Respiratory Illness. Cull or Keep?

[Eggcessive]

I would attempt to get some PCR testing to see what disease they have. You can contact your state vet or college poultry lab to take a swab to find out if they have MG, coryza, ILT, infectious bronchitis, or a combo of 2 or more. ILT may cause bloody mucus from the beak, and so called “pump handle respirations,” so it doesn’t sound like that. Viruses such as ILT or infectious bronchitis do not respond to antibiotics. If you are treating MG, it will not respond to penicillin or amoxicillin, since mycoplasma does not have a cell wall. Tylan 50, denagard, or Baytril are some antibiotics that may help symptoms of MG. Tylan 50 dosage is 0.25 ml per pound 3 times daily for 5 days. Are you noticing a bad odor around their beaks, which can be common in coryza? Here is a good list of common respiratory diseases:
http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/ps044

Here is a list of state labs to contact about testing:
http://www.metzerfarms.com/PoultryLabs.cfm

Here is another lab that you can contact directly to get poultry mycoplasma PCR testing:
https://zoologix.com/avian/index.htm

 

[Ghosty]

I am very wary bringing in private breeders birds of any age. If possible only bring in eggs to hatch. Older birds can bring in diseases your flock isn't used to and wreak havoc.

Another problem this time of year is migrating birds can bring stuff in. If I'm gonna see one with a respiratory problem it will be in the fall. I have had birds recover from stuff, but without testing I don't know exactly what I'm dealing with. Thankfully so far I haven't had anything nasty. I keep a closed flock now, and only get day old chicks or hatching eggs from a single hatchery.

I was going to stick to hatched eggs with the games, but then I saw them and couldn't restrain myself. There are a lot of wild birds around, and my flock free ranges all day. Also, we have had wet soil for quite a while now. Cold and wet. Thanks for the links Eggcessive.