Have to kill all my chickens tomorrow!

[SBFChickenGirl]

then leave her to return to Mother Earth (presumably with the help of a coyote or raccoon).

This is what we do with birds that we've lost. They get walked down to the back pasture and left. All of our animals have a purpose, when alive, that's for eggs or show, and when dead, that's for feeding another animal or fertilizing the ground.

 

[Liz Birdlover]

I just talked to someone I know that had MG 2 years ago, to ask what happened. She was told to quarantine for 6 mos, that clock started after the 3 that were ill were euthanized. They did not destroy her whole flock, but she does have a closed flock, meaning no birds come or go. So let me share what she told me. She had 2 coops, 3 of the 6 birds in 1 coop had respiratory, this was 2 yrs ago. She moved those 3 to an indoor large cage & put them on medicine. The other 3 in that coop never got sick, but were put on medicine as a preventative after their waterer was disinfected. The 3 sick ones had swollen eyes & mucus in the beak clefts, they still didn't get well after she tried 3 different medicines & then tests confirmed MG. Those 3 were suffering so they were humanely euthanized. The remaining chickens in that coop never became ill. She went ahead and got the vaccine & vaccinated all chickens in 2 coops, 2 times (booster dose is given a few weeks later). The vaccine is in a blue eye drop, you sit the chicken on your lap, put drops in eyes and then chicken swallows, then open beak to make sure you see blue on tongue. She also disinfected all waterers & feeders, removed a bedding in coops, disinfected floors & nest boxes & dug out the top layer of sandy soil of both chicken coop pens, assuming by walking around she may have transmitted the illness. While it's true that all chickens on her property are potential carriers, none of her other chickens became ill since this outbreak happened 2 yrs ago. She keeps 2 type breeds of chickens, that's why 2 coops, her small flocks are for just her family's eggs & enjoyment, she doesn't breed to sell, no birds are coming & going, etc. There's no way to determine how her flock got MG, either one of the hens she got as a youngster already carried it, or a wild bird brought it. Anyone keeping birds can be vulnerable at risk, not even knowing the source, and wild birds are flying over every day, so the best we can do is vaccinate, try to provide the healthiest, happiest life & nourish their immune systems. MG can be devastating but it is not necessarily an automatic death sentence for an entire flock. When I have visited this lady's place, I disinfected by spraying my truck tires, my shoes, & my "visiting others" clothes went right into the washing machine when I got home & I took a shower. I have designated certain shoes & only wear certain clothes & shoes to certain places anyway...been doing this for decades. The clothes I wear around my flock are my "chore clothes" & they never leave my property. My chore clothes look like chore clothes...meaning I don't want to go out & about looking like that anyway! Lol! So it's never an issue, I do not get them mixed up, they're certain colors & they've got paint splotches from painting the coop & Bluecote stains, etc. They even get their own "chore drawer". Certain shoes & boots, yes it may look like I have a shoe fettish but this is essential, I have Pigeon loft shoes & Chicken coop shoes, gardening shoes, then shoes that go out & about but never around my own yard. To go a step further, a tray pan with disinfectant at the door prior to entering the house to step in, disinfecting shoe soles. Certain shoes go certain places, I've been doing this for decades, most of us do, no one wants to track chicken poop encrusted shoes around. Our shoes, where our birds spend time, and the birds' drinking waterers & places our birds hang out are the main areas of viral, bacterial or germ transmission. As wild birds can carry illnesses at any time, we need to always be diligent & proactive with cleanliness, and even then, illness can still happen. So don't blame yourself, we just do the best we can.

I know this is quite a shock to deal with & I am so sorry, my heart goes out to you.

 

[NatJ]

then leave her to return to Mother Earth (presumably with the help of a coyote or raccoon).

Might not be a good idea when dealing with a contagious disease that can also affect some kinds of wild birds.

In other situations I agree it sounds like a nice idea.

 

[LaFemmeKatia]

It’s up to me but since I can’t cure them and they can pass it on to wild birds it is what I morally should do. I love my birds dearly but I can’t stand to see them suffer. They are on a new antibiotic that I got from the vet yesterday morning before I got the bad news. It’s just a matter of time.

This is a very sad thing. I would be crushed if I had to euthanize all my birds.

 

[LaFemmeKatia]

Let us know what happens, and what the official from the state says.

 

[Folly's place]

I'm so sorry for your birds, and that you are having to deal with this. It's why being paranoid about biosecurity is a good thing!
Fortunately it hasn't happened here, and if it arrives, I'll cry a lot and depopulate my flock too, rather than having such a contagious illness present forever. I think you will be doing the right thing, and can start over next spring, with clean chicks from a good hatchery. No more random source birds!
All the best,
Mary

 

[Arthaey]

being paranoid about biosecurity is a good thing!

If the flock is allowed to go outside at all, isn't it essentially impossible to have "biosecurity" because wild birds, squirrels, mice, etc can all pass along disease to your flock?

 

[Hrseluvr]

Oh I'm so sorry you have to go thru this. HUGS and PRAYERS to you.

 

[Folly's place]

It most likely comes in on a bird from another flock, however healthy it appears, or in hatching eggs from an infected flock. Or having a near neighbor with sick birds.
Twice over thirty years I've seen a sick songbird at one of my wild bird feeders! Emergency! All feeders brought inside, and cleaned, neighbors warned who feed wild birds, and the sick bird dispatched if at all possible. Also my flock on lockdown for a couple of weeks, and no more sick wild birds seen, including by neighbors. At least here, it's most likely MG, which kills the affected wren fast, fortunately, and without feeders available, tends to be self limiting. Unlike the chickens who can carry it for life.
Also house birds are possibly sickened, not good either.
Mary

 

[Duckbreeder2020]

Are the chickens... gone... yet?