Help me decide........Should I cull my flock and start over?

[al6517]

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I would love to see the publication that says they will be carriers for 5 months to a year.


Everything I have read, says carrier for LIFE. Honest, if you have the link, I would read it.






chicmom

X2 carriers for life is the fact's, and yes the soil will also be contaminated. if you test them and they show a positive some states will require the entire flock to be eliminated, and come back to dbl check to see if it's been done.

 

[ReikiStar]

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Reiki, if the test comes out positive, does that mean I should automatically cull? And do you know where I could get the testing done? Would a vet do it?

Sharon

Generally, you're looking for a state university that has an veterinary or preferably an avian testing facility. We have Washington State University here. If you don't have one close enough to bring a culled bird too, often you can mail the bird in with special packing instructions to preserve the tissue. I thought NPIP meant your birds were tested...who is the body that does that testing? They might be able to direct you to a local source that can test your birds. Vets could do it but they're mostly going to send it out to be tested...not tested in house.

I hope whatever it is can be treated so you won't lose your precious flock!

 

[chicmom]

BigDaddy'sGurl :

Also, no, I would not necessarily cull them all: many wild birds carry contagious respiratory diseases, not to mention that your soil will carry the disease for potentially years. It is, in my opinion, about dang near impossible to keep a flock completely and totally disease free.

Last year, when the vet from NPIP was out testing my birds, she said the exact same thing. I just get so discouraged. They'll be fine for months, and I think, gee, we're over this! YAY! Then the season changes, or in this case, maybe they were stressed from the heat, and an outbreak occurs.

Some of my chickens are like lap dogs. This last hen that just came down with it, was just sitting on my lap the day before, and was just fine! And she's a favorite of mine......So pretty and she's got loads of personality.​

 

[WhiteMountainsRanch]

"Colds" like that are NOT normal. Most people I know have a zero-tolerance for diseases. *Edited to add* My flock has never been sick.

Step 1. Find out what they have.

Step 2. Decide if it is something that can be truly cured, or if it's something they will be carriers of.

Step 3. If it IS something they will be forever carriers of, decide if you want to manage it or not. Realize that they might have it forever, and will give it to any new chickens you bring in or hatch. Therefore I would not do either until every last chicken was gone. Also you have to look at your particular situation, do you just want a small backyard flock for eggs for your family, or do you want to sell eggs, birds, and continue hatching?

Step 4. If you do decide to cull remember you will have to clean everything you own with bleach, including coops/ runs/ etc and you still *might* not get rid of whatever is on your property. But there is a likelihood that you can get rid of it too. I would wait at least SEVERAL months after disinfecting before bringing in any new birds.

Hope this helps at least a little bit!

 

[chicmom]

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Reiki, if the test comes out positive, does that mean I should automatically cull? And do you know where I could get the testing done? Would a vet do it?

Sharon

Generally, you're looking for a state university that has an veterinary or preferably an avian testing facility. We have Washington State University here. If you don't have one close enough to bring a culled bird too, often you can mail the bird in with special packing instructions to preserve the tissue. I thought NPIP meant your birds were tested...who is the body that does that testing? They might be able to direct you to a local source that can test your birds. Vets could do it but they're mostly going to send it out to be tested...not tested in house.

I hope whatever it is can be treated so you won't lose your precious flock!

Thank you! The State of Ohio is who handled my NPIP, if that's what you meant. I will call Candy, the lady who they sent to my house, and see what she says.

I really don't know how this ever started. Could be from wild birds, because our property is surrounded by woods.

 

[chicmom]

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I feel they must be carrying something. Whenever a flair-up happens, it's always the same symptoms. I might just scrub down everything this weekend......How in the world would you clean the sand in a chicken run? And they also free range around the property. I'm live in a very remote area. Very private. I am going to have some tests done to find out what this is.

 

[chicmom]

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You have helped me, and thank you! I'm thinking, why can't I just keep them if things can be managed to where they are healthy. After all, I'm not a breeder or anything. I don't need to sell chickens. I just want to enjoy them. I do want to find out what it is though.

Since they free range, and if it is a carried disease, what would I do? I mean, I can't bleach six acres of land with five acres of woods! What would I do?

 

[WhiteMountainsRanch]

I've always used those "Miracle Grow Sprayers" but with bleach instead of fertilizer, you hook it to the end of your hose and fill it with bleach and you can preset how much per gallon you want to come out, you can then "spray" down everything.

Also, I would think that doing it now wouldn't do any good since your chickies already have it. I would do it when/ if all your chickies are gone.


Just read your second post. You obviously can't bleach down 6 acres, that's where time is your friend. Just wait a long while before getting chicks again.


HOWEVER I also just read that you aren't a breeder or anything. If I was you I would probably just keep the ones you have now, don't hatch or get any more, and when they get sick one by one I would cull instead of treating. Then eventually down the line you won't have any left, and then you can disinfect and start over at that point. That's probably what I would do in your situation.

 

[tammye]

sounds liks CRD. I have read here that ACV helps with the flare ups, so it is a cheap fix. I would hate to see all the birds be killed. People live with chronic diseases all the time, just don't sell any or add any to your flock.

 

[spiritdance]

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The problem with the "slow cull" approach, if you treat sick birds with antibiotics, is that you risk creating a "super bug" that will no longer respond to those antibiotics. If you use this approach, the responsible thing to do is to cull sick birds immediately upon the appearance of symptoms, without treating, to prevent this. I know it's painful to think of not giving each bird every chance, but ultimately you must think about what kind of "bug" could end up infecting your property and possibly render it permanently contagious to chickens. In addition, if it is something that can pass back and forth to and from wild birds, a resistant strain likely could, too, and this would put birds beyond your flock at risk.