How to cull my entire flock of 60+ chickens?

[ricebabyca]

WOW!
Thank you for your responses.

I called Texas A&M and they gave me another number for Gonzales office (A&M). I spoke with a doctor there and he has agreed to take 5 of my birds and get samples (keeping the birds alive). The charges for all the test will be less than $25 - wow this is excellent!

So Monday morning i'm taking a trip to A&M in Gonzales (he was leaving today by noon).
I will keep you all updated! Gonzales is only 1 hour from me.

I am so happy for you! Hope it all works out okay and that they test negative for the diseases that aren't treatable!

 

[Shan30]

WOW!
Thank you for your responses.

I called Texas A&M and they gave me another number for Gonzales office (A&M). I spoke with a doctor there and he has agreed to take 5 of my birds and get samples (keeping the birds alive). The charges for all the test will be less than $25 - wow this is excellent!

So Monday morning i'm taking a trip to A&M in Gonzales (he was leaving today by noon).
I will keep you all updated! Gonzales is only 1 hour from me.

This sounds like an excellent option! I was going to recommend that you ask for the cost of only the lab tests. When we went through this (MG, culled everything) we found out that lab tests were only $3 per test per sample. We bought the equipment at our local farm store and watched a few videos on how to draw the blood and went from there.

Your way sounds easier but I'm glad we learned how to do it for the future.

If it comes down to culling them, we decided to make sure there was no (or as little as possible) blood due to the fact that we were dealing with a highly contagious disease that effects wildlife. A rake handle on the ground was quick, or as quick as culling 40+ birds can be.

Hoping you get a negative test for MG but thought I'd add my $.02!

 

[DanielKYantis]

$10.75 total cost for tests on 5 birds for MM / MS, just an hour drive... same day response though.
Quote: Went to Callahan's and was told that 80% of the chickens grown on open farms have it (in this area).
If culling entire flock have to replace neighbors birds too... we share a fence where birds sleep on both sides...

 

[DanielKYantis]

Also, Ideal Poultry says this:
Quote: This is where Callahan's gets their chicks...

 

[Eggcessive]

Sorry about the positive MG diagnosis. It is probably true that in areas where there are commercial poultry farms or many people who raise chickens, there is a high percentage of MG. Extreme heat in coops, poor air circulation, dust from feed or bedding, wet or mold, and ammonia odor from droppings can all contribute to respiratory diseases.

You may want to get some Denagard, a drug that has been used for decades in Europe (but not FDA approved for chickens in the US) that is prescribed for treatment and prevention of MG. A lot of people on this forum have used it to help control the disease in their flocks. Here is some information about it, but I would read through some of it to make sure of the right dosage and the best places to obtain it):
https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/819104/denagard-dosage
https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/...e-with-denagard-as-a-treatment-for-mycoplasma
https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/1014962/how-effective-is-denaguard-as-a-mg-ms-preventative
https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/392918/anyone-familiar-with-denagard

 

[MrsBrooke]

Also, Ideal Poultry says this:
Quote:
That's, uh, one way of looking at it, I guess. :/

Very sorry about your diagnosis. Like Eggcessive said, Denagard can treat and suppress the symptoms. From what I've read, it requires a monthly "preventative dose" to keep the disease at bay. Definitely worth looking into.

Good luck.

MrsB

 

[rides2far]

Wow, that is just too bad. I purchased my chicks from Ideal. We've had no issues so far. (Purchased in March as 1 day olds). I'm curious as to the timing of the outbreak. Do you think the stress of being at a feed store for awhile, then being placed with other chickens could affect their immune system, thus allowing the disease to 'pop' up. I'm really sorry this happened to you. What do you guys think?

 

[Kelfeathers]

I had a myco pulmonis flare up in my rats due to stress. The stress weakened their immune systems so it bloomed in the carriers. I think it would be the same for chickens. Of course, the first rat to show signs was my favorite. We spent over $1,000 to get my colony fixed up, but I could never use them for breeding or bring in new breeding stock. Thankfully those that survived lived full lives without another myco flare up.

 

[DanielKYantis]

Well I just can't kill them all knowing I could just get new sick birds or get clean birds that get sick from my neighbors.

So I'm treating them. All the older birds are no longer showing signs. It's passed through about 3/4 of my teenagers (broilers). And I think we are almost done with this "flare up". I have 1 chick (1 month old) that has been sneezing for about 10 days. I can't give it shots it's just too small. And I have 16 2 week old welsummer chicks that I've got separated and working hard not contaminate.

Plus I have an incubator full of eggs that will hatch in the next few days. Those will have MG due to parents having it. I was told by the vet that 1 in 5 will be positive when hatched. So I don't have any idea how to handle that.

My original goal was to have a small egg farm. The MG is not spreadable to humans and the eggs are safe as far as I can figure.

 

[Outpost JWB]

Keep us posted. So glad you got them tested and you educated yourself before culling.