Are these symptoms serious?

[StinkyAcres]

I am trying to figure out if the signs of illness I am seeing in my chickens are serious enough to quarantine my flock or warrant a $140+ avian respiratory PCR panel. Maybe the symptoms are unrelated and I am just worrying too much, but I'd like your opinion.

Here are the symptoms I've noticed:

• Sneezing, heavy breathing, gasping, head shaking, head scratching -- One hen in particular (Silvia) has had a lot of trouble breathing for many months; she sneezes and open-mouth breathes often and sometimes has a small amount of clear nose discharge. Others exhibit sneezing and head shaking less often but regularly. Eight years ago I had two chickens who were wheezing; one was a cockerel who I had dispatched and the other was a hen (Toasty Bernice) who is still with us today.
• Egg problems -- At least three out of my seven hens have been laying thin-shelled, rough-shelled, or strangely-shaped eggs for the last couple years. At least one eats eggs.
• Swollen feet -- Only one hen (Toasty Bernice) exhibits swollen feet. Tart cherry extract has seemed to give her some relief which made me think it's gout.
• Bubbles in eyes -- Only one hen (Toasty Bernice) has had major bubbles in her eyes only once eight years ago. Haven't noticed major bubbles or any other unusual eye discharge in any of my chickens since.

The respiratory symptoms seemed to have started 8 years ago after I bought hatchery chicks from a feed store. My current laying hens are now 3 to 9 years old. My new chicks (around a week old) began sneezing, head shaking, and head scratching as well. All chickens are otherwise eating, drinking, and acting normally and are active.

My questions are:

• If it's something like Mycoplasma synoviae, would I be seeing more serious symptoms and have dead or dying chickens?
• What else could cause these symptoms? Dusty conditions? Stress? Silvia may be overweight or maybe she has a heart defect?

Thanks in advance for sharing your thoughts. I hope someone can calm my anxiety over this! haha

 

[townchicks]

I think the PCR panel would be a good idea. It's usually better to know one way or the other, IMO. Mycoplasma can stay hidden for years, then brought out by stress. I have it in my flock, and everyone looks and acts fine. I think a lot of folks don't know they have it, because they've never tested.

 

[StinkyAcres]

I think the PCR panel would be a good idea. It's usually better to know one way or the other, IMO. Mycoplasma can stay hidden for years, then brought out by stress. I have it in my flock, and everyone looks and acts fine. I think a lot of folks don't know they have it, because they've never tested.

Okay, thanks. Do you ever rehome your chickens? The thing is I don't have chickens for business reasons; they are just pets. I won't need to change how I care for them if they do test positive for MS, right? So is it really worth it?

 

[StinkyAcres]

Egg problems -- At least three out of my seven hens have been laying thin-shelled, rough-shelled, or strangely-shaped eggs for the last couple years. At least one eats eggs.

One hen always lays these eggs I call "Saturn eggs." Not what is typically attributed to MS, I know, but could it be? The center stripe seems to be the weakest point of the shell.

Swollen feet -- Only one hen (Toasty Bernice) exhibits swollen feet. Tart cherry extract has seemed to give her some relief which made me think it's gout.

Toasty's bumpy, swollen feet.

 

[StinkyAcres]

All of the symptoms I'm seeing aren't really matching up with the typical mycoplasma synoviae symptoms so I think (hope) I can rule that out. Toasty doesn't have swollen hocks, the problem eggs are not soft at the tips, and no one currently has bubbly eyes or even lots of nose discharge.

It seems all the other infections the panel tests for are short-lived viral and fungal infections. They are:

• Aspergillus fumigatus
• Infectious bronchitis
• Infectious laryngotracheitis
• Infectious coryza
• Ornithobacterium rhinotracheale
• Mycoplasma gallisepticum

 

[StinkyAcres]

I think the PCR panel would be a good idea. It's usually better to know one way or the other, IMO. Mycoplasma can stay hidden for years, then brought out by stress. I have it in my flock, and everyone looks and acts fine. I think a lot of folks don't know they have it, because they've never tested.

Hi @townchicks, I did end up having the test done and it came back positive of Mycoplasma gallisepticum. Does your flock have MG? If so, how have you dealt with it and do you ever rehome birds? Thanks!