Chickens positive for MG and MS - FREE TO A GOOD HOME WITH MG FLOCK.

[katiek]

These chickens all have names and stories and are wonderful otherwise healthy birds. We have treated them with antibiotics but they tested positive for MG and MS. I made the mistake of buying chickens from a neighbor and now our entire flock is infected.

We lost many chickens due to this illness and the ones that are left seem to be resistant to it, but they will forever be carriers.

The vet says that it is possible to keep them as pets, if you treat them with Baytril or Teramyacin every now and then. You just won't be able to sell eggs for hatching or sell chickens to someone who has an MG negative flock. It is perfectly safe to eat their eggs. From reading the forum, I know there are several people who have had their flock test positive for MG, and have decided not to depopulate.

We will not let these chickens go to a MG negative home. Only to someone who has an MG positive flock and has decided to keep them anyway. We also won't give the adults to someone who is just going to slaughter them, because we can do that ourselves if it comes down to it. We might consider giving the teenagers away to someone who will raise them to adult and then slaughter them, but we would rather them be layers for someone's already MG flock.

We have 16 adults and 12 teenagers:
Welsummers
Aracaunas
Silver Laced Wyandottes
Buff Orpingtons
And Mixes of all of the above.

One coop has a mom and 12 teenage babies that are Aracauna and Welsummer Mixes.

I don't know anything about mailing chickens, but if you can explain it to me and we are sure it will be safe to the animals, then we might consider it.

Thanks so much,
Katie

 

[want brahmas 2]

not sure what MG and MS is ??? but in the intrest of stamping out the illness would it not just be better to kill all the birds clean out your biulings and when its safe start over ??? i mean think about all you went through because of buying one bird do you want that to happen to some one eles ??? p.s. sorry for your lose

 

[katiek]

Hello, thank you for your response. That is what we plan to do. We plan to kill our entire flock and start over. After reading many forum posts on here about MG, I discovered that there are some people who have MG positive flocks and have chosen to treat them and keep them anyway. We wanted to just offer our chickens to those people to give them a chance to live before we butcher them all. As I said before, we will not let these hens go to anyone who doesn't already have an MG positive flock. We definitely don't want to infect someone's flock who doesn't have MG.

We plan to start our butchering tomorrow, but I know it will take several days.

 

[Cheralee]

I saw your post and while I am unable to assist you, I commend you on how you have chosen to handle such an unfortunate outcome. There aren't many who would choose to think outside the box. I know I usually get eye rolls when I do, so I thought I would let you know how impressed I am. Good luck with your birds, current and your future ones!

 

[pandoraj]

Do you still have any of these chickens?

 

[marlo1968]

What is "MG" or "MS" please and how do you test for it? thanks

 

[myfinefeatheredfriends]

To the poster above: they are respiratory diseases in chickens that are very contagious.

So sad you must get rid of all your birds

 

[marlo1968]

What is "MG" or "MS" please and how do you test for it? thanks

To the poster above: they are respiratory diseases in chickens that are very contagious.

So sad you must get rid of all your birds

Oh, that's no good, thanks for the explanation.

 

[Going Bhonkers]

I saw your post and while I am unable to assist you, I commend you on how you have chosen to handle such an unfortunate outcome. There aren't many who would choose to think outside the box. I know I usually get eye rolls when I do, so I thought I would let you know how impressed I am. Good luck with your birds, current and your future ones!

Completely agree!

 

[TwoCrows]

My birds were diagnosed with MS last year about the time they turned one year old. I had horrible issues with this flock of chickens, but being new to chicken keeping, I just couldn't get myself to destroy them. So I went the route of long term antibiotics, did tons of surgeries on infected foot pads, the anorexia was wicked, watched them live thru liver infections, ect...the list of symptoms is long that birds with MS contract.

HOWEVER....I did get them ALL thru it. I did not lose any birds in the flock and today none of them are showing any signs of the bacteria. I do know that I am now unable to add any birds to this flock, without infecting the new ones. On this note, I have a heavy heart as every one knows how addicting chickens are and you will always want more of them!!! LOL

But I do love these birds and watching them finally enjoy life, lay eggs daily, beg to be pet and sit on my lap, follow me around like drooling puppies....well, I wouldn't have missed this for the world.