Fertilized egg disease risk

[ecarline]

I recently purchased $200 dollars of rare chickens from a local hatchery that looked healthy. After the first day I heard one sneezing. Despite removing it more have begun to sneeze and wheeze and I lost my first one today. I am praying the whole flock group does not die but I at least had them separate from my flock. To not risk being burnt again, I was wondering if it was safer to just buy fertilized eggs and hatch them since I can control the environment they are born into. I know hatcheries can't prove all diseases so how do you know if they are safe. Even NPIP certifications are limited to what they test.

Thanks for any help

 

[Eggcessive]

Mycoplasma can be transferred through a hatching egg, so there is always some risk in getting hatching eggs or chicks. How old are the new birds? You may want to refrigerate any dead birds, and send them off to your state vet or local poultry lab for a necropsy, to identify the disease. Have you seen any eye foam or swelling around the eye or face? Sorry that you are dealing with this problem.

 

[ecarline]

The new chicks range from 1 week to 3 weeks all from the same hatchery but obtained one week apart. The first group was doing great then I added the 4 older the next week and quarantined them all in the same space since they were from the same hatchery. Big mistake. I should have treated them like they were from another place. It looks like it is the 3 week old chicks that are the worst. I have not seen eye foam though just the sneezing, wheezing and gasping at the end. The vet school says I can bring the dead one in and it will cost 45 to examine it but since I started antibiotics the cultures may not grow.
I have 100 plus chickens and I'm terrified to expose them. I have been extremely lucky to now have every crossed this before. I was hoping hatching would have been a safer route to expand my flock to some of the fancier breeds.

Thanks so much