M. Gallisepticum in my flock. Safest way to repopulate?

[sonew123]

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The problem is, I have another bird starting to sneeze.

I hope its not really sneezing and you bird just got dust up her nostrils!!

Im so sorry your going through this!

 

[chickengrl]

I think Will is a member, but is rarely on here. He runs a busy farm. They have a website whitmore farms in Emittsburg, MD. I think you could email him. You could keep your hens long enough and collect eggs and then do the Tylan treatment. You may have to consider hatching them somewhere else. Maybe somewhere without chickens at all. It would decrease your chances of accidentally infecting them. Then cull the flock and clean your coop/pens/feeders etc. sorry working will write some more later.

 

[RedRoosterFarm]

Will is out of town but Peter at first state vet supply has all the info. Contact him. He is a wealth of information!!
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[oconnorfamily25]

I just spoke with a company that carries the vaccine. It is $89.95 a bottle plus the price of syringes. It seems a small price to pay for the heartache this causes. We all seem to have a great deal invested in our chickens so why isn't anyone just vaccinating? I am fairly new to chickens so I am just asking. Is it cheaper to just cull and start over?

 

[RedRoosterFarm]

I checked it out too because after seeing all the crud out there I cant afford to loose any and I dont want to. I might vaccinate for it to but am looking into it.
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[Aj1911]

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The problem is, I have another bird starting to sneeze.

all chickens sneeze for all kinds of reasons it might now be a symptom

you could try GSE its been known to help with infections in humans and birds, do a search for it lots of people have had some good luck with it

it might now cure them but it might give them a fighting chance

its what i would do.

 

[RedRoosterFarm]

How are things with you and your birds? Have you found out anything else? I did some research and made some calls because I want to vaccinate now but wanted to make sure they would be safe if lets say I brought in an infected bird in. As long as they are vaccinated they are ok as long as not exposed before the vac. Also I read something about dipping the eggs in Tylan solution and a few other things that can help to make the infected eggs not infected. Why cant you do the dip with some eggs from your flock and incubate them and give them the vac. Then they would not have it. Why cant you keep your adults also and then let them grow old at your place or give to a friend who can have a closed flock and you can have the non infected babies that are vaccinated? That way you know your older girls are safe and not put down??? Am I rambling????? Contact Will or Peter Brown and they can explain the dip and everything im sure. Good luck and please keep us posted as this effects everyone I would think.

he infected
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[Kansaseq]

Hi RedRooster,
I'm kind of in flux right now, trying to decide what to do. After doing more research, and talking to Dr Beyer yesterday at K-State, I'm more conflicted than ever.
However, this is the information I got from him:

MG is widespread in Kansas and Missouri (he used the word endemic) and pollorum is apparently a real problem in Mo (my birds don't have that, however)

You can use the Tylan dip on your incubating eggs, but it is not 100%

Ducks can get MG. He said that if I ever want to maintain an MG-free flock, to never have waterfowl again.

Bleach is good for killing MG on the surfaces, but it can last for months in the environment. If I were to cull my flock and clean, he suggested leaving the premises empty for at least 2 months, and getting rid of all possible vectors (mice are apparently a real problem in spreading this)

I asked about getting chicks from a hatchery, and he said that most are NOT MG free, as most don't maintain their own birds, but rather contract with private breeders. You would have to specifically ask to be sure you were getting certified MG free chicks.

He did say that the commercial egg producers have pretty much eradicated it from their stock and facilities, as one of the effects of MG is a small drop in egg production. The small flock owner might not even notice, but big commercial places don't want any kind of drop in production.

To be sure you have an MG free flock, you have to blood test each bird, but I'm not sure how often.

Overall,he made it sound very difficult to eradicate long term, at least in my area. I live in a very rural area with a big wetlands about 5 miles from my house, which is also a source of contamination. I do actually have a farmer who is interested in my flock for his families personal egg use, as their flock has gotten old and mostly died off. So I do have an 'out' other than killing my whole flock. I'm just not sure now, how successful I'd be at getting rid of MG on my place, at least long term. And the thought of never having ducks again? Not sure I want to do that.
I did give 5 of my birds to a friend for processing, as it was getting expensive to feed so many. It was really hard to do, but necessary, and takes some of the strain off of me for now.
I haven't given up completely on the idea of an MG free flock, but for now, I'm going to wait and see.

 

[Kansaseq]

Redrooster, did you ask how often you have to revaccinate the birds? And about live vs killed vaccines? Safety of the vaccine?

 

[chickengrl]

Kansas,
If you have MG that prevalent, perhaps you could try Denagard? I don't know much about it, but if you could replace your birds with MG free birds you could use Denagard as a preventative on a regular basis and keep it out. From what I have read, it can do that. Just a suggestion. Whitmore farms does sell day chicks and he is MG free. i think he said they have to test every bird every 3 months to be certified. That,s why folks don't do it. Costs too much, and is time consuming. You could also use the MG vaccine too I suppose.