Mycoplasma Gallisepticum (MG). Kill Flock or not?

[ND]

The MG vax does NOT prevent transmission... only lessons symptoms and possible mortality rate. In fact, most of the chicken vaccines do not prevent transmission of what they are targeting, only lessen severity of symptoms and lessen mortality. Some may lessen morbidity.


DAFox- I am a fan of Denagard, too. I have not had any symptoms return with it, and new chicks I introduced (not hatched here, bought from hatchery) have not shown so much as one symptom of infection.. they're more than 6 months or so old now. I can't say if they truly aren't infected and are NOT carriers, or if they simply are carriers from exposure but essentially showed no symptoms. Either way, I still wouldn't personally allow birds to leave my property alive because I must assume they are all carriers until proven otherwise. (testing...which I'm not currently interested in having done. If I had the time and resources (dollars and testing availability), it would be very interesting to find out if they do test positive or not)

 

[Chic-n-farmer]

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Way, way more than a bit unethical. Unbelieveable!

 

[teddiliza]

I had a bad experience last year, I'd bought 3 bantam hens from a guy who took the rest of the flock to the local auction. On the way home, I noticed one was sneezing and coughing and making horrible raspy gurgly noises. When I got them home, noticed the sick one had crusted yellow nostrils. My heart was broken. I had my husband dispatch the sick one right away. The other two looked healthy enough, but had both been exposed, so I kept them in my garage for 2 weeks. After talking with my state poultry rep about being sold a sick bird and the owner having taken the rest of his flock to sell at the Owensville livestock auction, they warned against buying adult birds from strangers, and offered to have the remaining 2 birds tested at their expense. I sadly took them to the vet school who euthanized them, and found MG in one and MS in the other. This is from a person who raised show birds. Thankfully I'd obeyed the quarantine rules and they'd never left my garage. As a precaution, I went ahead and bought round 1 of the MG vaccine to vaccinate my young chicks out of paranoia, since I planned on showing them. I now cull any birds from my flock that have any respiratory symptoms that don't go away after being observed for 48 hrs in 'quarantine' for fear they might have been exposed to something contagious. I do not purchase grown birds from other flocks. It might be overreactive on my part, but I don't take chances. The vaccine is super expensive $100 bottle after shipping and all and you can only use it after mixed on the same date. I'm not sure which would be the better preventative course, as the vaccine only reportedly prevents morbidity, but not infection. If you do purchase your next flock, since you have had MG on your property, you should consider vaccinating the first flock, and using the preventative antibiotics like DAFOX and KathyinMO do. I know health officials frown on routine antibiotic use, but I'm in favor of it if it keeps your flock healthy and disease free, especially if you do plan on selling hatching eggs. There are states like Virginia which requires you to have proof of MG free status if you are to ship there---eggs or live poultry. That's one reason why Cackle cannot ship there because the MG test is very expensive (I asked the vet and it was about $30 per bird for the respiratory culture) I was glad the state was paying in my case. Good luck whatever you decide, but don't go taking your birds to auction, you should just make chicken soup instead of making someone else go through the same heartache by selling them infected/carriers of MG.

 

[Chic-n-farmer]

RedneckChikns,

You just put the word out that you will sell sick birds as healthy ones. When I am considering buying something from a BYC member I like to look at their previous posts. You might have just lost a HUGE amout of potential customers!

I don't often haul out the flame thrower, but that was an outrageous thing to post!

 

[ODS-n-ENS FARM]

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[ranchhand]

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Are you serious? I got my pennies, screw the rest of the world? Really?

 

[Attack Chicken]

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you go. If my flock had anything like that I would keep a closed flock or cull them and NOT TAKE THEM TO AN AUCTION. Some 4-Hers that are newbies go to those auctions and buy birds. So in turn you would be hurting that kid or kids that unsuspectingly buy those birds for inturn the parents have to pay for THEIR PETS to be put down because some idiot knowingly took their sick and contagious birds to the auction so they could save money for themself and don't care for the well being of other birds that are happy and healthy.

Just my 2 cents
AC

Edit for spelling.

 

[EweSheep]

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Are you serious? I got my pennies, screw the rest of the world? Really?

RedneckChikns, are you kidding me???!!!! Yes it is unethical and morally wrong! If I had MG in my flock, I would cut my losses but I would not ever, ever sell any sick or carrier birds on to the customer. So doesn't it bother you selling MG positive carriers to customers? MG means I am going to put them all down. Regardless how much money I have invested in the flock.

that is the reason I never went to auctions, learned it from ag college that auctions are the death knell for most animals. Only breeders or herd dispersal auctions I would attend with a CAUTION for chickens but no problem for horses.

 

[A.T. Hagan]

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I'd go with Option 2 as well.

 

[ranchhand]

Sig quoted, bolded area my own. All I can say is that this person, Cynthia, is giving rednecks a bad name.

"Owner of Redneck Chik'ns. Serving the Tampa Bay Area with Backyard Chickens, laying hens and purebred pullets and chicks! Hatching eggs sometimes avail. Personal fan and owner of mystery banties (have to hide that 4 the egg swap) and Turkens. WANT TO BUY-NN Frizzles, Ko Shamo, must be able to ship."

She wants to buy some chickens, anyone got some MG survivors that "look" healthy now?