My Flock has been possibly exposed.

[crazysilkielady1]

I gave a rooster to a friend just starting a flock. She got her birds from somewhere. Well the rooster I gave her was kind of picking on her younger hen. Well Her bird had started sneezing and having a runny nose, and her eye swelled up. She brought me back the rooster last thursday. He was making her nervous... she is new to chickens. He has always been super sweet here, and never had a problem. But I took him back. Her bird wasn't that bad last week, but her eye swelled up this past weekend. Now I'm concerned that by letting that rooster come back that I've exposed my flock. I did start them on tetraoxycyline that I had here for preventative just in case. But I don't want my birds to be carriers either. I have only had them about a year, and I would like to eventually sell eggs... or chicks... None of mine have shown any symptoms. However I just added 8 more birds to my flock on Sunday, all from Npip places. But I'm kind of panicking...Is there anything else I should do? And especially since I just brought home these 8 new birds. he was only here for 2 days. I had 2 roosters left and they all free range. He left Sat to another home, which now I'm scared I infected. He however had no signs of anything.

I had a terrible last 2 weeks with my flock. I lost almost all of them to predators. I had just redone my coop for the hurricane, and thought I was at a good stopping point, but I left a hole, and apparently a raccoon got it. Ate all 3 of my babies I had ordered and hatched. Then I found my oldest hen dead in coop and my easter egger headless at the front door of the coop.It was very traumatic. I am proud to say that I put a trap out Sat night and caught that little chicken eating raccoon. I've still got the trap out baited with catfish food that I grind up to add to my food for extra protein. But anyways. I'm just so nervous since I just had a horrible loss with most my hens, and then just spent so much money on these 8 new sweet girls. Any advice?

 

[azygous]

The aftermath of these hurricanes are really wrecking peoples' lives. I sympathize and hope things return to normal as soon as possible.

As for the possible exposure to your flock to a respiratory virus, I'm sorry to have to inform you the harm is probably irreversible. You are dealing with a virus that is extremely contagious (if that's what is causing your neighbor's chicken to be sick) and the rooster is now a carrier. Your antibiotics will do nothing to prevent this or to cure the virus and remove it from your flock.

The use of Tetracycline to prevent secondary respiratory infections (caused by the respiratory virus) is of dubious value, as is the use of doxycycline.

If your chickens begin to manifest respiratory symptoms, by all means treat those with an antibiotic, but it will not cure the virus if your flock has been exposed.

 

[Egghead_Jr]

You shouldn't give antibiotics willy nilly as a prevention. You don't even know if there is any disease in your friends flock that your cock bird spent time at. One eye swelling sounds like an injury not disease.

At this time with them all integrated I don't see a point to quarantine. For the future you now know not to allow birds back that have left your flock. It's easier to butcher a bird than quarantine but both are better than risking contagion. Mostly you're protecting peace of mind though spread of disease is possible.

Diseases show symptoms, weak birds can die and strong birds recover. Your birds wouldn't be carriers of anything unless you witness symptoms in your flock. On the off chance that happens identify what the pathogen is then decide if it's a concern. Until many "ifs" are resolved there is no need to stress about it. Life's too short to worry about "what if".

 

[sourland]

What azygous says is fact. Right now the only thing you can hope for is that the problems in your friend's flock are not caused by a respiratory virus. I'm hoping for you.

Welcome to BYC - very sorry for the circumstances.

 

[azygous]

Diseases show symptoms, weak birds can die and strong birds recover. Your birds wouldn't be carriers of anything unless you witness symptoms in your flock. On the off chance that happens identify what the pathogen is then decide if it's a concern. Until many "ifs" are resolved there is no need to stress about it. Life's too short to worry about "what if".

Please allow me to clarify this statement made by my friend.

Avian viruses often come into a flock, infect the flock, and as long as the birds are young and healthy, often will cause no symptoms. In spite of that, once a flock is exposed to these avian viruses, which can come into your flock on the bottoms of your shoes or by wild birds shedding dander upwind of wind currents your flock happens to be downwind to, to name just a few of the means of transmission, your chickens will be carriers for life and there is no way to eliminate most of these viruses short of very drastic measures.

This is why quarantine is of dubious value. You may have just bought a very healthy chicken that may have been exposed to one of these viruses, and is now a carrier yet is asymptomatic. For this reason, importing adult birds into your flock, except from the most reputable sources, is very risky.

It is true that most of the time, healthy birds, even though exposed to viruses and being carriers, can live out their lives symptom-free, never being sick a day in their lives because their immune systems have made them resistant. Yet they can still pass the virus on to other birds.

Once a chicken shows symptoms, you can treat those symptoms (secondary infections) with an antibiotic. However, all this does is treat those symptoms. It doesn't remove the virus from the bird or the flock. There is no cure for these avian viruses, though vaccination is available for Marek's, and as far as I know, that's the only one.

The best way to find out of your flock carries any of these avian viruses is to have a necropsy done on any bird that has died of mysterious causes. Another way is to have the blood tested from birds from your flock for DNA markers for these viruses, but that obviously is beyond the means of most of our budgets.

Egghead is right in urging you not to panic. There's nothing to be gained from worry and being upset. Most flocks carry these avian viruses and their humans are never even aware of it because the chickens never become sick.

What I suggest is you keep in touch with this friend who has just returned your rooster. If their chicken happens to die, either urge them to get a necropsy or pay for one yourself. That way you both will know for certain if a virus was responsible and which one it is.

 

[Sara Ranch]

*hugs* I am sorry you have felt such heavy losses recently.

 

[crazysilkielady1]

Well So far no symptoms in any bird in my flock. He only returned for 48 hours. She was taking her birds to the vet today. I am getting a NPIP scheduled so that I can be sure nothing is in my flock. Right now I'm just a happy chicken owner. lol. But that will appease my mind as well. I've only bought from really good breeders, my friend however didn't know better, and has learned a very hard lesson. I have as well. Thank you for all the advice. Hopefully all will be well!

 

[lazy gardener]

NPIP will not ensure that your flock is healthy. The only thing NPIP does is test for the few diseased on their "to test for" list, and even then, testing is not very reliable, presenting only a snap shot of what will test positive today. What passes the test today, may very well not pass the test tomorrow, and there can also be false positives, as well as false negatives. IMO while NPIP is a starting place, it provides a very false sense of security. Even breeding stock from many reputable hatcheries tests positive for some of the "forever" poultry diseases. Not to mention that many hatchery chicks test positive for Salmonella.

Breed a healthy flock by providing superior nutrition, cull the weaker animals, and continue to breed only the healthiest, and you will end up with a flock that excels in your climate/environment and is resistant to the pathogens in your area. I realize this is a simplistic approach. But IMO, this is really what any one who produces their own chicks in their own back yard flock should be doing. If all who could do so, did do so, there would be a very healthy gene pool in all areas of the country to draw from in the event of such a thing as national panic as has been caused by Avian Flu scares.

I agree that throwing an antibiotic at the OP situation is only providing a "makes me feel better b/c I am doing something about it" bandaid.

 

[Kiki]

You shouldn't give antibiotics willy nilly as a prevention. You don't even know if there is any disease in your friends flock that your cock bird spent time at. One eye swelling sounds like an injury not disease.

At this time with them all integrated I don't see a point to quarantine. For the future you now know not to allow birds back that have left your flock. It's easier to butcher a bird than quarantine but both are better than risking contagion. Mostly you're protecting peace of mind though spread of disease is possible.

Diseases show symptoms, weak birds can die and strong birds recover. Your birds wouldn't be carriers of anything unless you witness symptoms in your flock. On the off chance that happens identify what the pathogen is then decide if it's a concern. Until many "ifs" are resolved there is no need to stress about it. Life's too short to worry about "what if".

 

[Kiki]

NPIP will not ensure that your flock is healthy. The only thing NPIP does is test for the few diseased on their "to test for" list, and even then, testing is not very reliable, presenting only a snap shot of what will test positive today. What passes the test today, may very well not pass the test tomorrow, and there can also be false positives, as well as false negatives. IMO while NPIP is a starting place, it provides a very false sense of security. Even breeding stock from many reputable hatcheries tests positive for some of the "forever" poultry diseases. Not to mention that many hatchery chicks test positive for Salmonella.

Breed a healthy flock by providing superior nutrition, cull the weaker animals, and continue to breed only the healthiest, and you will end up with a flock that excels in your climate/environment and is resistant to the pathogens in your area. I realize this is a simplistic approach. But IMO, this is really what any one who produces their own chicks in their own back yard flock should be doing. If all who could do so, did do so, there would be a very healthy gene pool in all areas of the country to draw from in the event of such a thing as national panic as has been caused by Avian Flu scares.

I agree that throwing an antibiotic at the OP situation is only providing a "makes me feel better b/c I am doing something about it" bandaid.