Positive Mycoplasma gallisepticum flock

[Sanfranny22]

Hi all,

I am asking for guidance regarding my newly positive MG flock. I am considering depopulation of my MG positive flock. What was your experience if you decided to depopulate? How did you come to terms/ make your final decision? How long did you wait until bringing a new flock in? What did you use to clean and disinfect you chicken coop and run? What about the chicken coop run soil how does that work? What makes the soil safe again for the new flock?
I’m sorry… I’m lost and need some honest to the point answers regarding this issue.
Thank you in advance!!

 

[BantyChooks]

I'm so sorry. I've seen Virkon recommended as a disinfectant for the coop area. As for depopulation, I've never had to do that, but it's a personal decision often based on the quality of life you think your flock is having.

What makes the soil safe again for the new flock?

Time, really. Hot, dry weather kills MG in the soil. It's recommended to wait "several weeks" per the University of Maine but I would err on the side of caution and wait longer.

 

[Eggcessive]

MG is alive on equipment, shoes, hair, and other objects for about 3 days. The exception is possible with droppings, especially frozen ones in winter. Many people with an MG positive flock choose to have a closed flock for the life of them until all have gone. That is the best way to not pass on a disease for generations, to have an all in all out flock. Of course, some cull any sick birds and hope that the disease is subdued. Wild birds in your area or migrating birds can carry MG, so there might be a possibility that a new set of chickens could get it again. Getting chicks from a hatchery gives a better chance of healthy birds than buying or hatching birds from another person’s flock. If a lot of your birds are very sick, I would lean more toward culling and getting a necropsy. Is that how you got a diagnosis? Other respiratory diseases can sometimes be in combination with MG, so it is a good way to know what you are dealing with.