Weeks old chicks- lethargic, pale, watery/bubbly eyes

[Haunted55]

If you can say for certain that you haven't been any where where you may have been exposed and brought it home...then yes. If you've visited someone who has chickens that have or have had these symptoms in the past, you handled their birds, or birds anywhere else, it is possible it could have been introduced that way. Where they are 4 weeks now I wonder about the incubation period for these diseases, especially when they would be showing sign if it did pass through the egg from the parents. I don't know, I'm not that smart.

 

[VandyClark]

Could it be contagious to humans? I have a 3 yr old who adores the chickens. Obviously I need to keep him from spreading it!

 

[Haunted55]

Could it be contagious to humans? I have a 3 yr old who adores the chickens. Obviously I need to keep him from spreading it!

NO! Just as we cannot give them our colds, we cannot catch this. This is a bird thing not a mammal thing.

 

[Nambroth]

NO! Just as we cannot give them our colds, we cannot catch this. This is a bird thing not a mammal thing.

That said, good hygiene is recommended! Though not overly common, chicks can and have been known to spread salmonella. Every year or so there seems to be one hatchery that hits the news with a salmonella outbreak. Good hand washing is encouraged, and no kissing of the babies!

 

[Haunted55]

That said, good hygiene is recommended! Though not overly common, chicks can and have been known to spread salmonella. Every year or so there seems to be one hatchery that hits the news with a salmonella outbreak. Good hand washing is encouraged, and no kissing of the babies!

X 2!!!

 

[DraigAthar]

NO! Just as we cannot give them our colds, we cannot catch this. This is a bird thing not a mammal thing.

While this is true for MOST illnesses that chickens get, it is not universal. For instance, Chlamydia psittaci is a bacteria causing respiratory illness in birds that humans can also contract and get very sick from. There was a widespread outbreak of it in humans in the 20's and 30's. Fortunately today it is rare, and usually seen more often in pet birds like budgies and cockatiels than in poultry. But still, like Nambroth says, good hygeine is never a bad idea!

 

[VandyClark]

3 out of 4 chicks who were together show symptoms, though the first is showing improvement. In researching around, I can see this could possibly be a number of things as the symptoms don't line up exactly with any one thing, even though the MG seems most likely.

My concern with the MG is the long term prognosis. It seems, from what I can read, the infected chicks will have recurrences, and will probably infect any other chickens they come in contact with or who come in contact with their living quarters. So- I can risk it NOT being MG & continue as I planned- which is adding them to my current flock once they've reached full size, thus risking the health of the whole lot. Or I could seclude these as a flock of their own, away from the others & not allowed to free-range. (which is kinda sad!) OR I take them to my vet to be euthanized (as I can't bring myself to do it!!). My vet doesn't really treat chickens- we live in a very rural area where "pet" chickens is not common & laughed at, so I doubt they would be able to test for the disease (though admittedly I need to call them).

I know this is really a personal decision, but I appreciate any other insight.

 

[DraigAthar]

MG can be tested for, you might even try calling your state veterinarian or contact someone at the department of agriculture, often ag programs at state universities will do this sort of testing cheaply or for free. It is a disease that has serious impact on commercial poultry, so quite a bit of research has been put into it. And yes, you can treat the symptoms of MG, but the birds wil forever be carriers and experience reactivation episodes during which they become more contagious. But the same comments are true of quite a lot of infectious diseases of chickens. Whenever you experience disease in your flock, you have to make a larger decision about how you intend to deal with it in the future. The 'general precautions' approach is to assume that any bird showing symptoms of infectious disease will forever be contagious (it's not always true, and it's an extreme assumption, but just go with it for a minute). When you look at it that way, you really only have two choices: cull these birds now to spare the rest of your flock, or expose the rest of your flock to the disease and expect to lose other birds instead. And you're right, the choice is entirely yours, and also a hard one. At the very least, it's good to practice the best hygeine possible while you're still making your decision, so that you don't accidentally carry the disease from one bird to another yourself.

Incidentally, MG is ubiquitous in many parts of the world. Wild birds can carry it, so if you free range your flock they could just as easily contract MG that way. It's a stubborn disease. It doesn't usually have a high mortality rate, but it can cause a drop in egg production, and results in condemnation of many meat birds at slaughter time due to airsacculitis. Birds that are weakened by MG can get co-infections with other common opportunistic pathogens. So it's not so much that it's a terrible disease in itself, but it is extremely frustrating!

 

[Haunted55]

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/756287/what-to-do-with-rooster/40#post_10736487

Check out this thread. Pretty much the same kind of situation. My advice to you here would be the same as it is there. You're in it now, might as well make the best of it. The only other options, you would have, is cull everyone, super clean the building and ground and start again. If you've given them antibiotics and they are showing improvement, they may never show symptoms again. Please read through this thread linked above and it may help you in your choices.