I (unknowingly) bought sick chicks. Maybe this will help someone else.

[hellotrixie]

Everything separate. Wash hands all the time. Feed current flock and new ones afterwards. Don't mix utensils or feed dishes at all. Don't wear shoes into your space for current flock that you've worn near the new birds.

Thanks for your reply @Pghelp, this sounds pretty similar to what I did and am still doing with the new pullets. So maybe it worked, but if it didn't I guess I did the best I could.

 

[hellotrixie]

Thank you for the solidarity @Mrs. K and @TheMother

I am so hoping I didn't infect the rest of my flock. I really did try to quarantine, which is why was so upset when the vet said it likely failed. I am on pins and needles waiting for the test results from the state lab.

 

[hellotrixie]

Yes as a tester and part of NPIP the breeder should have healthy birds without a doubt. NPIP Almost guarantees that the stock is healthy and suited for selling. Recently it has been hard for farms to get the testing due to lack of supply’s so maybe this is a cause to the problem.

The seller is on the NPIP list if you check the website, but it looks like she did not get the mycoplasma testing...is it optional in some states or something? I guess I thought that there would still be a risk, but that going through someone who took the trouble to be NPIP would reduce that risk.

 

[aart]

I really did try to quarantine, which is why was so upset when the vet said it likely failed. I am on pins and needles waiting for the test results from the state lab.

What kind of tests were done on which birds?
It's possible that the new birds came down with something already in your flock that they were not used to being in contact with and were susceptible too in the stressed state of being in a new place. Just a thought. Hopefully it all balances out and you end up with a healthy flock.

NPIP Almost guarantees that the stock is healthy and suited for selling.

That's the impression given, but it's far from true.
Most NIPIP only tests for Pullorum, which is what the program was started for years ago.
Some states have a couple-few additional tests also.
It certainly doesn't test for the myriad of other diseases that poultry can carry.

 

[hellotrixie]

What kind of tests were done on which birds?
It's possible that the new birds came down with something already in your flock that they were not used to being in contact with and were susceptible too in the stressed state of being in a new place. Just a thought. Hopefully it all balances out and you end up with a healthy flock.

My poultry vet sent tracheal swabs from the quarantined pullet with respiratory symptoms to the state lab. They will perform PCR testing for two types of mycoplasma, and for ILT. The assumption (of the vets) is that the other pullets are asymptomatic carriers of whatever the sick on has.

My first thought was that I carried something from the existing flock to the new pullets, but the vet and state pathologist think that the new birds were probably already infected, since the respiratory symptoms first appeared just 48 hours after bringing them home. That is not a long enough period of time for me to have infected them, and the sick one to demonstrate symptoms. The cocci could have come on anytime, of course.

I am on a budget and have not had my existing flock sampled yet. Since they are all asymptomatic, I'll need antibody test, rather than a culture for active infection. The serum test will be more accurate in asymptomatic birds. The tests we do on my existing flock will be determined by the results of the tests on the sick pullet. That being said, I recently (~1 month ago) had a necropsy done on a bird from my existing flock that died unexpectedly, and she was tested (negative) for all the nasties, including mycoplasma, ILT, IB, and Avian Flu. She died from cancer.

For the record, I take full responsibility for what has happened. I'm not saying the person sold me sick birds on purpose, or blaming her for my troubles. This is on me. I messed up and I'm just trying to salvage the situation as best I can.

 

[aart]

Thanks for all the info.
Sounds like you have an excellent handle on it.

 

[hellotrixie]

Thanks for all the info.
Sounds like you have an excellent handle on it.

Thanks. I don't feel like it. I wish there was more I could do. At this point I'm mostly going on what the state pathologist says.

 

[aart]

Thanks. I don't feel like it. I wish there was more I could do. At this point I'm mostly going on what the state pathologist says.

Well, doesn't make it easy but at least you have a breadth of good info and the resource of testing and a worth vet. Hang in there.

 

[TheOddOneOut]

About two weeks ago I purchased 4, 6 week old chicks from a NPIP farm near my home. The woman was nice, seemed knowledgeable and responsible. The chicks appeared healthy and I quarantined them in my garage.

Long story short, $200 later I have 4 chicks with severe coccidiosis that I am treating with Corid, and at least 1 chick with a respiratory infection that my poultry vet thinks is mycoplasma. I am waiting for test results from my state lab to confirm this. The cocci could have developed after I brought them home, but my vet says the respiratory disease would most likely have come from the farm where I bought the chicks.

We tried to be VERY careful with quarantine. We put our quarantine area in garage on opposite end of property from coop/run, tend new chickens after old chickens, wear different shoes in the garage/front yard than in the backyard where the chickens go, washed dog feet if they went into the garage. Washed up well after passing through garage before going to backyard.

Well, my vet says that this probably wasn't enough. She is preparing me for the fact that my other chickens are probably already infected with whatever the sick pullet has. I am devastated. I've had really bad luck with my flock this year and now to have this on top of everything else...I'm devastated. I just hope someone might learn from my experience. I guess what I am saying is think really hard about bringing in any new birds. I thought I was doing the right thing by adding more pullets because I wanted to keep the rooster I ended up with in my batch of chicks from February. I tried to be careful and I may have (probably) failed.

I’m so sorry. I’ve only added new birds once to my flock of 4-now six, with the addition of June Bug and Melody, and both were very healthy. The flock I have is between 12-15 weeks old now, depending on the bird, but I still remember my worries. I am under 18, and my parents didn’t want to build something to house the new birds, so...they said, “Just let them out with the others and it’ll be fine.” And it was, despite the fighting, but I was so worried the whole flock would come down with something. I hope most of your birds survive.

 

[Tre3hugger]

@hellotrixie Sounds like you're really going through it! Sorry to hear that. Sending good vibes your way. Take 20 minutes, and spend some time with some birds you love.