- Thread starter
- #21
SuperFluffyChickens
Chirping
- Apr 23, 2024
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Oh, it’s a horrible virus that can cause tumors to grow in the chicken’s body - famously they can get tumors on the sciatic nerve that results in paralysis, but they can be anywhere on the inside. It’s extremely contagious and very difficult to get rid of once you have it on the property, and there’s no cure - once a chicken is infected, it either grows tumors or becomes an asymptomatic carrier. Thankfully there’s a vaccine available to newly-hatched chicks, although it’s not 100% effective and the birds will still become carriers if exposed.
It spreads through infected dander, and like I mentioned it’s very difficult to kill. It can even be spread by wild birds. I’d suggest being very careful about introducing new birds to your flock, that’s how my birds got it I think. I bought some lovely Orpingtons from someone on Facebook, and one of them was the first bird I had who died suddenly overnight from a kidney tumor. I’d also suggest being careful if you visit other farms with chickens or poultry shows or anything like that - wear shoes that you’ve never worn in the coop, and change your clothes when you get home.
Hopefully it’s something that you never have to deal with, but even if you do it’s not the end of the world - some chickens have stronger natural immunity and can live full healthy lives while being infected, although they’ll be a bit more vulnerable to other illnesses and infections. I really hope this doesn’t come of as condescending, that’s not my intention, but I would suggest reading more about this disease from experts, I feel like it’s important knowledge for all chicken keepers.
