My bird has the bird form of Mycoplasma, help!

[micstrachan]

Without jumping into the morality issue of end of life decisions i think it's important we remember chickens are good co workers and were domesticated for food. They can be loved as pets of course, but they're food. As a newbie with a small flock being used to feed my family on a very tight budget I find the thought of not culling an incurable chicken appalling on two levels.
One- if you have a pet like that and you allow someone else's deeply loved pet to be exposed to an incurable disease now the owner has their very own best buddy to grieve and share loss with. But not the expense. Might be a kid, might end up on a table. Thats a pretty tough consequence to saving your feelings that someone else must bear.

Two- with such a tight budget I depend on every bird to work for me. I can't afford loses as they equate DIRECTLY to a meatless night at my personal table. My flock isn't big enough yet to be getting regular birds but their eggs have made meat protein a regular and daily thing. Used to be twice weekly, with larger portions going to sons in growth spurts and the youngest two.
My birds are treasured, and treated as well as I can. If one was to fall ill in this manner it would be culled immediately. Why risk total flock loss, a flock that took me a year to establish with much sacrafice we considered investment to keep them growing?
Our cash is finite.
These birds cannot be easily replaced.
But just one hatching egg from one seemingly cured chicken and we're back at rationing food bank meat.
And that's just one single family. Imagine someone who depends on flock management for a living, spreading this to a backyard producer.
And the families that depended on that small producer to provide organically raised meat free from antibiotics. There are a few human illnesses that cause sensitivities to medical intervention within meat sources.

The chicken continues to live while human adults and children suffer for that comfort. And how long is that chickens life compared to a human?

I totally feel for those that want everything to live. I understand the sentiment. I do hope you consider the unseen consequences that treating farm animals like humans can bring.
I know the way I source my family's meat is by far the most humane way we can exist as omnivores. Industrial factories are heartless places by design so they can meet demand, and their meat birds lead short agonizing lives.
I get a bit less, but we're cutting our contribution to that demand.

Please utilize the privilege of private food security responsibly.

This is an interesting perspective. Thank you for sharing. I lean more toward the “save everything” side, since I have the luxury of keeping chickens as pets. But I have deep respect for those of you who raise them humanely for food I am still learning. My position slowly shifts the more I learn. I haven’t figured out how to purchase responsible meat, so I eat very little, and only eat eggs from my own chickens since the bulk of egg laying chickens are treated so poorly. This is also a reminder to keep strict biosecurity.

 

[Katonk]

This is an interesting perspective. Thank you for sharing. I lean more toward the “save everything” side, since I have the luxury of keeping chickens as pets. But I have deep respect for those of you who raise them humanely for food I am still learning. My position slowly shifts the more I learn. I haven’t figured out how to purchase responsible meat, so I eat very little, and only eat eggs from my own chickens since the bulk of egg laying chickens are treated so poorly. This is also a reminder to keep strict biosecurity.

I appreciate your frankness and openness to my soap boxes opinion. Def biosecurity it's something that should be discussed more often within our circles. I want to say I don't hold anything against mainstream consumers, with our needs my family is still consuming industrially produced meats. We just can't afford not to. With diligence, love, and work I know I can get us further away from those practices.
After all they only exist to meet the need. Families need to eat.
I raised a few sons in metro areas of California, I myself was raised in a small town on the coastline. We had a garden growing up but city rule didn't allow livestock in any amount. They weren't wrong, those that broke the rule were few, and more than a few got themselves and their neighbors very very sick. We just all lived too close to one another.
Deep in the city we were completely dependant on commercial sources for all food. I refuse to apologize for providing for my children, and I'll defend any who live off those sources completely.
As my personal prosperity grew so did my choices and now I've a little land to call my own.
We are rich in choice here.
Everyone here is learning about the possibility and consequence of choices, both good and bad.
I'm so grateful for the options I'm able to work towards. I hope I've not offended anyone, my opinions are my own.
Aaaaand it's 9/11, feelings today are a little rough. Consider me overly fluffed and in need of yummy treats.
Rock on my fellow crazy chicken lovers and partilly hartilly on the forum grapevines.

 

[Eggcessive]

I agree that getting some testing would help in knowing what your chicken has, and how to go from there. Check with your state vet’s office about where to get reasonable testing done. Zoologix and a few other commercial labs will send you swabs to test your birds for a fee. There are a handful of common respiratory diseases, some caused by viruses, bacteria and mycoplasma, and fungus. Any respiratory disease in the flock should be dealt with by closing the flock to new birds, and not giving away or selling birds. Keep in mind that wild birds may be carriers of MG. We can also bring in diseases by buying chickens from other people, swap meets, breeders, and even by visiting feed stores. Having close neighbors with diseased birds can also be a way to bring in diseases. Good biosecurity should always be practiced, and that can limit the spread of disease. Culling sick birds can help control the disease, but in a small backyard flock, I would first get tested, then try treatment, and go from there.

 

[JadeFarms]

Please don’t cull!
Every animal has a chance!
Imagine if you had a dieses and you were not allowed to make the choice to live.
How would you feel?
Please read this and reconsider culling that precious life..
http://www.gapoultrylab.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/Mycoplasma handout for Backyard Flocks 4-12.pdf
And if you do choose to keep her life please let me know too!

I could never cull any animal!

 

[dawg53]

I could never cull any animal!

I suggest that you go online and see necropsy photos of Mycoplasma diseased chickens as to what damage the disease caused internally. Perhaps THEN you would cull and not let diseased birds suffer.

 

[JadeFarms]

I suggest that you go online and see necropsy photos of Mycoplasma diseased chickens as to what damage the disease caused internally. Perhaps THEN you would cull and not let diseased birds suffer.

I would if I could, but its so hard for me to do, my whole flock has been getting sick and got eaten, I don’t know why. He has been by my side the whole time, it’s just overly stressful to see him die, especially to do and say I have miles a chicken. I am also on the save everything side!

 

[speckledhen]

I could never cull any animal!

You have to learn if you're going to be a responsible chicken owner. Sometimes, euthanizing an animal is the most humane thing to do. Sometimes, you euthanize or sacrifice one to save the rest of the flock. That is the reality of keeping chickens you cannot ignore.

 

[JadeFarms]

You have to learn if you're going to be a responsible chicken owner. Sometimes, euthanizing an animal is the most humane thing to do. Sometimes, you euthanize or sacrifice one to save the rest of the flock. That is the reality of keeping chickens you cannot ignore.

I’m not gonna do it

 

[Rammy]

I’m not gonna do it

 

[JadeFarms]

I’m sorry, it’s just hard.