Infectious Laryngotracheitis

[WasabiChicki]

Thanks, at this point i'm not even bringing anything from the backyard until I have decided what to do with them. Thankfully the rest of the stuff I have has been in the garage. Even though I do think an extra disinfecting and more thorough one than normal before I put the next hatchlings into the brooder. I'll check it the virus thanks. I was hoping to find the killed vaccine but will hopefully read more on it this weekend.

I'm sorry to hear that. This is the vaccine I have coming. It's the modified live virus type, so I'll have to do a little more research on it, but I was in a bit of a panic and this was the only one I could find.
I think with a whole new place to move your brooder chicks to, you should be fine. Disinfect your equipment well though.

Good luck to you both!!
I am so new at the "larger scale" flock raising & have been so lucky w/ my 6 layers (4 now & "retiring" 2 more this weekend).
I was wondering if you guys think that wild animals who are carriers would be the most likely source of transmission to your flocks? Jules, I know you show your birds, but it sounded like you already practice good bio-security... I'm asking because in the case of wild carriers, what precautions (besides vaccines) do we have available? Is that just from wild birds in the chickens yards or what?

 

[Papa Brooder]

Quote: Mine was introduced by juvenile birds I bought at an auction that were shipped. They showed signs of infection in at about 8-10 days and the birds that had been in the coop prior to them never had any signs. So, either they had it and the stress of shipping made it active, they were shipped in a container that had it, or somehow there were exposed during shipping. More birds got it because I was out of space and practiced very poor quarantine habits (as in one week.) So i introduced 25 juveniles to them just days before they showed signs of sickness and basically infected that batch of hatched chicks. I have learned a lot especially as I think about "eating", literally and figuratively all the money I invested into those heritage breed chickens! Now, I am having to practice hard core biosecurity with different shows for the possibly infected back yard flock, rigorous hand washing for myself and kids, keeping kids out of the backyard coop (because they love to hold the babies in the garage). I'm still researching the vaccines and what options are there.

 

[WasabiChicki]

Thanks Jeff!
I am considering picking up 7 pullets today from someone I don't know. What are signs or ways to tell wether or not they have a healthy flock? As far as I know, they are just downsizing their teens on an organic farm... selling about 20 females for $5 each. (great deal huh? Just started laying last week.)
I was planning on keeping them is a separate yard for at least a month since we are building a new coop for the babies anyway & I plan on moving them in first. But, the yard is attached to my layers main run (Its actually a part of it that I can close off.)
Do you guys think that is separate enough, being attached to the same yard but w/o contact?

 

[CowgirlJules]

Good luck to you both!!
I am so new at the "larger scale" flock raising & have been so lucky w/ my 6 layers (4 now & "retiring" 2 more this weekend).
I was wondering if you guys think that wild animals who are carriers would be the most likely source of transmission to your flocks? Jules, I know you show your birds, but it sounded like you already practice good bio-security... I'm asking because in the case of wild carriers, what precautions (besides vaccines) do we have available? Is that just from wild birds in the chickens yards or what?

No, I actually don't think the wild transmission was the most likely. If that were the case, there would be no point to starting over. I've had wild birds and rats in the pen since I started, but my flock first started showing signs of illness exactly ten days after I came home from the fair. My fair birds are housed in a completely different place, and never did show symptoms, but they're never on the ground either. I think I tracked it into the main pen on my shoes. That's just a theory though, I'll never be sure.

As far as quarantining your new flock, that's a lot like I used to do. Throw the new birds into a pen within or adjacent to the main yard. So the two sets could have physical contact, and definitely aerosol. This was not a smart practice, in retrospect. If I ever bring new birds into an established flock again (and I probably won't,) I'd set up a quarantine pen quite far away from the main flock.

And quarantining the new birds by themselves for a month wouldn't tell you if one of them is a carrier of the disease either. To learn that, you've got to put a sacrificial bird from your main flock in with them. If that bird gets sick and the new ones don't, it's entirely likely that one or more of them is a carrier. Of course, since all of any particular flock isn't all affected at once, even if your clean bird doesn't show symptoms after a month, that doesn't mean that the new flock aren't carriers, it just reduces the likelihood. It's a gamble.

 

[Papa Brooder]

Thanks Jeff!
I am considering picking up 7 pullets today from someone I don't know. What are signs or ways to tell wether or not they have a healthy flock? As far as I know, they are just downsizing their teens on an organic farm... selling about 20 females for $5 each. (great deal huh? Just started laying last week.)
I was planning on keeping them is a separate yard for at least a month since we are building a new coop for the babies anyway & I plan on moving them in first. But, the yard is attached to my layers main run (Its actually a part of it that I can close off.)
Do you guys think that is separate enough, being attached to the same yard but w/o contact?

I agree with Jules. I am going to be way more careful and on my new property I am going to build the quarantine coop/cage. The fact is I have brought in birds to an established flock twice. Each time I have had something brought in. Be that as it may. you can still do it and take precautions like the ones Jules mentioned and have great results... You just have to weight the risks. Like Jules in my head I do not want to bring in birds to an established flock again. I will try to stick to hatching what I want to bring in and I have done a lot with day old chicks and never had a problem. The other things is if I was just gonna have a backyard flock and not plan on selling eggs or chicks down the road then birds that likely have ILT would be fine to give me eggs, meat, etc. I just would have to be careful with friends in the coop or my shoes in other peoples coops, etc. so a lot does depend on your goals. Anyway, that's my two cents.

 

[phoenix912]

I am so sorry for you and your flock. I have a small flock but cant imagine haveing to cull them all. I would not feel like starting over if i did. What about hatching eggs? If the hen is a carrier will she pass it to the egg? Will the chick then become a carrier?

 

[BigIslandChicks]

Mahalo nui loa - (thank you very much) for sharing your story, as sad as it is

i cried like everyone else! but really good information and reminder to us all to be more careful. as someone else said - "you are a brave women" i dont think i could have done what you had to do - i would have to have DH do the deed, if thats what needed to be done - which it sounds like you made the right decision as hard as it was. wishing you all the best, sending ALOHA.

 

[rushmoor3]

I'm so sorry for your loss, I can feel the pain in your words. But it seems we all have to learn the hard way. Like you, my first dealings were a hit and a miss with raising other animals. It's heart breaking to lose a "friend". Please know, they will always carry a special place in your heart, but you will make other "friends" down the road.

 

[Linnies ladies]

I am so sorry this happened. I read it twice, and will be making changes here. So very sad. Thank you for writing about it!

 

[Little Fuzzy]

So Sorry for your situation, but you did all of us first timers a great service by telling us about your experience. I have nine four month old mixed breed hens. They were vac for Mearks but I don't know anything about the other vac they might need. I guess I have to find a chicken vet.