LAB TEST Results -- The Verdict Is In. Can Any1 Elaborate?

[Eggcessive]

I have learned a lot about cryptosoridium today from reading about it due to your necropsy report. It is a parasite in the soil similar to coccidia, and can infect the respiratory system in chickens. They also mention mycoplasma, which is CRD or MG, and is a respiratory disease. So those are two things that are infectious, and probably have spread around your flock. Kathy may know a lot more about crypto than I do. The enteritis was probably the real kicker. If you do decide to depopulate, I would cull every bird and bury carcasses deep or incinerate them. After cleaning and disinfecting equipment, I would wait several months before getting new birds. Any birds I would get would come from a hatchery all at the same time, so that hopefully not get any any carrier diseases. I would also do a preventative coccidiosis treatment on those chicks once they get on soil, and continue it for a bit afterward, or treat them periodically at the low dose every 3 weeks. Sorry about your birds. Here are some links in crypto and MG:
http://www.poultryhub.org/health/disease/types-of-disease/cryptosporidiosis/
http://www.thepoultrysite.com/disea...ction-mg-chronic-respiratory-disease-chickens
http://umaine.edu/livestock/poultry/mycoplasma-gallisepticum-faq/

After re-reading your first post, it looks like he had E.coli in his lungs which is usually a secondary infection of MG or CRD. I am an amateur, so I am doing the best that I can to decipher the reports. A vet on here may do a better job.

 

[seminolewind]

X2- what Egg said.

I've just learned a lot about Enteritis. You can put them all on amoxi or penicillin for 5 days. I've read that you may be able to increase their chances of resisting it by increasing the protein in their feed and give them vitamins and minerals. This info was found at World Poultry News, written 2013. Another site has it as well, but I forgot to bookmark it.

NE can pass thru your flock by a chicken eating from soiled ground by a chicken that pooped the culprit bacteria (butt to mouth). E.coli is normally inside chickens but not in a big amount. But there are things like stress that can make a bird susceptible to e.coli multiplying out of control.

 

[casportpony]

For a fee this place might be able to help you:
http://flockdiagnostics.tripod.com/id6.html

Call him up and ask.

-Kathy

 

[MacCana]

OK, here is the WHOLE story, so I can try and shed some light on the circumstances around everything happening here. Bear with me please!

...

I am not so much worried about the bacterial enteritis, as I am the mycoplasma in the cockerel. The guinea is probably on it's way to the same. Seems like the get the enteritis first, then the respiratory symptoms. I feel like the sick hen I bought from a local started this problem. I didn't realize until I got her home that she had a clear runny nose & a horrid smelling mouth.

None of mine have the smelly mouth thing.

My guinea pair and the cockerel wouldn't stay away from her quarantine cage. When ever they could find scraps around it they would be there. This happened maybe 3 times before I dispatched her & began supervising free range time to keep them out of tht part of the yard. I just had a gut feeling. And she wasn't worth the risk.

After having a slight bout of cocci when adolescents (The NOW adults -- none died, I treated immediately as symptoms showed) -- I guess that paved the way for the mess that's going on now.

The guinea pair began sneezing first. Then 75-80% of my flock was. Only clear runny nose, slight rattle, on & off again diarrhea . I didn't treat while researching and finding out what to do. And I still haven't . No one has symptoms anymore, but they still sound rattly at times. None of them ever lost appetite or thirsted. The runny poo disappeared when I started them on some non-GMO feed I finally found.

But the mycoplasma gallisepticum worries me. I don't want to perpetuate a problem. The young guinea I sent for testing hung around with 3 younger pullets on "their" side of the yard (they aren't really separated in my yard & frequently cross paths) -- they also return to their own chicken tractor at night.

But the rooster from the 2nd test is from my breeding flock. Who are cooped together at night. The adult guinea pair & our one turkey also coops with them.

I know these problems are things that pop up from unsanitary conditions, but I keep mine very well taken care of IMO. They all free range from 10 am to dark.

In the coop, they are kept in a dog kennel. It has a pitched roof, and is open on all sides, but is covered along the top about 2 feet down. Inside they have a wire bottomed, roofed, wooden hen house that they can snuggle up/lay eggs in. It's only about 16inches off the ground. They have 5 other tree branch & 2x2 roosting posts in corners of the kennel at varying heights. They also have a pvc, ladder style roost bars leaned up against one of the "walls". There's a bed for every type of chicken!

They are kept on a DLM flooring. It consists of milled pine horse bedding (I get it free from work ), approx 2 cups of D.E. (when I first started heir DLM floor - 8 months ago), 1.5 bags of play sand (only once), and grass clippings in the summer, recently fall leaves. I go out & stir the floor after a good rain, or once a week-2 weeks on a good dry spell. I rakes and shovel it all up into a pile until I hit dirt, I then mix in more shavings (diff amounts to what I judge it needs) or fall leaves. I use a shovel to mix it up then I let it sit for a while. Later I distribute it all out again . It's almost a loose, light dirt consistency.

I clean their water bowls with bleach water every other refill. Feeders one a week.

They even have a black, victorian style mirror to look at themselves in. My silkie Big Worm, and his favorite lady sleep in front of it every night.

After all that, I assumed I was doing good up until this happened.

Thanks Kathy, but the Kord Animal Disease Diagnostic Laboratory is good enough for me. They proved Mycoplasma exists in my breeding flock. That's everything I have except 3 young pullets. They were who my state's department of agriculture recommend I use.
So unless someone can tell me even with the mycoplasma, that they won't all possibly be life carrier's of it, I'm afraid it really does look bad

But if any of you have more knowledge than I do and I am wrong in my assumptions here then feel free to speak up!!

 

[dawg53]

MG = CULL. Disinfect everything, lime the soil and wait a few months before repopulating. I know MG lasts 3 days in the environment but since there are other issues, it would be best to wait awhile before repopulating. Then I recommend ordering chicks from a reputable hatchery.

 

[gjensen]

I agree with the recommendation to cull. This is not how you want to start. You were unfortunate to purchase birds from someone that has no business selling them. It seams that they were weak and compromised when you brought them home. Regardless of how they do in the near future, there is a good chance that with the change of the seasons and other stressors, they will become symptomatic again. It is not something that you want to deal with again and again.

Reputable breeders are not better than hatcheries etc. or vice versa. Not concerning health or disease. There is advantages and disadvantages to both.The problem lies in that people new to the hobby have a hard time knowing what a reputable source would be or not. There is too many people that are either uneducated or do not care. An example is that one of those sent you home with sick birds. I have a hard time rationalizing that.

You are right to not get too worked up over Enteritis. That is a broad subject. Usually it is the result of weak birds, poor management, birds that are weakened by something else, or all of the above. If you start with good birds, that are healthy, and manage them well . . . it is not likely that you will have much problems with it. That is really the sum of it all. Starting with healthy, genetically strong birds, and managing them well. It does not matter where you get them from providing those three criteria are met. The catch is having some reasonable assurance that the first two criteria are met before you bring them home.

I also agree with the recommendation to use hydrated lime (ground limestone will not help) in the run, and around the enclosure. That is where most of the issues will be. Just use it safely. It will burn your eyes and skin.
I lime my yards and till them later as part of a cleaning routine. Some fresh clean sand is helpful in the runs. Just plain moist dirt is a good environment for the misc.

Managing the ground of a poultry yard is often neglected. Concentrating a population of birds in a small area causes a buildup of bacteria and parasites. Over time it increases the likelihood of having problems. Especially on a shaded lot with poor drainage.

 

[MacCana]

Well it was done over this past weekend. My husband & older cousin came over & helped me thank goodness. I have culled before, but 16 birds, one turkey, and 2 guineas would have been impossible to do alone in one night. I kissed every single one & told them I was sorry. I had hatched or had all of them since they were 1 day old. Total since this one sick bird came to my house I have lost 30 chickens, 3 lavender guineas, and my husband's red bourbon turkey.
This has been a hard lesson to learn, but was in a way my own fault. I thought I had done enough research, and considering we never had these kinds of problems with the chickens I had as a child, I was unaware of how to look for certain symptoms of illness when buying birds, unaware of how dangerous buying, selling, and swapping was (this is popular in my area right now) to biosecurity, and was too lax in quarantining her. She should have never made it to my yard to tell truth & if I had known what I was bringing home, I would have culled her & the other bird I got at the same place b4 I got to my house with them.
I will not be making this mistake again though knowing what I know now. I won't fail them again. I'd rather lose a few birds than have to depopulate any day of the week. It's so lonely in my yard now. I will most likely only be buying from NPIP cert. breeders that test for MG/MS & the others, or hatcheries that do the same.
I have a question, I was able to collect 3 eggs off of my breeding silkie trio (my very first 3 eggs with this flock, bc when I got them they were poor & were soon molting. for a very. long. time.) before I became too concerned that all of my birds were compromised & began throwing eggs to the dogs. None of the silkies were showing symptoms even when I stopped collecting their eggs for incubation, but did begin to show them not too long after. Out of those 3 eggs, only 1 was fertile, and it miraculously hatched. It has shown no signs of illness of any kind. It has never been outside. I have been super paranoid about spreading germs to it so limited our time spent around it to just feeding and watering.
Is there a chance this little chick has MG pass to it from mama hen given the circumstances? What should I look for?
I plan on looking into options for having it's blood tested later on. This is just for my curiousity. If I could have gotten one little baby out of all my efforts, it will feel like I still saved something from them. It's father was my favorite. He was a splash bearded silkie of show quality & standard breed size. He was only given to me because he had a regular comb, rather than a rose comb. That disqualified him so the breeder was kind enough to send him to me. I named him Big Worm (from Friday the movie) and he was one of only 3 chickens I named. It would be great to get to keep his only offspring born here.

 

[dawg53]

MG can be transmitted through eggs. Before repopulating, get bloodwork done on your silkie. I recommend ordering birds from a reputable hatchery in the future. I wish you the best.