We just brought home two silkies from Feather Your Nest in Lakeland and then found a post on craigslist saying her birds are sick and wiped out someones original flock. Here's the link One of the chicks has sneezed a few times with a little wetness coming out. We're terrified that we have brought something bad home to our girls. The two silkies are indoors at this point but I just read that some of the diseases are HIGHLY contagious and even if treated the birds are carriers for life. They said that they give their chicks the fowlpox vaccine but who knows now. Can anyone advise what we should do at this point???
Buying started chickens is always a risk, and they should be quarantined away from your other chickens for a minimum of 30 days. Some people will then introduce one of their older chickens as a guinea pig for a week or two, in order to see if the older chicken gets sick. There are many different respiratory diseases, and sneezing can also be a sign of dust in the savings or feed, ammonia odors, or mold. You could try getting them tested for MG or other infectious diseases here: http://www.aphis.usda.gov/animal_health/nahln/downloads/all_nahln_lab_list.pdf or you could return them to the seller, and not ask for your money back. Then disinfect your equipment and facilities. Luckily most respiratory diseases will not survive in the environment for more than a few days. Here is a lin for reading about common diseases and symptoms: http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/ps044
Whether or not they gave the fowl pox vaccine won't have an impact on any other respiratory diseases that flock may have. About all you can do is keep the new birds in strict quarantine for a good 30 days and see how they do, or, if you'd rather not run the risk of introducing something to your flock see if you can take them back. Personally, I'd do the latter.
