My experience dealing with MG (Mycoplasma gallispectum)

[speckledhen]

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Yes, many of the chicken viruses are herpes-type viruses. They stay in the body, even when there are no symptoms visible.

 

[Southernbelle]

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That is very welcome news, Courtney! I want to be able to rebuild as soon as I can, as safely as possible. As for the oegb possibilities, I know I wanted some GDW, so a cross that produces those sounds great. I like sex-links, too, at this point, I'm not picky at all! Let me know when the breeders start laying again - by that time, the dust will have settled here and I'll be looking forward to some new babies. Thank you so much!

 

[PurpleChicken]

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I can't answer for PC, but it sounds like he closed his flock and is living with the disease. Adult chickens rarely die from MG. Young chicks will often die or grow up weak - they used the term "unthrifty." I was given the option of closing my flock and keeping my birds, but I enjoy hatching and working on breeding projects and I want to be able to sell hatching eggs and started birds.

My problem with MG is once you have it; it's forever - the survivors will be carriers and it can pass through to the egg, which is truly scary for me. That's what makes it serious. Treating will make the symptoms disappear, but won't make it go away.

That's exactly my case Southernbelle. My chickens stay here now.

The only symptoms I had were a sneeze, nasal discharge (no odor),
a few bad eye infections, and a 5% mortality rate, mostly in the
silkies which are much weaker than my layers. A few layers were
lost during the molt, a time when MG can kill a healthy bird.

My layers are now all perfectly normal, happy, laying, and 1 is broody.

A few of my 25 fryer roos have runny noses and 2 have a bad eye.

I'm sure thousands of flocks across the country have this and the owners
don't even know.

Once my roos are gone I'll make a final decision on culling the rest.

This is not an easy thing for people who love their chickens. I support
whatever decisions the flock owner makes.

Good, yet unfortunate thread.

 

[redhen]

Okay..So, i dont buy any adult birds.(well i did buy 1 at the north east poultry show...and i wont ever do it again..) Only hatching eggs for this reason. What else can i do? Now i'm afraid to even buy hatching eggs from people. what does everyone else do?? only buy from tested people? and very recently tested at that!? What else can i do to ensure i dont buy infected eggs??

 

[luvmychicknkids]

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This post confused me (even more than I already was). If this is a bacteria then isn't it impossible that it is carried for the lifetime of the bird? I mean, according to this it sounds like this is a minor illness (sniffles, sneezing, etc.) short lived, and easy to cure? I guess I just don't understand why culling is necessary? I assure you, I am not trying to debate or criticize what you are feeling is necessary, I just really don't get it.

 

[PurpleChicken]

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This post confused me (even more than I already was). If this is a bacteria then isn't it impossible that it is carried for the lifetime of the bird? I mean, according to this it sounds like this is a minor illness (sniffles, sneezing, etc.) short lived, and easy to cure? I guess I just don't understand why culling is necessary? I assure you, I am not trying to debate or criticize what you are feeling is necessary, I just really don't get it.

MG is a bacteria but it's a wierd one that stays in the chickens system
for life. When you treat the disease you are only treating the symptoms.
Eye infections are usually the result of the MG weakening the chicken
and letting others infections thrive.

It does kill a percentage of birds, depending on the breed and strain
of MG.

I cannot give any of my birds away now or even hatch my own eggs
because I will contaminate outside flocks.

Yes, this is a liveable condition. I'm living with it now. Do I have to
cull? No. If I want an open and clean flock then culling is the only
option.

 

[Cetawin]

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That is exactly what a cold is...the common cold is an acute infectious disease of the respiratory tract, upper to be specific. If not taken from me then take if from a medical dictionary.


common cold
Function: noun

an acute contagious disease of the upper respiratory tract that is marked by inflammation of the mucous membranes of the nose, throat, eyes, and eustachian tubes with a watery then purulent discharge and is caused by any of several viruses (as a rhinovirus or an adenovirus)

The common cold istelf has over 100 different symptoms which is why it is so often mis-diagnosed.


I would not want to put my flock down but I would not want to put them through some getting sick and dying, others just sick and other just fine. Seems cruel to me. And, if it transferred through the eggs, which we are eating, how healthy is that? Why have a laying flock if you cannot safely eat the eggs?

Again, I am so sorry you are going through this and I pray you find someone else to do the culling for you.

 

[MoodyChicken]

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This post confused me (even more than I already was). If this is a bacteria then isn't it impossible that it is carried for the lifetime of the bird? I mean, according to this it sounds like this is a minor illness (sniffles, sneezing, etc.) short lived, and easy to cure? I guess I just don't understand why culling is necessary? I assure you, I am not trying to debate or criticize what you are feeling is necessary, I just really don't get it.

I know what you mean. I still don't understand how a bacteria can leave a bird as a carrier. But MG is indeed a bacterial disease. Caused by the Mycoplasma gallispectum bacteria. The good news is that because it's a bacteria it's easy to destroy.

 

[chookchick]

The bacteria must "set up shop" somewhere in the body much like a virus would do. I am still very much confused as to the prevalence of MG--does anyone have some hard figures on what percentage of "backyard flocks" are contaminated?

Cetawin--I think the point that was being made is that chickens don't get "colds" in the same sense that a human does. When humans get an upper respiratory infection it is not a big deal, we still go about our business, and get over it, and move on. When a bird gets a "cold" it is a life-threatening disease, and many people don't understand that when they hear their chickens sneeze. They also in many cases become life-long disease carriers from "colds".

 

[Southernbelle]

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It's not a zoonotic disease - chickens and other birds are the only ones it affects. I have rabbits housed near the chickens and they're safe according to the state vet, they can't house the disease in their bodies, so I don't have to cull them. I'm still going to spray their cages and feed/water dishes with Oxine, because I'm feeling a bit extreme right now.

That's why it okay to eat the eggs - it doesn't affect humans.