Very high mortality rates with my chicks

[azygous]

I'm so sorry for the heart ache these viruses are causing you. Viruses are so much more difficult to deal with because you can't just find the right medication and get rid of them. Viruses come to live in your flock and they stay. Then the trick is to learn to live with them or kill all your birds and start all over.

No. I'm not willing to do that and I'm not suggesting you do that. But knowing you have these viruses in your flock is half the battle. Learning to manage your flock with these viruses is what you need to do next.

Knowing the limitations these viruses place on you and your flock is what you need to do, then you can manage them. Leucosis kills embryos in the egg, and any others that survive hatch will probably die before their first year comes. In my flock, only two chickens hatched from my flock are alive after five years. All the rest of my flock is from hatchery chicks imported into my flock. For the most part, these chicks grow up resistant to leucosis and live average life spans, and some live to be quite old.

IBV is a respiratory virus that will likely flare up from time to time, and you will need to find a good antibiotic to fight the secondary infections and keep it on hand for when a bird becomes symptomatic.

Overall, you can still have a healthy flock if you practice good hygiene, keep bacteria to a minimum, feed a proper balanced diet with a good commercial feed, and love your chickens.

 

[U_Stormcrow]

FIRST, I am NOT an expert. In matters of poultry disease, I defer to the sage advice and experience of @Wyorp Rock , @Eggcessive , @azygous and @Overo Mare . I have no cures to offer you.

Second, my commiseration on your losses.

Third, if it were me, and I could afford to do so, I would cull the whole flock and start over next season. No, it won't help with the coccidia in the soil. It won't help with whatever disease local wild bird populations might be bringing - but it should absolutely help break vertical and horizontal transmission within your own flock, and you will no longer provide an attractive nuisance to wild bird populations seeking out easy feed, water, etc from the care and feeding of your own birds.

I don't know if that's practical for you or not - but with limited medication available, limited vaccines available, and disease in flock for which you have no ready cure/preventative, a "reset" seems the only (drastic, admittedly) practical option. Honestly, if I somehow got Marek's in my flock, even though I could buy Marek's vaccinated chicks, rather than lock myself into that practice forever, I'd destroy the flock, scar the ground, wait a year, and then consider starting over.

Finally, I am *NOT* an expert. This advice is worth no more than you paid for it, and perhaps less. I wish you every fortune, whatever you decide.

 

[chickengr]

FIRST, I am NOT an expert. In matters of poultry disease, I defer to the sage advice and experience of @Wyorp Rock , @Eggcessive , @azygous and @Overo Mare . I have no cures to offer you.

Second, my commiseration on your losses.

Third, if it were me, and I could afford to do so, I would cull the whole flock and start over next season. No, it won't help with the coccidia in the soil. It won't help with whatever disease local wild bird populations might be bringing - but it should absolutely help break vertical and horizontal transmission within your own flock, and you will no longer provide an attractive nuisance to wild bird populations seeking out easy feed, water, etc from the care and feeding of your own birds.

I don't know if that's practical for you or not - but with limited medication available, limited vaccines available, and disease in flock for which you have no ready cure/preventative, a "reset" seems the only (drastic, admittedly) practical option. Honestly, if I somehow got Marek's in my flock, even though I could buy Marek's vaccinated chicks, rather than lock myself into that practice forever, I'd destroy the flock, scar the ground, wait a year, and then consider starting over.

Finally, I am *NOT* an expert. This advice is worth no more than you paid for it, and perhaps less. I wish you every fortune, whatever you decide.

if only your flock has a problem that makes sense. but in my case (I live on a small island) culling my birds would mean that I would have a brand new sick flock a year later. confirmed by a vet. we have too many wild birds and rats that spread diseases and there is no 100% healthy flock on the island. not to mention that a lot of people even don't know medicines for chickens exist. they treat their birds with iodine and aspirin only. I am not an expert either. I am talking about my experience.

 

[chicksinthailand]

Sounds familiar- I would very much doubt it's possible to have a closed, totally uncontaminated flock here. But I do understand why so many Thais raise their fancy chickens in tiny elevated cages and never let them out... I don't really want to do that, though. The good thing here is that you can get any medicine you want at any pharmacy, human drugs, animal drugs- same store. And you just tell the pharmacist the symptoms and they give you some drugs. (I do my research first and know what I'm looking for, though). Yeah, it's a hobby flock, so I don't want to cull. If it seems impossible to grow out chicks, I'll just stop letting them sit. The adult birds are great, and they're my pets

 

[chickengr]

Sounds familiar- I would very much doubt it's possible to have a closed, totally uncontaminated flock here. But I do understand why so many Thais raise their fancy chickens in tiny elevated cages and never let them out... I don't really want to do that, though. The good thing here is that you can get any medicine you want at any pharmacy, human drugs, animal drugs- same store. And you just tell the pharmacist the symptoms and they give you some drugs. (I do my research first and know what I'm looking for, though). Yeah, it's a hobby flock, so I don't want to cull. If it seems impossible to grow out chicks, I'll just stop letting them sit. The adult birds are great, and they're my pets

elevated cages do not help with MG and IBV.

I also use human medicines for my chickens. the animal drugs can be 10 x more expensive - nonsense but true.

 

[TheFatBlueCat]

So sorry to hear this is happening for you.
Have you considered ret mite infestation? Just a suggestion, as I saw a similar story with a breeder here, the mites had got into her indoor brooder setup and she had chicks dying overnight. It doesn't really sound like that is your situation but never hurts to mention it when those nasty mites are concerned! I have had horrific numbers build up in really short periods of time in my own coop. Now I am super hyper vigilant.

 

[chicksinthailand]

Just wanted to add an update:
Someone suggested probiotics right away after hatching, and I found a research paper suggesting that electrolytes given as soon as they are dry helps survival rates. So I decided to do an experiment. I had 20 polish/polkies hatch on Dec 28. I have them electrolytes and probiotics right away. Brooded for 3 weeks inside, and then moved them to a grow out pen in a less contaminated area of my garden. After 2 days I started amprolium at the treatment dose and am continuing with maintenance dosing for one more week. Out of 20, no losses so far. I'm continuing to give probiotics in the water once or twice a week. Today completed 5 weeks, not a single dead chick
I also had a couple hens hatch out chicks outside, and I did the same thing. Electrolytes and probiotics, amprolium and same supplements I've been using. Out of 15, I only lost one, and that seemed to be omphalitis (within 24 hours of hatching, hard abdomen). That has been 18 days. By far my best success so far.
So, thanks to whoever suggested probiotics! I couldn't find it when I looked back through here, so maybe it was another thread... And thanks for everyone's support and good advice.