salmonella pullorum survivor

[therandomhatcher]

I had a hatch 2 1/2 months ago with a mix of quail and chickens. I only had two chicken eggs and 1 hatched. 2 weeks later its eyes crested up and it had white diarrhea. Every other local chicken keeper said it was salmonella pullorum and that it wouldn't survive. Spoiler alert! it survived. It is about 8 weeks old now in a cage with button quail I am not planning on breeding just to keep her company. I was wondering what I should do with her. I didn't want to sell her for obvious reasons. I don't want to cull her, but I will if that is the best option. I was thinking about getting a little dog cage with a small run around it and just put a nice rooster in with her and just let her live without raising any young, or me hatching any.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

They do survive but your hen is now a carrier and will likely infect any bird you put with her.
Whatever you choose to do, it would be nice to get laboratory verification that it was pullorum. Just because other chicken people say that was it doesn't make it so.
What state are you in?
Did you contact the supplier of the birds to inform them?

 

[therandomhatcher]

I live in pa. I did know she was an asymptomatic spreader, which really sucks. I did not tell the supplier yet. I should definitely get them tested, but all I could find was that 1000 dose antigen for $230.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

If she indeed has pullorum, being a reportable disease, it would be best to take or send her to your state poultry lab for humane euthanasia and necropsy. You should cull her anyway. You aren't doing your birds any favors by keeping her alive and putting chickens in your area at risk. Pullorum-Typhoid nearly destroyed the entire poultry industry in the United States in the early 1900s. A blood test was developed in 1913. That was why the NPIP was established. It still occurs but thanks to NPIP, it has nearly been wiped out in the US and Canada is considered pullorum free since the 80s.
While primarily a chicken disease, depending on the strain of salmonella, it can infect turkeys, game birds and even some mammals, including humans. It has been the reason for some kidney transplants over the last few decades.
IMHO, there is no good reason to keep a carrier alive.
Knowingly keeping an infected bird on your property puts your neighbors' birds at risk. It can be spread by birds, rats and flies.
Most states do not allow bringing in birds not certified pullorum clean.
What state are you in?
Since your quail can also be carriers, it would be best to remove them in addition to the chickens. Then disinfect all equipment and the entire building after removing bedding. Sunlight, high temperatures (200f+) and proper disinfection must be used. The bacteria can survive in for years in dry bedding.
Necropsies vary in cost depending on state but in most cases would be half or far less that what the antigen cost is.
What state are you in?

 

[therandomhatcher]

I live in pennsylvania

 

[therandomhatcher]

I definitely should get her culled and necropsy for her, plus test my quail. Hopefully she doesn't have it and it was just something else because I dumped the bedding only 30 feet away from the quail. The chickens are about a quarter-mile away so they shouldn't be something to worry about, right? So couple of days ago, one of my quail got out and sat less than a foot away from the possibly infected bedding area. That is top on my worry list.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

You have 3 labs.

Pennsylvania State University
Animal Diagnostic Laboratory
Wiley Ln
University Park, Pennsylvania 16802
Phone: 814-863-0837

Pennsylvania Veterinary Laboratory
Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture
2305 N Cameron Street
Harrisburg, Pennsylvania 17110-9405
Phone: 717-787-8808

University of Pennsylvania, School of Vet Med,
New Bolton Center, PADLS
382 West Street Rd
Kennett Square, Pennsylvania 19348-1692
Phone: 610-444-5800

call them for guidance.
Your choices are to hand carry the bird or euthanize it yourself and get a FedEx label from the lab.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

I definitely should get her culled and necropsy for her, plus test my quail. Hopefully she doesn't have it and it was just something else because I dumped the bedding only 30 feet away from the quail. The chickens are about a quarter-mile away so they shouldn't be something to worry about, right? So couple of days ago, one of my quail got out and sat less than a foot away from the possibly infected bedding area. That is top on my worry list.

Can birds, rats and flies travel a quarter mile?
IF your chicken has pullorum and was housed with the quail, they have already been exposed.
Here is some information for you as well as disinfection guidance.
https://www.cfsph.iastate.edu/Factsheets/pdfs/fowl_typhoid.pdf
After completely emptying the building, I would use activated oxine.
https://www.revivalanimal.com/pet-h...tivated formula,fungi and viruses including E.

 

[therandomhatcher]

The hatchery I got the chicken eggs from is npip certified. I get all of my eggs from that same hatchery.

 

[Folly's place]

I agree, get her to one of those labs for euthanasia and testing! This is a big deal, and whatever she has needs to be diagnosed as soon as possible.
Mary