggs weren’t cheap to buy and I’m already emotionally attached, so I think it justifies the cost of the vaccine. Or I may just keep the new chicks isolated for longer than I normally would so they can build up their immune system. I’ll cross that bridge when I get to it.

Thank you for your advice and kind words.

 

[TillyPeeps]

I have Marek's in my flock, so I only get vaccinated chicks that sill need 2 weeks to build up their immune system. I wear different cloths and shoes to coop and leave them outside of my house. I used to sanitize and use the "Henspital" room in basement for my brooder, but two of my last batch chicks died from Marek's, so I will brood chicks in my living room for the first two weeks this time. I usually sanitize everything several times with Virkon, activated Oxine (has to be used outside), and alcohol. For my "chick cloth" and shoe/foot covers, I wash them twice and then spray with alcohol and Virkon. I have a sanitized bin to put them in. Before touching chicks, I wash and sanitize my hands and then put the "chick cloth" on. This isn't 100% safe, but I didn't lose any chickens the first time although the second time was a failure, which I believe is due to I used the "Henspital" room.