Farm Life

This would be the only part of farm life we don't like... yesterday morning, Albert and Pumpkin had to be put down. It was the only humane thing to do for them. They both had signs of Marek's Disease.

Monday evening after work we found Albert in the dog house. He was unable to walk. Albert had signs of paralysis on his left side. Brian notice on Saturday that he wasn't eatting as many minnows as he usually does but thought that he was just full. Sunday and Monday morning when I let him and the girls out, he was normal. There were no early signs that we saw. The disease hit Albert hard and fast.

On Pumpkin, we noticed her eye sight was getting progressively worse. In "The Chicken Health Handbook" page 286/287, DIAGNOSIS - symptoms (especially discolored iris and irregular pupil...distorted or blinded eye... We believe Pumpkin was blind in that eye with the irregular iris. Her feathers were not growing back and I also notice white bumps (tumors) near her back side. These are all signs of Marek's Disease.

Those two were the most photographed and story filled birds here at the Seehafer Farm. We will miss them deeply.