(Chicken got a cold?) Added Info.(MS/MG,ILT,CRD,NPIP)

[mauigirl]

dont know if my post got lost somewhere, trying to reach 'out of the brooder' for advice on blood test recommended unable to acces his direct email [email protected]

 

[Enchanted Sunrise Farms]

Go to one of his posts and click on "PM" to send a personal message.

 

[grayhenfarm]

You all have talked about blood tests for MG and MS.
But what about tracial swabs,Davis in California offers this test for MS and MG.
I assume this is just as good ?
We just did two samples each( MS / MG) got neg both for MS and 1 neg/ 1 unconclusing for MG.
Did the test because last year I had issues and had to depopulate.
I think we might start testing on a regular basis.
My birds need to be able to have a normal life( be on grass and not be completely confined)
How did people handle these kind off things in the early 1900's.
A little bit of knowledge can be a dangerous thing
Do they make dust masks for chickens?.. just kidding

 

[star2525]

Pretty sure the Blood Tests are more accurate than the Swabs. I also think in the early 1900's we didn't have all of the shipping of eggs from one farm to another, more of a closed flock at least with my Grandmothers birds that was how it was. Mail Service would have been alot different then than it is now. Now with eggs what I have in my flock you hatch out in your flock and vice versa, so its real important to know what you're getting ahead of time if at all possible.

I had to depopulate too, so I know. I managed to locate clean birds from tested flocks, including clean of the mycoplasmas, not an easy trick, took quite some time to get them. I manage my birds alot differently now. My birds free range some. They are always inside whenever there is a bad storm coming thru the area, and I keep them in for 4 days after that storm passes. They get out at about dusk for a couple of hours several times a week normally.

There are a couple of places you can get clean birds from, I don't know if you knew that. I got birds, I could have got eggs and hatched my own. I'm real careful now of where I get anything from, and figure you are too.

Victoria

 

[grayhenfarm]

I called the lab( Davis , Ca ). I spoke to a Dr. , She was very nice and explained the test to me as such.

The blood test,( the kind they have), test only for the antibody of the mycoplasma. An antibody would naturally be produced by the birds body, so the bird was exposed at one time and fought it off, or is in some stag of exposure.

The tracial swab I submited was subjected to a PCR test. This type of test looks for the genome(?) of the mycoplasma. In effect a neg result means that the bird is clean of the mycoplasma, and they are not carriers. The Doc said in her experience this has become the industry standard for test for mycoplasma. I said to her “this test is better?” she said “yes”. It is also easier for me to do.
I plan to develop a testing cycle for my birds. I will continue to do the tracial swab type of test for MS/MG.

 

[star2525]

By doing the Blood Test you get the count in the titers, don't know how to explain this other than a comparison, so here goes, you know how in humans we have blood sugar levels, and there is a test for the levels for sugar, there is a normal range, a low and a high, so hypo and hyper, if the birds test in the normal range they are deemed not to have it, they still have it, its just not considered positive until it reaches a certain level, hope that made sense, the teters tell the count. You won't get those results from the Swab test to truly know for sure where exactly the birds stand. Not sure what Genome is, I'd have to look that up, possibly meaning the type of Mycoplasma is my guess on the word genome. I do blood tests more for accuracy and also if there is another disease in question, it can also be checked from the blood draw submitted.

There are some free tests you could do too, there is a T12 test thru Purdue University for eggs, you send eggs, pay the postage for the eggs to Purdue and they test for 4 diseases, Mycoplasma is one of the 4, I have that information stored on my computer somewhere as well as the phone number for Purdue.

Victoria

 

[grayhenfarm]

The swab test was explained to me the same way. Like you said it is a number count (levels), when it reaches a "level it becomes positive. That give me a idea, I think I would like to record the level that each bird is for their test. The lower then number the better. Maybe lower number = bird that has more natural resistance. How is the blood test numbered? I would like to compare it to the tracial swab test.
What other things do you like to check with a blood sample?

 

[star2525]

I know a woman in Roseville, CA who went to UC Davis, she banded and numbered her birds for record keeping for the tests. She also did blood tests and UC Davis, her own Vet and also my Diagnostic Vet came up with a treatment course for her birds. So I already know all about UC Davis and what the results for testing look like, I have those also stored on this computer from my friends tests. You do know it is possible to get clean birds from dirty birds so to speak. She was going to treat her birds and then retest in about 6 months, so she had her birds levels to know where they stood after treatment. I think she had over 200 in getting the blood draws done from her Vet to take to UC Davis for the testing if I remember right. I don't know if she's retested yet, alot has happened since then and now and the economy hasn't helped, but that was her intentions to retest and then see where they stood.

You could number your birds, your layers, and then number the eggs with the same number as the bird it came from, and send eggs to Purdue for them to test, that would give you specific information on whether it passes to the eggs, might take some doing separating your layers for a couple days in individual enclosures to get their eggs so that you know what came from who to test like that. Don't know what your set up is like or how many birds you do have.

Victoria

 

[star2525]

For me for testing I want to also know about Infectious Bronchitis and also ILT, there are Innaculations, I just called my Diagnostic Vet yesterday and asked about the ILT Innaculation, someone was going to give me a Hen to use for a Breeding Project I have going on, and I remembered he said he Innaculated for ILT, my birds aren't Innaculated for anything, so I thought it best to check with my Diagnostic Vet, was glad I did, depending on whether the bird was innaculated with a Live Vaccine or Killed Vaccine makes a difference, with the Live Vaccine they shed the cells for quite sometime, so I need to find out which Vaccine this guy used on his birds to know if its safe for my birds to be exposed to his Hen, even after a month or so Quarantine, it may not be safe, so me taking his Hen will depend on that information, glad I didn't just go and get the Hen before I checked.

It seriously is tough finding birds that have been tested for more than the NPIP tests, the testing is available, its just some don't ask about it, then if they have to pay additional fees for the extra testing alot don't do it because of the extra expense.

Victoria

 

[featherbaby]

Quote:
Thank you so much for the timely and comprehensive information!