The Front Porch Swing

[pysankigirl]

On top of all of these issues everyone seems to be suffering from, I have a question about MG. I bought a chick as a companion for the one tolbunt polish I had hatch. I didn't notice until the next day, but it has/had (doing better now) crackling noises as it breathed/chirped. I talked to a local vet (who does see birds) about testing, but I was wondering what you guys thought? These two chicks are in quarantine, but I want to rule out MG without having to kill them both. Is this possible?

it is possible to test for MG without killing the bird. but I think you need to take .5 ml of blood which seems like an awful lot for a chick. I have heard of people swabbing for it, but no one I have talked to has offerred that as an option to me. if you don't mind getting on your state's radar for the disease, you can sometimes take them to a state testing agency and test for free if you are willing to have the bird killed. They also test for AI and pullorium which allows all the other tests to be free under the grants they have here in VA.

Hugs...hard decisions.

 

[pysankigirl]

on a positive note...I REALLY LOVE my Bantam Chocolate orps that I got on the Herducks chicken train. they are the sweetest things ever. and I think they actually really enjoy being petted, not just "putting up with it." I am in love.

 

[mzstre]

I have had that pullet with possible mareks in my bathtub for over a week now.  (It’s easy to clean/disinfect, is away from all the other chickens and not like we ever USE the bathtub (we have a separate shower))  I have tried vitamins in her water because the State Ag people said it might be a vitamin deficiency, but she has not improved.  So I am taking her in to get her killed and tested. 

The kicker is that she was my absolute favorite dorking pullet ever.  She has a coloration that was unique in Dorkings…never seen before by any of the dorking people I know, actually.  I think she is a splash/blue base color with a cream/gold diluter in her hackle coloring and her blue base feathers were edged with gold also…I was so interested in seeing what she developed into.  Now I will never know.  I looked into having her live-tested but they charge $100 for the test and they won’t take the blood…I have to find someone else to do it.  Which I have had no luck for with the MG so I know that’s a non-starter. 

And it is probably mareks.  So wouldn’t save her anyway.  loving chickens can be so incredibly frustrating and heartbreaking sometimes...

Have you tried hypericum perforatum? I have it in my chicken medicine cabinet because I've read that many people have successfully used it to treat Mareks.

 

[smfildes]

Oh heather that sucks. At least he was in quarinteen so you aren't freaked out about everyone.

From my reading the black breese are egg birds not meat birds. At least the one arrival I read about that went into it said they were fairly different stock not just different colors. But them I don't know if I buy the whole different enzymes in breese thing.

I understand the ready to give up thing. I have one brooder of chicks I can't keep alive. I lost 6 more this morning. Everyone under hens are fine even if they were originally from that group. I just gave up heart on them this morning. They are on corid water and seperated. Its just so disc urging and heartbreaking.

Have you tried Sulmet , DI-METHOX which is a Sulfadimethoxine and anantibiotic, or a mix of sulmet and L-S50 which is a great mix for brooder pneumonia? These all work great. Are the chicks gasping at all?

 

[Caitlin_VT]

it is possible to test for MG without killing the bird. but I think you need to take .5 ml of blood which seems like an awful lot for a chick. I have heard of people swabbing for it, but no one I have talked to has offerred that as an option to me. if you don't mind getting on your state's radar for the disease, you can sometimes take them to a state testing agency and test for free if you are willing to have the bird killed. They also test for AI and pullorium which allows all the other tests to be free under the grants they have here in VA.

Hugs...hard decisions.

Yeah, that's what the vet told me - serum testing is an option but it still could be a false negative, and on top of that, there is no way to get enough serum from such a tiny animal! He did mention throat swabs, but if they have been on antibiotics/not in an active infection the results will also more than likely be (potentially false) negatives. I did contact someone in our state ag program and all he said, as of now, is that he has drawn blood samples for MG testing, but only on adult chickens and to get in contact with a private vet. I really don't want to have to sacrifice them, but if they for some reason do have MG I don't want to infect my flock..

It is a VERY hard decision to make!

Also, if it IS MG, I don't know how on earth to bring it up to the person I got the chick from... They have just spent a lot of $ starting out with rare colors and breeds... This whole situation is very stressful

 

[pysankigirl]

Yeah, that's what the vet told me - serum testing is an option but it still could be a false negative, and on top of that, there is no way to get enough serum from such a tiny animal! He did mention throat swabs, but if they have been on antibiotics/not in an active infection the results will also more than likely be (potentially false) negatives. I did contact someone in our state ag program and all he said, as of now, is that he has drawn blood samples for MG testing, but only on adult chickens and to get in contact with a private vet. I really don't want to have to sacrifice them, but if they for some reason do have MG I don't want to infect my flock..

It is a VERY hard decision to make!

Also, if it IS MG, I don't know how on earth to bring it up to the person I got the chick from... They have just spent a lot of $ starting out with rare colors and breeds... This whole situation is very stressful

It is, it definiely is...very stressful and heartbreaking. I wish I had better answers. I think the worst thing for me was having to tell the people that I had given eggs and chickens to or traded with. that was so friggin hard. and I still kinda feel like someone who has an STD or something. Hugs. at least if you caught it, you havent gotten it into your flock yet.

 

[pysankigirl]

Have you tried hypericum perforatum? I have it in my chicken medicine cabinet because I've read that many people have successfully used it to treat Mareks.

I will look it up! I am willing to try anything at this point! where is the snake oil seller when you need him? LOL

 

[TNBEARCHICK]

on a positive note...I REALLY LOVE my Bantam Chocolate orps that I got on the Herducks chicken train. they are the sweetest things ever. and I think they actually really enjoy being petted, not just "putting up with it." I am in love.

We so love ours also.

 

[Caitlin_VT]

It is, it definiely is...very stressful and heartbreaking. I wish I had better answers. I think the worst thing for me was having to tell the people that I had given eggs and chickens to or traded with. that was so friggin hard. and I still kinda feel like someone who has an STD or something. Hugs. at least if you caught it, you havent gotten it into your flock yet.

Thanks for your support!

 

[Caitlin_VT]

We so love ours also.

I have 2 boys and a girl. They are finally starting to look and act like Orps! They hatched 3/31, and the more mature boy has already started crowing... Does this seem early for these guys??