Mareks and Mycoplasmosis and quarantine, oh my!

[hunthaven]

Thanks!

 

[Mimi13]

Thanks, everyone, for your informative replies! I'll order Denagard ASAP and start doing the preventative dose. No signs of respiratory distress here (yet), and I hope to keep it that way.

Question: I ordered the MG vaccine, thinking I would give it to some younger birds who aren't living in the main coop. But I know that mycoplasmosis can be transmitted through the egg, so some of the babies I hatched could be carriers. Would it hurt them to give them the vaccine? Or would the vaccine simply (in their case) be a wasted effort?

One more question: I also ordered the Fowl pox vaccine because one of my hens has a scab on her comb that hasn't cleared up this past week. I was also thinking of giving that vaccine to the babies, because we have a LOT of mosquitos (live by a creek and lake). Would it be okay to stagger the vaccines by a couple of weeks (week 1: MG vaccine, week 2: fowl pox vaccine, week 4: MG booster, etc.) Anyone else dealt with this?

I have already resigned myself to the fact that since the five birds remaining in my main coop have been exposed to Marek's AND mycoplasmosis, I may lose them before their time. But I want to do the best I can for the six babies I have in another coop a good distance away from the olders.

The fowl pox vaccine should be given when the chicks are at least 8 weeks old and 4 weeks before laying. As far as the Mareks vaccine, I’m not sure. For some reason I thought it was supposed to be given when newly hatched, before being exposed to anything, but I could be wrong.

There should be a vaccine for us Chicken Keepers for highly stressful times. Oh wait, there is...a shot of tequila! All jokes aside, best of luck!

 

[hunthaven]

You're right, Marek's is given on hatch day--I do that for my chicks, and re-vaccinate on day 7. I've become hyper vigilant about Mareks because all of my birds were vaccinated, and so far six of them have gotten it. :-( I understand that when the viral load simply becomes too much, the vaccination is overcome. I was using the deep litter method and I stopped--emptied out the entire coop, sprayed everything with Odoban disinfectant, and left all the windows open for better ventilation, even when it's cold. I've also stopped introducing new birds to that flock--used to do it when they were four months old, now I may not do it at all until these birds are gone. :-( I have a separate coop now for the youngsters.

 

[hunthaven]

P.S. Loved your comment about the vaccine for chicken owners. ;-)

 

[FlyingNunFarm]

http://www.vetdna.com/test-type/avian-bird

You can send away for your own labs. Most take a few drops of blood or a sterile swab.

The lab was friendly and helpful when I called.

 

[hunthaven]

http://www.vetdna.com/test-type/avian-bird

You can send away for your own labs. Most take a few drops of blood or a sterile swab.

The lab was friendly and helpful when I called.

Wow--I had no idea. I bookmarked the site. Thank you.
BTW, everyone reading this, my vet's assistant did call me today--she's going to look over the necropsy report and advise. I updated her on everything.

My FB friends keep telling me, "Gee, my friends raise chickens, they never do anything special, and their chickens are fine!"

I am resisting the urge to -- well, you can fill in the blank however you like. ;-)

 

[Poultrybonkers]

Theres no cure for mg, meds only hide the symptoms when shown. If it was me personally Id cull and start over not worth all the meds etc for a $2 bird at most when they will always be carriers anyways

 

[Mimi13]

My FB friends keep telling me, "Gee, my friends raise chickens, they never do anything special, and their chickens are fine!"

Isn’t this the way it is for everything regarding those who take care of stuff and those who don’t? When my boys were little there was a family across the street who let their kids run wild, barefoot in the cold, and all out in the street never being watched. I remember commenting at the time that as much as I watched my boys, they would be the ones hit by a car. Those other kids grew up “street smart,” not a gang related street smart, just knowing the comings and goings of cars and such.

Moral of the story, you must still watch your kids and take care of your chickens. The other people’s dumb luck will run out at some point!

 

[FlyingNunFarm]

Theres no cure for mg, meds only hide the symptoms when shown. If it was me personally Id cull and start over not worth all the meds etc for a $2 bird at most when they will always be carriers anyways

This is were I disagree. I find it rude to assume OP birds were “$2 at most” first off. Depending on what kind of bird and where they were obtained even day old chicks could easily cost more then that.

Off that soapbox to another—

The cull and start over reasoning is part of how we get these diseases. There is never any resistance built. Mycoplasma is a bacteria. A very strong one at this point. It is transmitted from bird to bird within the flock and can be brought in by wild birds and even humans.
What’s to say OP starts over and doesn’t end up getting MG birds again? Birds can be carriers and never show symptoms.

 

[hunthaven]

Mycoplasma is pretty much everywhere, and common in backyard flocks whether carried by wild birds or brought in on affected birds or carriers. Mycoplasma and other opportunistic bacteria or viruses can be found during necropsies of birds with Mareks, simply because Mareks causes poor immunity from low white blood cell counts.

It seems strange that your state agricultural agent came out to inspect, since both Mareks and MG are so common in backyard flocks. It is good in a way, since many don’t realize they have these diseases, and can get educated on how to deal with them. On the other hand, many people here on BYC are afraid to get necropsies or testing for fear of having people show up and try to make them cull their flocks. They have actually posted that. I can see doing that for things like avian influenza and some other things.

I hope your flock gets better, and you can minimize any deaths. But with Mareks in the flock, that is going to be very difficult. Here are a few threads that has some info on Denagard (Tiamulin) :
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/denagard-confusion-please.1141363/

https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/denagard-dosage.819104/

If it helps put anyone's mind at ease, my inspector looked at my birds to see if they were healthy--he didn't judge my coop, my set up, or anything like that. And he said that while in commercial ventures they might recommend depopulation, for a small backyard flock, they wouldn't. They understand that my birds are pets and only for our family. I found his visit a positive experience, even helpful, as it put my mind at ease.