Losing entire flock to disease - help?

[Brahma Chicken5000]

What could be the source of the botulism?

 

[Akrnaf2]

UPDATE: The state vet reports that this is NOT a virus. It is a toxin. It could be botulism, but they cannot test for that. They can test for other compounds. We will have to decide if we wish to do the additional tests.

The vet reports that botulism is HIGHLY toxic. An extremely small amount can kill a duck. Therefore, if a source is removed but a crumb of infected dirt remains...

He also said that botulism can kill ducks in different ways. A very small dose over several days can kill slowly. A high dose can kill extremely quickly. Only ducks with very, very small doses stand a chance of recovery.

He mentioned several other possible sources of toxin, such as sprays, rodent bait, etc.

Botulinum toxin is the MOST poisons biological toxin known. 700 gr of pure toxin is sufficient to kill all the human population.
Did any wild ducks visited the yard?

 

[christwodog]

Are there a lot of raccoons in your area? There is a certain bacteria that they can carry, and it can be present in their droppings. It's highly toxic, even to larger mammals. I had two chickens who became gravely ill in a matter of a few hours. One didn't make it, the other recovered after a couple weeks of intensive care. My vet did a fecal test and this bacteria showed up. We had ruled out rat bait, insecticides, etc and the symptoms the birds exhibited were consistent with this type of toxic bacteria. And it just so happened that we spotted two raccoons about 20 feet from the coop they day before they fell ill. Hope you get some answers and I'm very sorry for your losses.

 

[Duck Hill]

The back yard has visiting wildlife. This includes squirrels, crows flying overhead, opossumes, wild birds, and more. No visiting waterfowl, though. The source of the botulism could have been bedding in one of the duck houses, if it is botulism. Or...

 

[ChickenCanoe]

What could be the source of the botulism?

In the words of Gail Damerow, The cause is "Clostridium botulinum, soil-borne bacteria commonly found in the poultry environment that produce toxins when they multiply in warm, moist, decaying vegetable or animal matter (including dead chickens).
Transmission - consuming decayed organic matter, maggots feeding on rotting animal tissue, or beetles (in litter) that contain toxin: drinking water containing contaminated organic matter.
Prevention - do not feed spoiled food to chickens: burn or deeply bury dead rodents, chickens, or other animal carcasses, rotting, solid vegetables such as cabbages; control flies; acidify soil with ammonium sulfate fertilizer; avoid wet spots in litter; keep birds away from marshy or swampy areas where vegetation rots in water; keep chickens from scratching in compost piles; immunize flock with type C toxoid."

In this case, if that is the cause, it could be from the pond area.

 

[casportpony]

From the November 2016 CAHFS Connection

http://www.vetmed.ucdavis.edu/cahfs...s_connection/2016/CAHFS_Connection_201611.pdf

 

[MissChick@dee]

UPDATE: The state vet reports that this is NOT a virus. It is a toxin. It could be botulism, but they cannot test for that. They can test for other compounds. We will have to decide if we wish to do the additional tests.

The vet reports that botulism is HIGHLY toxic. An extremely small amount can kill a duck. Therefore, if a source is removed but a crumb of infected dirt remains...

He also said that botulism can kill ducks in different ways. A very small dose over several days can kill slowly. A high dose can kill extremely quickly. Only ducks with very, very small doses stand a chance of recovery.

He mentioned several other possible sources of toxin, such as sprays, rodent bait, etc.

PHEW! Glad there’s a answer. Sorry for the sad life lesson. If your friend finds the source of the toxin...please share the info. One good thing could of of all this, perhaps it could save some unknowning owners this grief. Happy yours are going to be safe. God is good!

 

[Duck Hill]

UPDATE:Thank you for sharing information about botulism! We have decided to do the test for toxins. It is NOT a test for Botulism, but most any other poison will show up. That is, if it were to be fertilizer, mosquito spray, heavy metal, or anything like that, it would show up. I guess if none of those show up, then the toxin is most likely botulism. We should get the results next week.

 

[Duck Hill]

Update on the testing - I am very pleased with my state facility (SC). They have sent off for the test without waiting for my check to arrive (though I have put it in the mail). They really have my animals' best interest in mind. They are cheerful and ready to answer questions in depth at any time.

Update on the duck flock - no further illness at this point. The rest of the flock (actually, 7 female ducks) appear healthy at this time.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

Our vet school never asks for money ahead of time. They get the carcass or live animal, euthanize and start to work immediately. They will even send a FedEx label to your e-mail on their account. They add that to the bill they send after work is complete.