Test kits?

[mirandalola]

My chicks are sick, and I'm not a vet, nor do I live anywhere near an avian vet. I can't tell the difference between MG, Coryza, or the myriad viral respiratory diseases. Is there a way I can send a culture somewhere to be tested?

 

[Eggcessive]

Do you have a regular vet, a state poultry lab, or local extension service who could help with testing? In most states, the Dept. of Agriculture has a state vet that can give advice on testing, and can do a necropsy on a chicken that has died, if the body is refrigerated. Where do you live? Many respiratory diseases can look similar, but certain symptoms can be common with each one. Sometimes one disease is complicated by a secondary infection, and there can be 2 or 3 diseases present at the same time. Here are some links about diseases and some about necropsy and lab information:
http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/ps044
http://www.usaha.org/Portals/6/StateAnimalHealthOfficials.pdf
http://www.metzerfarms.com/PoultryLabs.cfm