MG and closing flock

[BaGAWK!!]

If your chickens have CRD or MG, and you have decided not to cull, do you have to necessarily close your flock to new birds coming in if the illness' symptoms are manageable? Pros, cons? Please help me to understand why you couldn't add new birds after a quarantine period to make sure you don't add new diseases.

 

[dawg53]

BaGAWK!! :

If your chickens have CRD or MG, and you have decided not to cull, do you have to necessarily close your flock to new birds coming in if the illness' symptoms are manageable? Pros, cons? Please help me to understand why you couldn't add new birds after a quarantine period to make sure you don't add new diseases.

Most poultry diseases are transmittable to other birds including MG, which is CRD. Managing MG infected birds are carriers of the disease. Why would you want to introduce possibly healthy hens to a diseased flock even after quarantine? Even if you have quarantined birds that might have suspected MG, introducing them to an already MG infected flock is extremely risky. There's other diseases that mimic MG symptomwise such as coryza, or perhaps more severe MG complcations than your current infected flock. That would be like jumping out of the frying pan into the fire. MG is transmittable through eggs as well.
Here's a couple of links for you to read about MG. In the first link, scroll down to "Mycoplasma Gallisepticum (MG.)
http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/ps044
http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/ps034​

 

[rcentner]

ok, here is the realism of this....everyone get ready to gasp at my comment

so you have MG in the flock...I suppose you are treating them...denagard I hope and not tylan. It is your perogative if you want to get more chickens. I have MG, treat them monthly with denagard and yes, I have gotten new birds. The new birds do well and as long as the environment is kept clean and the already infected birds are being treated then you are doing your best.
PRO's - you get new chickens
CONS - the new chickens could get sick, the stress on new introductions could bring out the disease ( I haven't seen that but it's possible)

I have been pretty lucky with my newly introduced birds, but I watch them closely and treat with baytril any that look ill. the denagard seems to keep them healthy, but I do have a few that seem more susceptible to it. You could try vaccinating any new birds and see if that works. I have contemplated doing that.
However, don't throw all the quarantine stuff aside...just cause you have MG doesn't mean you can throw any old bird in with them. They will be more easily infected with other diseases if they have MG already.
Really you just shouldn't get rid of any birds, but unfortunately people do all the time and that's how people like us get it. Leaves me kinda upset that I get birds with it but can't sell my birds ya know what I mean? like hey....they did it to me so....but I try to be a bigger person that that

get some new chickens, enjoy them, but don't get so many that you can't handle treating them if they need it. jmo

(Dawg will disagree completely and his is technically right)