Long story, multiple birds & issues- bubbles in eye, diarrhea, pale eggs.

[dawg53]

Hi there!
My flock has MG. It was really bad the first time around for 2/6 of the chickens. They pulled through. I gave them coilloidal silver and Tylan. I can't say I would use those again because I never saw a relief in symptoms. I isolated the worst one and had to pretty much force feed her and give her water. The other chickens barely showed symptoms, I just knew they weren't feeling 100%.
They are all happy now. I found that letting them free range vs isolation was best for my flock, especially if symptoms come back. Much like humans, doing what they love to do helped. Even when they didn't feel good, walking outside and sitting under bushes seemed to do them good. I know everyone says to cull the flock, but ours is so small I just didn't see the need. I won't sell them because I would hate for another person to go through the stress we went through.
Overall, egg production and quality was not impacted at all. I get eggs daily. The hens didn't lay for about a month after they had their first round of symptoms, but that is it. Our rooster doesn't seem to mate as much and he pretty much always has a little bit of eye crusties but he crows and runs around our property with no problems, happy as can be. So, culling is a personal decision. Just wanted you to know that MG doesn't have to be the end.

Also, when I know periods of stress will be coming up (extreme temps, new flock members) I give everyone some nutridrench in their water.

You must be dealing with a mild strain of MG. Since you are familiar with the disease, you must know that your birds are carriers because they have survived the disease.
You mentioned "new flock members." Not only will there be periods of stress coming up with new flock members, your carrier birds will be infecting the new members if they are mixed together.

If you're going to get new healthy birds, I highly recommend that you build a coop/pen a good distance away from the existing infected flock and practice strict biosecurity; including but not limited to changing clothes and shoes, practicing personal hygiene as not to infect the new birds. Ensure feeders and waterers are not cross contaminated.
You're looking at ongoing quarantining of a new flock away from sick birds.

 

[Backyard chickeneer]

Hi there!
My flock has MG. It was really bad the first time around for 2/6 of the chickens. They pulled through. I gave them coilloidal silver and Tylan. I can't say I would use those again because I never saw a relief in symptoms. I isolated the worst one and had to pretty much force feed her and give her water. The other chickens barely showed symptoms, I just knew they weren't feeling 100%.
They are all happy now. I found that letting them free range vs isolation was best for my flock, especially if symptoms come back. Much like humans, doing what they love to do helped. Even when they didn't feel good, walking outside and sitting under bushes seemed to do them good. I know everyone says to cull the flock, but ours is so small I just didn't see the need. I won't sell them because I would hate for another person to go through the stress we went through.
Overall, egg production and quality was not impacted at all. I get eggs daily. The hens didn't lay for about a month after they had their first round of symptoms, but that is it. Our rooster doesn't seem to mate as much and he pretty much always has a little bit of eye crusties but he crows and runs around our property with no problems, happy as can be. So, culling is a personal decision. Just wanted you to know that MG doesn't have to be the end.

Also, when I know periods of stress will be coming up (extreme temps, new flock members) I give everyone some nutridrench in their water.

Thank you for this!!!! I really appreciate your perspective.

 

[Eggcessive]

MG is very common in backyard flocks. It can be passed through hatching eggs, as well as passed horizontally to other flock members. It is a chronic disease, and may come back during a period of stress, such as during molting or extreme cold weather. I was reading an article the other day that said that chickens who get over a bout may have a little resistance to another infection. That was something new to me.

Since you have a small flock, I would probably just close it to new birds, or any going out of the flock, and try to keep them as healthy as possible. Tylan 50, Denagard, doxycycline, oxytetracycline, and the banned in chickens drug—Baytril (enrofloxacin) can all be used to treat MG symptoms. Some other antibiotics will not treat it because MG does not have a cell wall.

At some point, I would seek testing to confirm MG,in case it is something else or nothing. You can call your state NPIP, a poultry lab, or state vet to get testing, and if you ever lose a chicken, that is the best way to get a diagnosis. The best and most accurate test of several that are performed is the PCR test for MG.

 

[lmw411]

Thank you for this!!!! I really appreciate your perspective.

No Problem! I was served the doom and gloom and researched relentlessly because I was devastated the new member made them all sick, and was so sad at the thought of losing them. Especially since it was my own naivety that hurt them.
Like two others have commented, there is definitely variation (as with any illness) in severity. I read a statistic that said up to 80% of flocks have MG. We get our chickens from swaps as our family members and friends has done for years. My grandpa has never had any of these illnesses come up and he has had chickens for over 20 years. I suspect it's his more relaxed approach, "what will be will be".
We love our flock and they've brought much joy to us. We just decided not to be ruled by MG. We didn't want to cull until it was obvious they were not going to get better. We gave them around a 2 weeks I think. But I have had to shift mindsets and get a bit less attached knowing they are more susceptible to other diseases, or that they may not get better next time. But again, when symptoms have showed up again they are much milder than the first go around. The two that were sick were really sick. Our roo didn't have the strength to even roost. The hen sounded like she was drowning with fluid in her lungs with each breath. Their poop turned bright green until it wasn't even poop anymore just bile. But they bounced back, slowly. I want to say symptoms stopped a week and a half in. But they still walked around outside with their friends and followed the daily routine. You won't know how bad it is I guess until it all plays out. I hope your flock does ok! <3

People on here know a thousand percent more than I do! They helped me with my posts about similar issues. I am so sorry you have to go through this. You got a lot of great replies and ideas. Just wanted to give you my experience.

 

[Backyard chickeneer]

MG is very common in backyard flocks. It can be passed through hatching eggs, as well as passed horizontally to other flock members. It is a chronic disease, and may come back during a period of stress, such as during molting or extreme cold weather. I was reading an article the other day that said that chickens who get over a bout may have a little resistance to another infection. That was something new to me.

Since you have a small flock, I would probably just close it to new birds, or any going out of the flock, and try to keep them as healthy as possible. Tylan 50, Denagard, doxycycline, oxytetracycline, and the banned in chickens drug—Baytril (enrofloxacin) can all be used to treat MG symptoms. Some other antibiotics will not treat it because MG does not have a cell wall.

At some point, I would seek testing to confirm MG,in case it is something else or nothing. You can call your state NPIP, a poultry lab, or state vet to get testing, and if you ever lose a chicken, that is the best way to get a diagnosis. The best and most accurate test of several that are performed is the PCR test for MG.

Thanks, this is all really good info. I'm a scientist, so I really appreciate the level of info here!!!