should I cull the entire flock in late winter and start fresh?

[cutlass1972]

I have injectable tylan as well as tylan you add to their water. I reserve the injectable tylan or penicillin for emergency's. The issue is not reoccurrance, once treated with tylan the birds in question recovered almost immediately (the youngsters from the new brood that had minor coughs and sneezes). The Illness I experienced last winter was much worse I ended up having to treat with penicillin that time. All I have experienced since that time was a couple of birds with minor coughs or sneezes that might eb explained by dust in the coop from DE.

So, does anyone have any recommendations of a lab to send a bird to?

 

[Cloverleaf Farm]

Quote:
Where are you located?

 

[cutlass1972]

Cynthiana, KY

 

[Cloverleaf Farm]

The closest to you would probably be the vet school at Illinios...here's a link to their fees page with addresses and phone numbers. It's $95, but that includes gross necropsy and workup for up to 4 birds. They are a good school, and all things considered, I'd say it's worth the investment to find out the fate of your whole flock...

http://vetmed.illinois.edu/vdl/pdf/fees.pdf

 

[Southernbelle]

Quote:
For MG, the state vet said to clean and sanitize everything (I strongly recommend Oxine AH - 200x more effective than Clorox and safe around animals) then let the area stand empty for 2-3 weeks. I don't know what kind of awful disease would require a waiting period of 6 months!!! I chose to repopulate by hatching eggs, so it took 3 weeks to hatch and 5-7 weeks in a brooder before they were ready for the outdoor coop anyway.

I haven't had any signs of MG since and I hate to be hard-nosed, but knowing what I know now I would cull at the very first sign of a respiratory illness. I never buy adult or started birds anymore either.

 

[ericsplls]

You would be suprised how long a disease can live without the host. Take black head for example is said to be able to remain infective living in worms in the soil for over three years after removal of fowl. That's why you need to know what your treating and trying to prevent in the next flock. I wouldn't clean cull until I knew for sure what I was fighting. I would also keep a closed flock until then also. I try to only bring in eggs on my place. There are some oegb breeders I'm wanting to get some nice birds from that only sale grown birds and I'm torn on what to do. When I look at a bird someone has for sale I have to decide if bringing that bird home is worth the possible loss of every other bird I own. So far I haven't found that bird but I know people who go to auctions and bring home every 5 dollar hen they can tote out and never have problems. Good luck and find out what your fighting before taking any serious measures.

 

[wbruder17]

How do they get it in the first place?

 

[Elite Silkies]

MG is transferred through hatching eggs, so hatching eggs should not be considered a way of prohibiting this illness from current or future flocks. MG is a problem everywhere because it comes from wild birds and according to the State of Florida, it's a problem in Commercial Operations and backyard flock owners. There are vaccines, however, those vaccines only control the number of deaths. They can still acquire the illness even after receiving the vaccine.

 

[wekiva bird]

Any BYC members here test for MG?

 

[Elite Silkies]

Personally, I don't think many people at all test for MG, unless they have a problem and send the bird for necropsy to be done.