Final Pathology Report Results

[tgperg]

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Yeah. It's not passed to humans.

Traci

 

[tgperg]

Okay, I just got off the phone with Dr. Herrin the Oklahoma State Veterinarian. He confirmed the final results, my birds are seropositive for the antibodies to MG, but they are NEGATIVE by PCR testing for the actual virus. He says that they have been exposed but are not necessarily carriers. We can't say they are NOT carriers unless we do serial testing every three months for a certain amount of time. Just called and left a message with Dr. Bailey from the state lab to see if there's a way to do that because Dr. Herrin says that we can't add it to NPIP, although I'm going to contact whoever is in charge of that and ask them directly. First good news in a month.

Traci

 

[pips&peeps]

They could have MS, which will make the MG test be positive. Have they tested for that???

The NPIP program is only limited to testing negative for pullorum. They also have added an AI program that will give you indemnity if there should be an outbreak in your area.

 

[tgperg]

pips&peeps :

They could have MS, which will make the MG test be positive. Have they tested for that???

The NPIP program is only limited to testing negative for pullorum. They also have added an AI program that will give you indemnity if there should be an outbreak in your area.

Oh, Good L-rd. They were tested for EVERYTHING. I didn't do it by NPIP. I've been dealing with this for over a month with my veterinarian, the head pathologist at OSU, the state vet and my regional USDA vet. Trust me, we've covered it.

tg​

 

[Elite Silkies]

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I'd like to have the oxine fogger, but at $370 I'll have to go with the fogmaster jr. Amazon carries the oxine and the fogmaster jr. or the black flag fogger and you get free shipping.

 

[Elite Silkies]

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Hopefully, they will be willing to do those test for you.

 

[renovationmom]

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Unless you have your entire flock tested, and cleared, you can not say your flock is MG free. Just the bio security measures alone that one has to follow with a healthy flock is demanding, and just as important for the breeder, commercial hatchery, and for the backyard pet flock. And what about the shows? Think of all the disease your flock could be exposed to there, other birds, people attending the show, and your birds will already be stressed from traveling to the show.
Breeders who show their birds, command much higher prices for their eggs, chicks and started pairs, and rightfully so. They invest a great deal of time, effort, and money into their flock. There are no easy answers here. Do you require everyone who keeps birds of any type, any quanity, to be tested for any contagious disease which there is no control or cure for, that can wipe out an entire flock? Then what, have all those birds in that flock destroyed?

That is why I don't go to shows, don't show my birds, make everyone disinfect when they come here, don't acquire started birds, etc, etc. It's really not all that hard to do all you can do. When I went to someone else's house for the weekend recently, I bought brand new shoes to wear and didn't even put them on until I was at her place, washed all my clothes prior to going and the moment I came back.

I don't require anything of anybody except when they come onto my property. What they do with their flock, what they'll put up with on a daily basis, is up to them. I am doing what I can to protect my flock from carrier diseases and I refuse to let down my guard or change my strategy that seems to be working so far. If it stops working, I'll do something different.

You cannot compare human disease with avian disease, because they are not the same. Humans get colds all the time and don't remain carriers. Chickens don't get head colds and recover; they get diseases that make them Typhoid Marys in the flock. Those are similar to herpes type viruses.

You try to avoid exposing them to those germs, but the main thing you want to do is develop strong immune systems in your flock by proper management. The ones that become sick have weak immune systems. Those are the ones you cull, even if they seem to have recovered. The others may have been exposed to the same germ, but if they did not become ill, it may be just that their immune systems were stronger. Keep the ones that never became ill and you have the ones with stronger immune systems. If you keep ones that became ill, even if they got over their symptoms, they are the weak links in the flock, not the strong ones. But, you don't continually play Russian Roulette by throwing germs at them, testing them constantly, because eventually, they'll meet a germ their immune system may let in, so that's where biosecurity comes into play. I think some are making this harder than it needs to be.
​

How do you introduce new blood lines into your flock, so you avoid the problems of inbreeding?

 

[speckledhen]

First of all, there isn't much danger of inbreeding with chickens. Linebreeding is an accepted form of breeding that has gone on for centuries. Secondly, when I feel I need some new blood, I obtain hatching eggs only from very well known breeder friends whose culling practices are well-known to me and who know what I expect from them. Most of my birds have come from NPIP breeders who have zero tolerance for respiratory illness. What I mean is if they even sense that a bird has an issue, out comes the hatchet. I'm not a breeder myself, so I can hatch eggs from my own birds for many years without ever having to leave my property for new blood.

 

[ReikiStar]

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That's great to hear, Traci. Finally a step in the right direction with this. Hope your future testing comes out clean!

 

[Elite Silkies]

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I have a question for you

I decided to line breed with my silkies. I am using the brother on the sisters. The mom was in there, but I sold her because I think she was the cause of the problem. I have been hatching some excellent birds, however, I am hatching some with bad toes. The only one I had with bad toes was the one I sold. The others all have perfect toes.

I'm hoping that once all of the eggs are from brother and sister I do not see anymore bad toes, but if I do, then I have to change something.