Sterilizing Coop

[Unobtanium]

I am going to have a hen sent to the state lab today, to see if she was carrying anything contagious that is life-long. I just got her, and my other 9 chickens, and my new coop last week. I noticed 72 hours ago she was blowing snot bubbles. She has since improved, but I am always going to worry, if I do not have results showing otherwise.

I have a deep seated dread that, knowing my luck, I bought infected chickens, and will have to cull and burn them. If this is the case, I plan to mix dish-washing soap and bleach in a garden sprayer and hose the whole coop, grounds inside it, EVERYTHING, and then spray it out with hot water after letting it set for an hour. Following this, how many weeks should I wait before re-populating with chickens from a known good source?

What diseases should I cull for/not cull for? Symptoms were runny nose, cough, sneezing, shaking head in conjunction with sneeze, and watery diarrhea. Chicken behaved normal otherwise. VERY SLIGHTLY swollen conjunctiva. Slightly watery eyes with some crust.

 

[Eggcessive]

Sorry that you are dealing with an illness that might affect your flock. I will not get chickens from breeders or poultry sales, just because that is a good way to bring in diseases. I would wait to see what your diagnosis is when the necropsy results are back. You may be okay culling the sick chicken if the others do not get sick. It sounds like MG, but coryza or ILT can cause those symptoms. Sometimes there can be more than one disease present.

Most respiratory diseases will only remain on equipment and in facilities for several days after depopulation. Many backyard flocks are MG positive, but diseases like ILT and coryza are ones I would cull for. Infectious bronchitis is one that makes them a little sick, but it lasts a month, and they only are carriers for 5 months or so. MG, coryza, and ILT birds are carriers for life.

You cannot disinfect your soil, but you can clean up droppings, and remove bedding. A 10% bleach solution is good enough to clean equipment, and some use VirkonS or Oxine for cleaning.

 

[Unobtanium]

Here is a link to my other thread, @Eggcessive if you can offer more on symptoms. It's looking like the diagnostic won't happen, as I'm not driving 8 hours with a chicken to do this.

Sorry that you are dealing with an illness that might affect your flock. I will not get chickens from breeders or poultry sales, just because that is a good way to bring in diseases. I would wait to see what your diagnosis is when the necropsy results are back. You may be okay culling the sick chicken if the others do not get sick. It sounds like MG, but coryza or ILT can cause those symptoms. Sometimes there can be more than one disease present.

Most respiratory diseases will only remain on equipment and in facilities for several days after depopulation. Many backyard flocks are MG positive, but diseases like ILT and coryza are ones I would cull for. Infectious bronchitis is one that makes them a little sick, but it lasts a month, and they only are carriers for 5 months or so. MG, coryza, and ILT birds are carriers for life.

You cannot disinfect your soil, but you can clean up droppings, and remove bedding. A 10% bleach solution is good enough to clean equipment, and some use VirkonS or Oxine for cleaning.

It looks like lab services will be out of reach to me due to my location. PM sent.

 

[Unobtanium]

I was able to get the bird to a lab. It tested + for MG. I have decided to sterilize.

What is the life-span of MG on the floor of a coop (dirt/grass) like this one? You cannot sterilize dirt, nor is it practical for me to move this coop.

 

[Kiki]

I was able to get the bird to a lab. It tested + for MG. I have decided to sterilize.

What is the life-span of MG on the floor of a coop (dirt/grass) like this one? You cannot sterilize dirt, nor is it practical for me to move this coop.

This will tell you what to do to help rid the MG from your property.
https://extension.umaine.edu/livestock/poultry/mycoplasma-gallisepticum-faq/


Have you informed the person you bought the birds from if your testing results?
That person should be keeping a closed flock and should not be selling birds.