Silverudd's Blue (Isbar) and respiratory illness

[GlennLee]

I purchased Silverudd's Blue (Isbar) hatching eggs from Omega Hill Farms last year. I loved everything about the breed, except there was one major flaw. They were hit hard with recurring respiratory infections and I believe the rooster I kept ended up with lung damage since he wheezed after every crow.

After doing a bit of research on the breed (not a lot of info out there) I found this on the Greenfire Farms site:

Greenfire Farms first imported this breed from Sweden in 2011. Our Isbars were fertile and produced many chicks, but we believe the birds were closely related and showed some signs of a suppressed immune system that could be linked to inbreeding depression. In 2013, we imported Isbars from unrelated flocks. These birds should allow breeders to mitigate the effects of inbreeding in their flocks.

So, I am guessing the respiratory issues were due to genetics. This year, I bred the rooster to Rhode Island Red hens. The outcome was - 1 cockerel (14 weeks), a second cockerel (10 weeks) and 5 pullets (10 weeks). I recently experienced another respiratory illness that has so far hit 5 out of 7 of my hybrids and 1 has died.

Has anyone out there had similar experience with Silverudd's and respiratory illnesses? Has anyone been able to breed it out?

 

[Eggcessive]

Respiratory diseases spread from carrier birds, perhaps already in an existing flock, wild birds, and mycoplasma (MG) can also be passed in hatching eggs. All birds in the flock might test positive, and should be considered carriers. A necropsy on a dead bird or some testing of a sick bird would be a way of identifying the disease.