Culling due to Mycoplasma but do I need to do them all?

[Nikitaa]

How easily is mycomplasma spread? I know 9 of my birds have it so 6 of those are being culled by a neighbour this afternoon. The other 3 are pekins which my vet told me are a hardier breed and I plan to keep those in a separate corner of my garden to my other run. Would it be able to go that far and infect birds 30 feet away? How exactly is it spread? I believe it has something to do with the chickens pooing it out of their systems and other chickens stepping in it?

I bought 4 new birds before I knew I had mycoplasma, they were all in the same run but with a divider of chicken mesh down the middle to keep them apart for a week before letting them together but because I realise the others were sick, I never let them together, built a brand new run/coop and move the new chickens away. Will these new birds have it too? Should I cull them too?

 

[Nsampsel]

Not sure which form your birds have, but here is what I found:


Mycoplasma gallisepticum

Synonyms: MG, chronic respiratory disease (CRD), infectious sinusitis, mycoplasmosis

Species affected: chickens, turkeys, pigeons, ducks, peafowl and passerine birds.

Clinical signs: Clinical symptoms vary slightly between species. Infected adult chickens may show no outward signs if infection is uncomplicated. However, sticky, serous exudate from nostrils, foamy exudate in eyes, and swollen sinuses can occur, especially in broilers. The air sacs may become infected. Infected birds can develop respiratory rales and sneeze. Affected birds are often stunted and unthrifty (see Table 1 ).
There are two forms of this disease in the turkey. With the "upper form" the birds have watery eyes and nostrils, the infraorbitals (just below the eye) become swollen, and the exudate becomes caseous and firm. The birds have respiratory rales and show unthriftiness.
With the "lower form", infected turkeys develop airsacculitis. As with chickens, birds can show no outward signs if the infection is uncomplicated. Thus, the condition may go unnoticed until the birds are slaughtered and the typical legions are seen. Birds with airsacculitis are condemned. MG in chicken embryos can cause dwarfing, airsacculitis, and death.

Transmission: MG can be spread to offspring through the egg. Most commercial breeding flocks, however, are MG-free. Introduction of infected replacement birds can introduce the disease to MG-negative flocks. MG can also be spread by using MG-contaminated equipment.

Treatment : Outbreaks of MG can be controlled with the use of antibiotics. Erythromycin, tylosin, spectinomycin, and lincomycin all exhibit anti-mycoplasma activity and have given good results. Administration of most of these antibiotics can be by feed, water or injection. These are effective in reducing clinical disease. However, birds remain carriers for life.

Prevention: Eradication is the best control of mycoplasma disease. The National Poultry Improvement Plan monitors all participating chicken and turkey breeder flocks.

Mycoplasma synoviae

Synonyms: MS, infectious synovitis, synovitis, silent air sac

Species affected: chickens and turkeys.

Clinical signs: Birds infected with the synovitis form show lameness, followed by lethargy, reluctance to move, swollen joints, stilted gait, loss of weight, and formation of breast blisters. Birds infected with the respiratory form exhibit respiratory distress. Greenish diarrhea is common in dying birds (seeTable 1 ). Clinically, the disease in indistinguishable from MG.

Transmission: MS is transmitted from infected breeder to progeny via the egg. Within a flock, MS is spread by direct contact with infected birds as well as through airborne particles over short distances.

Treatment: Recovery is slow for both respiratory and synovitis forms. Several antibiotics are variably effective. The most effective are tylosin, erthromycin, spectinomycin, lincomycin, and chlorotectracycline. These antibiotics can be given by injection while some can be administered in the feed or drinking water. These treatments are most effective when the antibiotics are injected.

Prevention: Eradication is the best and only sure control. Do not use breeder replacements from flocks that have had MS. The National Poultry Improvement Plan monitors for MS.

Mycoplasma meleagridis

Synonyms: MM, N strain, H strain

Species affected: MM affects turkeys of all ages, although poults are affected more severely than mature turkeys. Recently, MM has been shown to infect pigeon, quail and peafowl.

Clinical signs: A drop-off in production and hatchability can be expected in breeder flocks. There can be very high mortality in young poults. Unthriftiness, respiratory distress, stunting, crooked neck with deformity of cervical vertebrae, and leg deformation are common in young birds (see Table 1 ).

Transmission: Egg transmission is low in the early breeding period, but rises as the the age of the flock increases. Infections can be introduced into a flock by contaminated equipment, shoes, and clothing of workers and visitors.

Treatment: Several antibiotics have been effective including tylosin, erythromycin, spectinomycin, and linco-spectinomycin.

Prevention: The best preventive measure is to keep MM-free breeders. The MM-free status of breeders can be confirmed by periodic blood tests through the National Poultry Improvement Plan.

 

[Nikitaa]

They have the first one. Mycoplasma Gallisepticum.

 

[Nsampsel]

Sounds like you probably better give everyone antibiotics. You may not have to cull the others either if you treat them.

They will all be carriers tho.

 

[Nikitaa]

I already treated everyone with Tylan 2 weeks ago, they're sick again. I don't want them to suffer even a little and I can't really afford to keep treated them if they keep becoming ill at the rate they are.

Are you saying that the birds who were newly bought will be infected too? Even though they were never on the same soil, never ate or drank from the same things, never slept in the same coop?

 

[dawg53]

I already treated everyone with Tylan 2 weeks ago, they're sick again. I don't want them to suffer even a little and I can't really afford to keep treated them if they keep becoming ill at the rate they are.

Are you saying that the birds who were newly bought will be infected too? Even though they were never on the same soil, never ate or drank from the same things, never slept in the same coop?

A simple comparison would be like how you catch a cold and how it spreads easily from one person to another. The only difference is that humans get over it, chickens dont.

 

[Nsampsel]

The other chickens could very well be carrying it. Not really any way to know at this point. They may have been the original source since you noticed your birds getting sick after they came in.

 

[Nikitaa]

Nooo I know it was Heti that brought it in because she was making strange sounds on the way home in the car that I now know to be coughing and wheezing