Bubby eye, foul odor

Sonya9 said:

Depends on what you mean by "cure". From what I have read most chickens do recover after 2-3 weeks but they are carriers so they can spread the disease to new birds.

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From everything I've read, it's the same answer. Most birds survive the outward symptoms, and appear to be perfectly healthy. Egg production will be less (20%-50%), and they are carriers for life. The risk of spreading the disease is extremely high. It's not worth contaminating the entire flock, and is transferable to the eggs of infected birds. I can't imagine how far that single cage of contaminated birds will allow this disease to spread. I can't imagine how the other people that bought them will handle them once they get home with them. Quarantine, or just throw them in the pen with the other birds? Once the entire flock is infected, how many will be sold off or given as presents to other people. I can see an epidemic forming as I'm typing. I talked to the vet today, and he can't perform an accurate test. He can swab the hens and send it to a USDA lab, but the results may not be accurate. The best course of action is to deliver the infected birds directly to the lab, which in my case, is 100 miles away. I'd burn more money in fuel than I paid for the chickens, and who knows what the lab would charge. All that expense, only to be told that the birds have to be disposed of? I don't think so. I was advised that burning the carcasses would be the best method to prevent any risk of spreading the disease... which I already knew. Now, if you'll excuse me... I have to go build a fire.

It is done. Now to get everything sterilized. Such a shame I had to put down two lavender buff orpingtons. I told my wife I'd get her some more, but OMG... everyone is obviously very proud of their LBO's. $70 for a dozen eggs? Really??? I think she'll be just as happy with some Plymouth Barred Rocks, Production Reds, and/or Standard Buff Orpingtons. Just saying...

Ur-ur-ur-urrr said:

It is done. Now to get everything sterilized. Such a shame I had to put down two lavender buff orpingtons. I told my wife I'd get her some more, but OMG... everyone is obviously very proud of their LBO's. $70 for a dozen eggs? Really??? I think she'll be just as happy with some Plymouth Barred Rocks, Production Reds, and/or Standard Buff Orpingtons. Just saying...

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It is really much more fun to have healthy chickens, whatever there breed. When we first get into chickens many of us want this breed or that breed or color, but most of us get over that after a couple years. I just like having healthy chickens with a few different colors and breeds, a calm flock, and no illnesses or excitement. Sorry for your loss.

Thanks for the replies, Eggcessive. These were the first, and hopefully the last, chickens I've had to dispatch. I thought I would feel a lot more guilty and remorseful than I'm feeling, but once I began the process, I knew I was doing the right thing. It had to be done to protect my flock, and neither of them suffered, so I'm okay with that. No one said raising chickens is always going to be easy, and sometimes there are hard choices to be made. I didn't expect it to happen this soon, but I'm better equipped to deal with future issues as a result of it. You do what you have to do for the good of the flock...