Mycoplasma - is quarantine essential?

[JBirdy]

Hello,

We recently decided to create our own backyard coop and flock. It's been about six weeks since purchasing our chicks and they now range from 7-10 weeks of age: a speckled sussex cross, two silver laced wyandottes, silkie, and bantam cochin.

About one week after purchasing (while still in our little brooder setup), I noticed the one had a strange issue with her eye, which seemed to me like conjuctivitis. I treated it with antibiotic drops and it seemed to subside.

Fast forward a few weeks with the chickens being fully feathered and just moved inside into their backyard coop. The run itself is fully fenced/covered and they have been sleeping in the coop at night, is insulated and pretty well draft free. A few days ago, I noticed that had a bit of a rattly sound when breathing as I was moving her into the coop for the night. It seemed to come out with that excitement and then subside, so I decided to monitor it.

By yesterday, I noticed that her nose was plugged and her breathing became more laboured, so I quickly made an appointment with the avian vet in a nearby city to get her looked at. She was confirmed to have mycoplasma and given antibiotics, fluids, vitamins, etc. via syringe. I now have special meds to feed her daily (Tylosin) and Tylan to treat the entire flock in their water.

So, comes my dilemma! The chickens are really, really attached to one another. When I separate one or two from the flock, they become very frantic. The vet suggested that I keep her with one of her flock mates in the house (in their little crate) for five days, which I started today. However, the two separated groups are very stressed to be without one another.

My question is - is it better to quarantine the two of them and have the sick chick stressed out? Or should I move them outside for the day together (the weather is warm) and bring them all in for the night when the temperature lowers?

I'm new to this all so I would love your suggestions! Just trying to make the best choice for the little one.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

I guess it depends on whether it is Mycoplasma Gallisepticum (Chronic Respiratory Disease) or Mycoplasma Synoviae (Infectious Synovitis). I suspect it is the former based on symptoms. Both are very contagious, especially CRD which can even be transmitted on your shoes or dust from your clothes so practice meticulous biosecurity. There are no effective treatments for either but tylan will reduce the death rate. Survivors are carriers.

Reducing stress is critical but putting them with the non-symptomatic birds isn't the answer. They probably need a larger quarantine space so they can settle down-
no crowding, weather changes, chilling, drafts, worming, feed changes, ammonia fumes or anything else that can stress them.

 

[dawg53]

All your birds have been exposed to MG one way or another by the sick one, no need to separate them now. That's why your vet wants you to treat the whole flock with the tylan. Birds with MG that survive become carriers for life and will spread the disease to healthy birds. Antibiotics treat symptoms but do not cure the disease. Hopefully it's a mild strain.
FYI: You must maintain a closed flock. No new birds in, no birds out to be sold or given away. Eggs are safe to eat. However MG is passed through eggs and can be transmitted to hatching chicks. So, no selling or giving away eggs to be hatched.
As mentioned by ChickenCanoe, try and keep their stress level down. Stress will bring out symptoms and effect egg laying (when they start laying eggs.)
The bacteria will eventually build resistance to the tylan, and another more powerful drug will be needed such as baytril.
However there is a product on the market that you might consider purchasing: Denagard.
Denagard (Tiamulin) treats mycoplasma diseases in poultry. There is no resistance to it nor egg withdrawal period.
https://www.qcsupply.com/denagard-liquid-concentrate-novartis.html

 

[Kiki]

I agree...they all have already been exposed.

Stress can and will make things worse.
There is no point/need, imo, to stress them by removing them from their flock mates.


Did the vet take swabs to send out to the lab to confirm MG or MS?

 

[Wyorp Rock]

All your birds have been exposed to MG one way or another by the sick one, no need to separate them now. That's why your vet wants you to treat the whole flock with the tylan. Birds with MG that survive become carriers for life and will spread the disease to healthy birds. Antibiotics treat symptoms but do not cure the disease. Hopefully it's a mild strain.
FYI: You must maintain a closed flock. No new birds in, no birds out to be sold or given away. Eggs are safe to eat. However MG is passed through eggs and can be transmitted to hatching chicks. So, no selling or giving away eggs to be hatched.
As mentioned by ChickenCanoe, try and keep their stress level down. Stress will bring out symptoms and effect egg laying (when they start laying eggs.)
The bacteria will eventually build resistance to the tylan, and another more powerful drug will be needed such as baytril.
However there is a product on the market that you might consider purchasing: Denagard.
Denagard (Tiamulin) treats mycoplasma diseases in poultry. There is no resistance to it nor egg withdrawal period.
https://www.qcsupply.com/denagard-liquid-concentrate-novartis.html

 

[Kiki]

May I ask where you purchased these chicks?

If from a person...I think you should contact them and let them know, so hopefully they stop selling sick birds to people.
I highly doubt they are not aware that they have had illness in their flock.
I think they need to be reminded that what they are doing is just wrong.

 

[Silver Sebright]

All your birds have been exposed to MG one way or another by the sick one, no need to separate them now. That's why your vet wants you to treat the whole flock with the tylan. Birds with MG that survive become carriers for life and will spread the disease to healthy birds. Antibiotics treat symptoms but do not cure the disease. Hopefully it's a mild strain.
FYI: You must maintain a closed flock. No new birds in, no birds out to be sold or given away. Eggs are safe to eat. However MG is passed through eggs and can be transmitted to hatching chicks. So, no selling or giving away eggs to be hatched.
As mentioned by ChickenCanoe, try and keep their stress level down. Stress will bring out symptoms and effect egg laying (when they start laying eggs.)
The bacteria will eventually build resistance to the tylan, and another more powerful drug will be needed such as baytril.
However there is a product on the market that you might consider purchasing: Denagard.
Denagard (Tiamulin) treats mycoplasma diseases in poultry. There is no resistance to it nor egg withdrawal period.
https://www.qcsupply.com/denagard-liquid-concentrate-novartis.html

So if some of your birds have MG then all of them have already been exposed to it and the whole flock is sick? Does that mean that I should get rid of all of them? Because the flock that got the disease is the babies that I'm raising their almost young adults and its gonna break my heart to let them go because me and my family have gotten real close with the little guys and we dont want to see them go. But if its going to eventually infect my whole flock I think that I have to get rid of the little guys

 

[Kiki]

If the babies have one of the Mycoplasma diseases/infections then it is highly likely your older birds have already been exposed to it.
(What I am trying to say in a nice way is that it may be too late to get rid of them)

You may never see the older birds show symptoms or you may see symptoms all the time.

Keeping everything as stress free as possible can help prevent outbreaks.

Here is some reading.
Mycoplasma gallisepticum Infection in Poultry - Merck Veterinary Manual

Mycoplasma gallisepticum infection, Mg, Chronic ... - The Poultry Site

 

[Kiki]

Biosecurity is essential in order to keep disease out of your flock.
Chicken diseases are all too real.
Two more good reads:
http://extension.uga.edu/publicatio...&title=Biosecurity Basics for Poultry Growers
and
http://animalsciencey.ucdavis.edu/avian/pfs26.htm

 

[Kiki]

So if some of your birds have MG then all of them have already been exposed to it and the whole flock is sick? Does that mean that I should get rid of all of them? Because the flock that got the disease is the babies that I'm raising their almost young adults and its gonna break my heart to let them go because me and my family have gotten real close with the little guys and we dont want to see them go. But if its going to eventually infect my whole flock I think that I have to get rid of the little guys

I want to add that your adult flock could possibly be carries of it and they could have gotten the babies sick.
You won't know unless you have a few from each flock tested.
Your state lab can test for you:
https://www.freshfromflorida.com/Di...Fees/Poultry-Non-Poultry-Avian-Tests-and-Fees