We have about 25 birds-- mostly chickens, with a few guineas and ducks. We recently lost a few young birds in a row, so I took them to the state lab for a necropsy, which turned up mycoplasma. The tech said it was likely the whole flock carries it now. I've decided against culling since this is a free range flock part of an environmental education program. We're working on plans for bio-security and public education, so we don't have people visiting our flock and bringing it home to their backyard chickens. Moving ahead, any tips for managing a mycoplasma flock? Some particulars I am still trying to think about:
How to educate our guests without raising alarm bells?
We hatch our own chicks each spring, and typically give away or sell cheap the extra roosters once they're old enough to be sure they're roos. Are mycoplasma flocks common enough that someone might be willing to adopt a bird from my infected flock?
Should I keep hatching chicks in the spring, thus perpetuating the virus-positive flock, or should I let this flock die out and start over? We're pretty rural, but I understand mycoplasma can come from wild birds, so I suspect we're always at risk.
Any thoughts on this appreciated!
How to educate our guests without raising alarm bells?
We hatch our own chicks each spring, and typically give away or sell cheap the extra roosters once they're old enough to be sure they're roos. Are mycoplasma flocks common enough that someone might be willing to adopt a bird from my infected flock?
Should I keep hatching chicks in the spring, thus perpetuating the virus-positive flock, or should I let this flock die out and start over? We're pretty rural, but I understand mycoplasma can come from wild birds, so I suspect we're always at risk.
Any thoughts on this appreciated!
