Campylobacter...

[ivan3]

It can be treated by antibiotics but concerns about resistance stays the hands of many vets. Campylobacter is EVERYWHERE. Most poultry & humans that are otherwise healthy will not become symptomatic (how dry and clean is run/coop etc.?).

It is interesting to note that epidemiological studies of Campylobacter in humans indicate that those who eat chicken in restaurants are more likely to develop GI symptoms owing to the bug, than those who handle/prepare raw chicken at home; likely trans. from undercooked chicken/ or from human staff that didn't wash their hands...

Baytril has been banned for use in poultry for a while, now (although some vets still use it for poultry) owing to wide use in commercial facilities (concern over resistant strains appearing).

Further reading (FDA/CVM Baytril precis - start at page 21 for the `meat'): http://www.fda.gov/ohrms/dockets/dailys/04/mar04/031604/00n-1571-idf0001-vol389.pdf

I'd look to the `husbandry' and find a vet who knows how to dose poultry.

IIRC, a far more common means of transmission of Camylobacter are dogs ``cleaning' themselves and then licking the human...

Best of luck!

 

[EggieRowe]

The coccidia is the reason they are sick. From the info I have read, camphy is in most chickens, and probably more of a threat to people that chickens. It's kind of like salmonella, some chickens have it, but it's people that get sick from it. Handwashing is the real treatment.

Salmonella and campy don't hurt the chickens. They tend to 'shed' both diseases under stress - such as having another infection like cocci. Clean eggs and hands are about the only things you can do. I just read they have tried treating flocks, but it always comes back. Plus that's probably what created Cipro-resistant varieties of campy - not good!

 

[Eggcessive]

Camphylobacter is a common cause of food poisoning. Many people have it in their gut--that is a main cause of gastric ulcers. People should have it treated, but not chickens, since it doesn't hurt chickens. Many barnyard animals have it. Unpasteurized milk, eating partially cooked chicken are ways to get it.

 

[Eggcessive]

I remember when I kept my first chickens in a brooder in the house for seven long weeks, and washing all those waterers and feeders. I had 2 episodes of severe cramping and diarrhea even washing my hands 50 times a day., but the chicks were fine.

 

[casportpony]

I don't wash my hands enough and I rarely get sick... go figure.

-Kathy

 

[ivan3]

Eggcessive wrote: Camphylobacter is a common cause of food poisoning. Many people have it in their gut--that is a main cause of gastric ulcers. People should have it treated, but not chickens, since it doesn't hurt chickens. Many barnyard animals have it. Unpasteurized milk, eating partially cooked chicken are ways to get it.

Poultry can become `symptomatic' but it is always secondary to some other insult/illness.

Interesting use of a `probiotic' to reduce Campylobacter load in transport stressed chooks: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9276884

It is also interesting to note that 99% of this sort of GI illness, in humans, disappears with completely cooked meat and washed hands.

 

[Ninksy]

thanks guys! Maybe the rules are different in the UK re whether to keep them. What I'm not sure about is if the vets will have had to notify the health authority as it is a zoonose. The vet I saw keeps his own chickens, but really he was more worried about my 2 small people than the birds. Sounds like you'd all keep the chickens and treat the coccidiosis - I don't want to get rid of otherwise healthy birds. Does anyone know how likely it is the kids could get infected if I up the hygiene? that's what worries me the most

 

[ivan3]

Ninksy wrote: thanks guys! Maybe the rules are different in the UK re whether to keep them. What I'm not sure about is if the vets will have had to notify the health authority as it is a zoonose. The vet I saw keeps his own chickens, but really he was more worried about my 2 small people than the birds. Sounds like you'd all keep the chickens and treat the coccidiosis - I don't want to get rid of otherwise healthy birds. Does anyone know how likely it is the kids could get infected if I up the hygiene? that's what worries me the most

Ah, you live in the land of DEFRA. Check with the vet and have him give you web address to reportable zoonotic diseases. See if he/she can't recommend a good dietary probiotic (along with treatment for Coccidiosis). Keeping coop/run clean/dry and knocking out the Cocci (as well as good handwashing) should reduce risk considerably (have another fecal performed in a month after starting treatment - count should drop way down).

However, if a kiddo (or anyone else in home) is immunologically compromised, then find a new home for the chooks. A member of the family gets a GI bug and the eye turns first to what is assumed to be the proximate cause (chickens out back), though it could have appeared in a school lunch or on someone's pet dog that was visiting. You could `wash' your hands of any worry about responsibility and recrimination by simply say goodbye to the chooks, now.

Good luck!

 

[Hannahs Hollow]

I recently came down with Campylobacter myself. Went to bed Friday night got up Sunday and I went to the hospital. I was too weak to go before then, not a pleasant experience.

All 5 of my hens are top notch healthy. Although I know who the culprit is, the one hen I didn't raise from egg!

I'm still not 30 percent up to my regular lifestyle.

I have done the research, I have talked to the vets, I have googled everything! I cannot find one thing I can do for my chickens but then again why do anything when they're perfectly healthy?

I thought that I had washed my hands enough, wore the mask while I was cleaning up the chicken coop but realized I clean out their water buckets often never washing my hands afterwards. Who does after playing in cooooold water? Apparently the campylobactor can be spread from chicken to chicken in their water bowls! Who knew, right?

My chicken coop is my Zen garden. I come here for 2 hours at least every night to sit, enjoy, relax and watch chicken TV! And I'm not about to stop!

 

[Ninksy]

thanks that makes me feel better - don't know why these posts didn't come up sooner actually I've obviously not set up my alerts right! Had to have one chook put down sadly as she was too poorly from cocci and wasn't recovering. The others are happy and healthy though and not signs of disease in them or us! I've got one of those hand sanitisers on the coop for the kids to use if they are playing in the garden - which the kids love bizarrely!