Beginner's mistake with mycoplasma, how do I start over?

[frogdogranch]

Hi everyone! New to backyard chickens and unfortunately just got back the diagnostics saying one of my girls had mycoplasma (I had to cull her since she wasn't doing very well). This was my first flock and I've loved having them. But I made several beginner mistakes that I wish I had known about before I started my flock. I sourced all my girls and roo (10 in total) off of our local classifieds adds and I didn't realize it at the time but one of them had mycoplasma. I had them for several months and noticed one of my girls sneezing but just assumed it was normal behavior. I finally decided to look it up after she started to get worse and realized she probably had mycoplasma and turns out I was right.

I'm pretty devastated. I didn't know anything about biosecurity before starting my flock since it's something I don't think most people around here practice with their chickens. I've made the hard decision to cull my flock since I really wanted to be able to hatch eggs and give baby chicks to my friends and family. I got attached to a few of my hens so it's going to be hard. Not to mention despite having a lot of eggs right now, I'm probably going to run out of my supply before I have new girls.

I'm really scared of getting mycoplasma again. I'm not going to make the mistake of sourcing from random classified adds but I'm even kind of scared to order from most hatcheries since most of them don't test for mycoplasma. Anyone know of any good places to source hatching eggs or chicks that are mycoplasma free? I know not everyone thinks mycoplasma is a big deal but I wouldn't feel good about selling or giving away chicks that I knew had it so I want to attempt to stay mycoplasma free. I've heard you can dip hatching eggs in tylosin to kill the bacteria in the eggs. Anyone had any luck with that?

 

[Folly's place]

Welcome!
I'm so sorry for your miserable experience over this, it's really sad.
Many of us started out with chickens from other backyards, and were lucky to get healthy birds. Also it's wonderful to not have near neighbors who get 'random source' birds!
If you depopulate, clean up as well as possible, and wait three weeks before getting new birds, the Mycoplasma should be gone.
Have you looked up the USDA biosecurity information? Asked your state lab about it? There are articles here that can be helpful too.
Mycoplasma will transmit in the eggs, so those eggs from infected birds (and all your birds are infected) will carry this to the chicks and another flock.
Marek's disease virus is not inside the eggs, that's the organism that can be washed off the shells.
Given the issue you already have, do consider having at least a couple of your birds tested for Marek's disease too. Moving forward with more information is always best, IMO.
Many hatcheries do test for MS and MG, and avoid Marek's disease in their chicks. You can order chicks vaccinated against Marek's, another good idea.
(Knocking hard on wood here!) We haven't had either diseases hit our flock in 30 years, and may it continue! I am paranoid about biosecurity, after that early first flock.
It is late in the year to get chicks, true.
We have good experiences with Cackle and MurrayMcMurray hatcheries, and there are others that people like. Some sell point of lay pullets, very expensive, but another thing to consider. We only buy chicks here from those good hatcheries, or raise our own.
Mary

 

[Folly's place]

Also, wild songbirds will get Mycoplasma gallisepticum, and they will die soon after showing symptoms. Twice over decades we've seen a sick 'gooey faced' sparrow or wren at one of our wild bird feeders, both of whom died within a day. We pulled the bird feeders, cleaned them, let the neighbors know, and nobody had wild bird feeders out around here for at least a month. No more sick birds seen either!
Our wild bird feeders are away from any areas that our chickens visit, another important thing. And this year we haven't been feeding the wild birds since January, because of avian influenza.
Chickens can get things, which is why biosecurity is so important! You can be lucky, or not lucky, but at least try...
Mary

 

[raingarden]

I've made the hard decision to cull my flock

Wow, you're very wise and learned quickly. Poultry is no fun if there is a black cloud of disease hanging over the flock.

 

[frogdogranch]

Welcome!
I'm so sorry for your miserable experience over this, it's really sad.
Many of us started out with chickens from other backyards, and were lucky to get healthy birds. Also it's wonderful to not have near neighbors who get 'random source' birds!
If you depopulate, clean up as well as possible, and wait three weeks before getting new birds, the Mycoplasma should be gone.
Have you looked up the USDA biosecurity information? Asked your state lab about it? There are articles here that can be helpful too.
Mycoplasma will transmit in the eggs, so those eggs from infected birds (and all your birds are infected) will carry this to the chicks and another flock.
Marek's disease virus is not inside the eggs, that's the organism that can be washed off the shells.
Given the issue you already have, do consider having at least a couple of your birds tested for Marek's disease too. Moving forward with more information is always best, IMO.
Many hatcheries do test for MS and MG, and avoid Marek's disease in their chicks. You can order chicks vaccinated against Marek's, another good idea.
(Knocking hard on wood here!) We haven't had either diseases hit our flock in 30 years, and may it continue! I am paranoid about biosecurity, after that early first flock.
It is late in the year to get chicks, true.
We have good experiences with Cackle and MurrayMcMurray hatcheries, and there are others that people like. Some sell point of lay pullets, very expensive, but another thing to consider. We only buy chicks here from those good hatcheries, or raise our own.
Mary

It really sucks that I got unlucky with my first chickens but at the same time I'm glad I made the mistake at the beginning with this flock (many of them were slightly older girls past their laying prime) rather than having a bigger flock of harder to find birds (I was looking into a few less common breeds).

That's impressive you haven't had any issues in 30 years! I hope going forward that that's me too. With your biosecurity do you keep your chickens in a completely enclosed area and not let visitors see them? That's going to be the hardest part for me I think. We recently bought a 1 acre property so I was hoping to be able to let them free range every now and then but it seems like with proper biosecurity practices you can't let them do that. I also have family who doesn't visit very often but when they do I know they're the type who would want to see my birds.

 

[frogdogranch]

Also, wild songbirds will get Mycoplasma gallisepticum, and they will die soon after showing symptoms. Twice over decades we've seen a sick 'gooey faced' sparrow or wren at one of our wild bird feeders, both of whom died within a day. We pulled the bird feeders, cleaned them, let the neighbors know, and nobody had wild bird feeders out around here for at least a month. No more sick birds seen either!
Our wild bird feeders are away from any areas that our chickens visit, another important thing. And this year we haven't been feeding the wild birds since January, because of avian influenza.
Chickens can get things, which is why biosecurity is so important! You can be lucky, or not lucky, but at least try...
Mary

Also good tip with the wild birds. We have a lot of magpies around here so I'll make sure that I watch them for any signs of infection and act accordingly if I do ever see sick birds.

 

[frogdogranch]

Wow, you're very wise and learned quickly. Poultry is no fun if there is a black cloud of disease hanging over the flock.

Thanks. It's hard but at least I know now.

 

[Folly's place]

Visitors who have poultry either don't visit our flock, or wear totally different clothes and shoes. I do the same for them! And when i go to a sale or some poultry event, i park away from the crowd, and when I get home, shoes on up go right into the washer, and I shower.
Paranoia is a good thing!!!
It's also very true that we've been lucky here, and may it continue.
Mary

 

[Debbie09011970]

We had Mycoplasma and it was really upsettting. You need to cull (or quarantine for life) your entire flock. You can't legally sell or give any away--even to eat. I had dozens of birds to cull and it was horrid. Best of luck!

 

[Dhkoenig]

Did anyone answer your question regarding whether free ranging your birds means not being biosecure? That one makes me scratch my head - I feel like a large percentage of chicken owners free range their chickens. Now I am nervous because I free range my adults every night an hour before sunset so they can shake their legs.