Meaties with Sinus Infection, safe to eat?

[AnneInTheBurbs]

My meaties are about 7 weeks old, Colored Broilers. They are currently free ranging and mixed in with my flock. I noticed some sneezing from them a couple of weeks ago, but I didn't hear a lot so I figured it was because they were eating the crumbles so quickly.

Now several of them have puffy eyes, and my usual treatment isn't working so far. I use Vetrx topically for my other birds that have come down with this issue, and it had always worked for them. I am continuing to treat them.

If I cannot rid them of this, are they still safe to eat? Their symptoms are only the puffyness around the eyes, and maybe a little lethargic, no or infrequent sneezing. But it's hard to tell, they all just eat and lay around! I would appreciate any help, thanks!

 

[Lady of McCamley]

It is risky.

Meaties are notorious for bacterial overgrowth which is opportunistic in any bird with a compromised immune system. It is the number one factor in condemnations, and why the meat industry uses antibiotics (traditionally) and strict bio-security.

I'll link a couple of article for you to sort out as you make decisions.

Good luck with the meaties...they can be frustrating to bring to table.

LofMc

https://ir.library.oregonstate.edu/xmlui/handle/1957/33685

http://www.animalproduction.net/index.php/JAP/article/viewFile/335/318 (see pg 203)
Glisson (1998) revealed that bacterial pathogens play an important role in causing respiratory disease in domestic poultry species. Diseases of the respiratory tract are a significant component of the overall disease incidence in poultry. The occurance of the disease on fields is rarely found to be individual disease, but it is often accompanied by complication with other diseases such as Escherichia coli, therefore, then it is called CRD complex. The disease rarely attacks adult birds, more often attacks the youngs, with low inyury number. In adult birds, the mortality is low, but in young broilers, the mortality can reach 30 percents (Frazer, 1986). The cause of the disease is Mycoplasm bacteria, that consists of three pathogenic species, namely: Micoplasma gallisepticum, M melegridis and M Synoviae. The characteristic of mycoplasm bacteria is gram negative. For the infected birds, the syndromes are; the productions of viscous liquid from the nose, foamed liquid from the eyes, and the swollen of periorbital sinus, snored breath, and nodded or shaken head to dispose the nasal liquid.

 

[casportpony]

My meaties are about 7 weeks old, Colored Broilers. They are currently free ranging and mixed in with my flock. I noticed some sneezing from them a couple of weeks ago, but I didn't hear a lot so I figured it was because they were eating the crumbles so quickly.

Now several of them have puffy eyes, and my usual treatment isn't working so far. I use Vetrx topically for my other birds that have come down with this issue, and it had always worked for them. I am continuing to treat them.

If I cannot rid them of this, are they still safe to eat? Their symptoms are only the puffyness around the eyes, and maybe a little lethargic, no or infrequent sneezing. But it's hard to tell, they all just eat and lay around! I would appreciate any help, thanks!

I wouldn't want to eat anything that's sick, so I would treat first, follow recommended withdrawal, then process. If you are willing to treat with antibiotics, here are some options:

1) You could try treating them with Tylosin powder, which is prescription only, but can be found on Amazon or eBay. It is approved for use in poultry.

2) In the UK people use Denagard, which is approved for use in poultry there, but not here. Here in the US it is approved for use in swine and is available without a prescription.

3) You could also try oxytetracycline or tetracycline, both are approved for use in poultry, but are prescription only, though they can also be found on amazon, eBay and various pigeon and gamebird website.

Hope that helps.

 

[AnneInTheBurbs]

It is risky.

Meaties are notorious for bacterial overgrowth which is opportunistic in any bird with a compromised immune system. It is the number one factor in condemnations, and why the meat industry uses antibiotics (traditionally) and strict bio-security.

I'll link a couple of article for you to sort out as you make decisions.

Good luck with the meaties...they can be frustrating to bring to table.

LofMc

https://ir.library.oregonstate.edu/xmlui/handle/1957/33685

http://www.animalproduction.net/index.php/JAP/article/viewFile/335/318 (see pg 203)
.

thank you, that was a lot of information. Mostly of which I was unable to digest.

I wouldn't want to eat anything that's sick, so I would treat first, follow recommended withdrawal, then process. If you are willing to treat with antibiotics, here are some options:

1) You could try treating them with Tylosin powder, which is prescription only, but can be found on Amazon or eBay. It is approved for use in poultry.

2) In the UK people use Denagard, which is approved for use in poultry there, but not here. Here in the US it is approved for use in swine and is available without a prescription.

3) You could also try oxytetracycline or tetracycline, both are approved for use in poultry, but are prescription only, though they can also be found on amazon, eBay and various pigeon and gamebird website.

Hope that helps.

Thank you also. I did try tetracycline before for one of girls that had been ill before. It did not seem to help. I suspect MG was brought into my flock when I brought in a sick chicken (no knowing at the time she was sick). Even though I had her isolated in a garage, it was still too close. I did end up euthanizing her and cremating her for protective measures.

My other chickens have cleared up with this before. I think I will make sure to treat all of the meaties with the Vetrx nightly, and maybe give them som Vit. A also, as I know that can be a factor as well.

I am still considering eating them, but hopefully they will be better in a couple of weeks.

 

[casportpony]

thank you, that was a lot of information. Mostly of which I was unable to digest.



Thank you also. I did try tetracycline before for one of girls that had been ill before. It did not seem to help. I suspect MG was brought into my flock when I brought in a sick chicken (no knowing at the time she was sick). Even though I had her isolated in a garage, it was still too close. I did end up euthanizing her and cremating her for protective measures.

My other chickens have cleared up with this before. I think I will make sure to treat all of the meaties with the Vetrx nightly, and maybe give them som Vit. A also, as I know that can be a factor as well.

I am still considering eating them, but hopefully they will be better in a couple of weeks.

Most E. coli and pseudomonas are resistant to tetracyclines, so I'm not surprised it didn't work.

 

[AnneInTheBurbs]

I'll have to keep my fingers crossed that an intensive nightly does of my usual stuff does the trick! I will keep this updated...

 

[Lady of McCamley]

@casportpony

If she can get her hands on Sulmet, doesn't that work pretty well on the gram negative stuff?

@AnneInTheBurbs
I'm big on trying to remain drug free, however, eColi and pseudomonas infections cause a lot of condemnation in meaties at the processing plant. You definitely don't want those in the family dinner.

Even if symptoms ease, the build up can still be in the gut of the bird.

LofMc

 

[AnneInTheBurbs]

They seem to be getting better, although this hot spell was rough on them. Hoping they will make a recovery before processing time.

 

[Lady of McCamley]

Glad to hear they are doing better. Meaties can be tricky (especially if you are dealing with the Cornish Crosses).
LofMc

 

[AnneInTheBurbs]

Glad to hear they are doing better. Meaties can be tricky (especially if you are dealing with the Cornish Crosses).
LofMc

Thanks! They are colored broilers, so they are meant for free ranging and slower growth.

They are all better now. There are a couple that have a little bit of swelling, but they are definitely on the mend. It's amazing how well that stuff works. I just applied it to their combs, nostrils and wattles nightly. I treated them all, for a full week. I can't even tell which one was the worst now, and he had looked pretty bad before. His eye was almost swollen shut.

They are almost 6 lbs, so they will be ready to go in a couple of weeks. They don't seem to have much breast meat though, but I will post pics when I process them.