A Video Message From Me - Culling Complete - Update on Post #1

[PurpleChicken]

Quote:
No, I'm using Photobucket. Not to sound selfish but I'm not interested
in sharing this with the Youtube community. It's not an educational video.
It's just a video post from me to BYC.

 

[Sunny the Hippie Chick]

PurpleChicken

Im so sorry you have to cull your birds.. It made me so sad. But it is helping others see what they must do to keep their flock safe.. At least it wasnt a disease that stays in the ground longer. That way you can rebuild your flock.

I have also read SouthernBelles topic on her loss too..

And I have read many SpeckledHen warnings and wisdom..

I have read all the links posted in this thread.

I understand about the Bio-Security thing.. I think a person should seperate new birds from their flock longer than 30 days just to be sure. And to introduce only one of your present birds to the new ones. And watch that one, with the new birds for 30 days. If your bird gets sick, then you know that the new ones are carriers.. This is what I have read from another BYCer.. To me it sounds like a good thing to do.

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???But I have a question.. If MG can be passed to the egg.. And that chick gets infected, but immune to it. How would you know you brought in hatching eggs with the disease. Do the chicks get sick.. Or do you have to get tested. Now it kind of scares me to buy hatching eggs.. Should you hatch out chicks and see if it gets only one of your present birds sick..

Oh and for newbies to the type of diseases.. Could some one make a video of the symptoms of the disease so us newbies know what to look for.. Even if the video is icky. I think we all should know what it looks like. Words some times dont help. When so many diseases have sort of the same symptoms..
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Ive owned chickens in the past.. But I havent gotten any yet. Right now I just have quail.. So now I am learning all there is to know about poultry and game birds.. I want to learn. And I love this site. I have learned alot..

Again.. All BYCers that have had to destroy their flocks.. THat takes guts. And it is very hard to do, they become pets. But at least you all care enough not to keep it spreading around.. Everyone who has gottem MG and had to cull.. I sure hope everyone has some good luck in the future and have a happy and healthy flock soon..

 

[Cheep a'lil Talk a'lil]

Thank you PC for posting your story, I really appreciate it. I have learned a lot from the BYC family but I think this post will always stick with me.
Thanks again for posting and I wish you all the best with your future flock.

 

[dlhunicorn]

http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/PS034
Mycoplasma Gallisepticum - A Continuing Problem in Commercial Poultry1
Gary D. Butcher, DVM, Ph.D.2 - 2002
Mycoplasma gallisepticum (MG) infection in the commercial poultry industry is common in many parts of the world. Despite success in eliminating the disease in grand parent (GP) stock and turkeys, it persists in broiler breeders and broilers in many areas. There also continues to be a high incidence of the disease in commercial layers worldwide. The continued presence of MG in commercial poultry suggests that efforts at eradication were not highly successful. MG infection in the commercial poultry industry will likely continue and limiting losses will be the primary objective.

M. gallisepticum infection is caused by an organism classified as a mycoplasma. This organism is similar to bacteria, but lacks a cell wall. This characteristic makes MG extremely fragile. They are easily killed by disinfectants, heat, sunlight, and other factors. They only remain viable in the environment, outside the chicken, for typically up to 3 days. For this reason, MG is fairly easy to eliminate on single-age, all-in all-out poultry farms. If a laying flock is infected, complete depopulation of the farm at the end of the laying cycle and providing down-time prior to reintroducing chickens will be successful in eliminating MG. However, complete depopulation must be performed to break the cycle and prevent re-infection in subsequent flocks on the premises.

When a chicken is infected with MG, the infection is of long duration. In the period after infection, the organism is present in the respiratory tissues in high levels and is shed into the environment and eggs. After several weeks, the level of infection and shed of the organism decreases. However, the infection persists in the flock indefinitely and the chickens may shed the organism intermittently, especially following a period of stress. This characteristic makes elimination of MG extremely difficult in multi-age breeder and laying complexes. As MG-clean pullets, raised in single-age farms and in isolation, are brought onto the complex, they are often exposed to the organism at probably the worst possible time-- at the onset of production. This cycle of spread continues in a complex with new flock introductions.

Efforts to reduce the adverse affects of the disease on breeders and egg-type layers in complexes have included use of antibiotics, killed vaccines, and live vaccines. These efforts have been successful in reducing drops in egg production following infection, maintaining levels of egg production throughout the cycle, reducing severity of concurrent respiratory diseases, controlling excess vaccine reactions, reducing sensitivity to air quality, limiting shed level and duration into the poultry house environment, and reducing egg transmission to broiler progeny. These efforts have not been successful, however, in eliminating infection and shed. More recently, live vaccines have become commercially available that do not spread from bird to bird, do not cause disease in turkeys, and cause a very mild and predictable reaction in pullets. These offer many advantages over the live vaccines used in the past. Most MG-positive breeder and egg-type layer complex managers administer these products to pullets prior to moving the MG-clean pullets onto infected complexes. Use of killed vaccines is common in some farms, especially broiler breeder complexes. While live vaccines are more commonly used in egg-type commercial layers. However, combinations of live and killed vaccines and antibiotics are used depending on local conditions. Use of antibiotics is most practical in broilers for controlling respiratory reaction.

M. gallisepticum is spread only short distances by the air-borne route. Where excellent biosecurity is practiced, there have been many instances where infection has not spread to adjacent houses within a complex. The disease is spread from farm to farm predominantly by movement of contaminated people, equipment and vehicles. Thus, basic biosecurity is the best means of preventing introduction of MG into layer and breeder complexes. Egg transmission to broiler progeny occurs at a low level from infected breeders, however, horizontal infection then readily occurs in broiler houses. Another potential means of transmission of MG that has not often been given much attention is the spread by wild birds and pet birds. Data have demonstrated that wild birds may become infected and shed MG. Likewise, the author in 1990 conducted a series of experiments and was able to infect, produce clinical disease, and isolate a classical MG field strain from budgerigars (parakeets). These findings further demonstrate the need to wild-bird-proof poultry houses when possible and to discourage company employees from ownership and/or contact with pet birds.

The decision to vaccinate or simply accept performance losses in commercial layers will depend on several factors. The strain of MG in a farm must be considered as some strains of MG are mild while others are highly virulent. House construction is a major factor in determining the severity of clinical disease. Open-sided houses and closed houses with excellent ventilation do not experience recognizable losses in performance, while the same layers in a closed-type house with poor ventilation will experience considerable performance losses. Thus, vaccination programs for MG must take into account the air quality where layers will be housed. Concurrent diseases such as coryza and infectious laryngotracheitis and the intensity of the live virus vaccination program, especially against IBV, NDV, ILT, are also variables to take into consideration.

MG infection in heavy breeders, almost without exception, requires intervention with vaccines and antibiotics. These breeders suffer significant loses and shed the organism to the progeny.

M. gallisepticum vaccination has been shown to reduce shed level and duration. Thus, if efforts are being made to eradicate MG on a commercial layer or breeder farm or reduce potential spread to neighboring non-infected farms, vaccination is suggested.

Affected broiler breeder flocks should be vaccinated prior to onset of infection and broilers managed and treated to reduce adverse of affects of MG.

It is unlikely MG will be eradicated from the commercial poultry industry in the coming years. However, through biosecurity programs and effective use of vaccines, losses can be reduced.

Footnotes
1.
This document is VM130, one of a series of the Veterinary Medicine-Large Animal Clinical Sciences Department, Florida Cooperative Extension Service, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, University of Florida. Original publication date May 2002. Reviewed April 2009. Visit the EDIS Web site at http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu.

2.
Gary. D. Butcher, DVM, Ph.D., Diplomate, American College of Poultry Veterinarians, University of Florida College of Veterinary Medicine, Gainesville, FL


http://www.idexx.com/production/livestockpoultrynews/200604.jsp
(2006)
An excellent article which also discusses vaccinations etc. from the IDEXX site (IdEXX Laboratories)

Having a MG "free" flock (see the IDEXX article) is more dependent on your region > MG can be spread by (wild) birds
http://www.uga.edu/scwds/topic_index/1997/MGTRAN~1.pdf
and will always be a threat even with the most meticulous biosecurity and sanitation measures (it is somewhat attainable in closed non-free range poultry flocks)... Of course the risk is less with biosecurity > stress (and moving a bird causes stress which may bring on a latent MG) but as you also read MG can sometimes be difficult to diagnose (especially if only from one bird) > dont assume MG with every respiratory symptom .
Biosecurity is of crucial importance to the backyard flock... cleanliness and proper nutrition also. Unfortunately backyard flocks usually do not have available to them the (affordable) precies testing . Basically if you live in a farm/rural community and have a backyard flock you cannot eliminate the risk > period.
PC I am so sorry you lost your flock and hope the info above helps somewhat your decision to have poultry in the future. (((hugs)))
Diana
ETA: This is why I do NOT visit the homes of my chicken friends nor allow them in mine. Extreme but effective (somewhat> *sigh*)
As the two articles above illustrate this is always going to be a risk even with the best biosecurity and other measures ... it just sucks when it happens and your whole flock becomes so ill you have to start all over.
P.S. I use Virkon-S for sanitation
http://www.asp-inc.com/products/documents/prodinfo/v/virkpg2.pdf
I use as little wood as possible and do not have a ground/dirt based floor.
I would never consider using a deep litter... (Of course this is just my personal preferances in reaction to what I have read)

 

[NancyDz]

Thanks for the reality check PC... I can't imagine having to cull my whole flock, I've tried to practice BioSecurity but I will definitely be even more diligent about it. I just listed some chicks and with all the talk about people stealing chickens, I had decided to either meet or just move the chicks to the front porch when potential buyers are here. Now I will definitely not let people go in the backyard.


Nancy

 

[bluey]

Thanks for the public service announcement, PC! I think it's important for all of us to hear these stories from time to time, just to keep us honest and respect the need for biosecurity.

Excellent videos!

...you may have lost your chickens but you may end up saving many other flocks.

 

[PurpleChicken]

Quote:
Thanks Brother, I hope so.

 

[PurpleChicken]

Quote:
Thanks Diana. I was happy to see you saw this.

I'll be looking for that disinfectent also.

 

[halo]

Very compelling video. Ever since I first got chickens, Ive been very diligent about not allowing people to visit my chickens. I know a lot of people thought that was silly, but Ive insisted. When I first joined this site, I read several posts regarding bio-security, and even without the recent outbreaks from BYC members with MG, I was concerned about the spread of disease. When I sell chickens, I always meet people off of the farm. When I go to a swap or a sale, I do NOT bring chickens home, not even the ones I took.

I wonder about the vaccines for MG, the live and killed. Does this make the chickens carriers? Will they then test positive for MG?

Im so sorry this happened to you PC.

 

[sonew123]

I know you said you don't want to hear "I'm so sorry" but you are going to anyway--I am truly sorry-but very greatful for your braveness to share a sad and heartbreaking experience. You have opened my eyes to alot. I dont have but 1 friend with chickens-so I am not near any other chickens-ever-I have been looking to buy pullets from people-but now-thanks to you Ive decided to stay within my flock and keep hatching out my own until I get as many as I need-it takes a terrible mistake like this to open all our eyes to the realities of diseases and prevention and I applaude you for making the video to help all of us-Thank you PC-