Alright, so the sickest girl is at the vet. She was very good for her checkup. I left her there for the afternoon so they could take several swabs which I will then send to the state lab tomorrow. The most expensive test is the one for MG, which is $50, the others are much less. I need the information though. The vet said there are very few antibiotics approved for chickens and the FDA has recently made a more stringent rule- if you treat with antibiotics you cannot consume meat or eggs from that bird EVER. So, it looks like best case scenario we are culling 3 birds, worst case, my whole flock of 17 (which includes 11 healthy birds not in quarantine). I didn't have the strictest quarantine since I had to go into their pen to take care of them- if I ever brought in birds again I would put them in cages where I could reach food, eggs and water. So, time will tell. A very difficult situation and learning experience to be sure.
Thank you for sharing your story, it will make others, including me, more careful with future quarantines.
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