To cull or to wait????

[JRG]

In June, I moved from CO to TN with my 5 laying hens in my minivan in a dog crate. Within 5 weeks moved again to another house due to mold. Chickens came with plus 4 guinea chicks I bought. Second home had an existing coop (one of the stalls in the barn) and came with 3 roos and another hen - I couldn't resist!! After 5-6 weeks I bought 6 more pullets from a lady because my boy wanted a silkie. One had a runny nose and quickly most of my chickens had runny noses, heads grossly swollen, sneezing/ coughing, some rattle when they breath etc... We started Duramycin in water for a week. Then we did a week of twice/day Tylan 50 injections for 9 out of 18 birds, and are now on day 4 of Albon in water.

I still have 2 girls that have had the complete treatment, rattle when they breath. One of my hens, that did not receive injections started rattling and coughing today. I've yet to do Tylan injections with this gal, another 2 laying hens, 2 silkie pullets, one Hamburger pullet, and 4 guineas. So despite the liquid antibiotics, this thing continues to spread. No one is laying. Not one egg in over a week and just 1-2 a day for several weeks before that.

My flock are not only pets, but they were to be part of our self-sustaining plan while my hubby isn't working - eggs to eat and for my boys to have a small egg business. The lady I bought the 6 pullets from had a few of her sick birds (turkeys and hens) killed and analyzed in the state's lab. Mycoplasmosis G. was the diagnosis, along with pox on the turkeys and some sort of worm. I took one of my sick roos to the same place to be analyzed and they couldn't grow a culture since I had been treating with antibiotics in the water ( this was before we started Tylan 50). But they said he had sinusitis, conjunctivitis, and hepititis that many times comes with Coryza.

Should I just keep doing what I'm doing? When do I decide to cull? I was hoping to have some chicks, etc.. But I believe any new birds would have to be vaccinated. Would love any suggestions from all of you veteran chicken raisers.

JG

 

[Funky Feathers]

Cull now, sanitize well, disinfect, wait a few months & start over. Those are some nasty diseases. By Spring you could start over with new (healthy) birds. I would only buy from NPIP breeders, then you have a better chance of getting healthy birds. Buy from someone in VA, they are required to test their birds for Mycoplasma.

 

[dawg53]

I agree with fattie. I'm so sorry. This is a prime example why new additions need to be quarantined 30 days away from the old flock prior to introducing the newbies. Thirty days quarantine gives you enough time to inspect and observe the newbies and treat any problems that appear. Once you get everything disinfected, you might also consider ordering chicks from a hatchery. I wish you the best.

 

[drumstick diva]

It's a heartbreaking theing to do but I would cull them all. And start over in the spring. In the interim get a decent coop set up by that I mean predator proofed, large enough to hold all the ones you plan to buy + extras that just seem to happen, etc. This is why people say to quarantine for at least 30days before adding to the existing flock . When you acquire so many from different sources you don't know where what disease or problem came from. Chicken math is best applied once you begin with good, healthy stock you are able to house properly. Then you add more but quarantine first. That should mean out of reach with your foundation stock. You should care for them last and be certain to wash hands, clothes, change shoes etc., before ever touching the original birds. Or have two sets of work clothes - one for each quarantine area and your healthy flock.

 

[JRG]

I was afraid I was going to have to kill them. I've never done such a thing. Should I cull even the chickens/guineas that have not shown symptoms? Even the ones that were sick and look better now? I have a show silkie and another silkie and 4 guineas that have not shown any symptoms. Do I chop off their heads? With a knife?

The coop is really big and, I think, nice. It's actually huge being a large horse stall. Now I could convert another stall into another brooder/coop and start all over now while the other coop is disinfecting, right? What I did a week or 2 ago is I raked the ground and put down some more bedding. Then I scraped all the poop off the roost and egg box area with a metal dust pan. Then I sprayed the coop down with a bleach solution and opened the stall window and door to let it air out while the hens were free ranging. Is that the same disinfecting process I should use after I cull?

Thanks for all of you guys' help and advice. I really appreciate it.

JG

 

[PunkinPeep]

Quote:
absolutely. they are carriers. unless you want to have a closed flock (and it doesn't sound like you do), all carriers need to be culled.

the quickest method is an axe to the neck. i'm very sorry for your trouble.

 

[CMV]

So sorry, but you should cull the lot of them. Cervical dislocation. Lopping off heads takes some fortitude, coordination and strength, so I prefer the rake method. Take a rake with the tines placed down and put their heads on one side of the tines and their bodies on the other side. Hold the rake down, grab their feet and give a quick, hard yank. Don't hesitate when you pull or you'll just hurt the bird and not kill it. It's very quick and can be done by one person alone.

Good luck and I am really sorry.