What's the risk of introducing a "carrier" to other chickens?

[brettzim]

So we, stupidly, got chickens from a random person. Ends up they were sick. We took them to the vet and have them on antibiotics. The vet says it's a sinus infection. Their symptoms are stinky snot and sneezing. Poop is a little watery but all else seems fine (appetite, energy, drinking, clear eyes, etc..).

We got them away from our other chickens less than 12 hours after introducing them (now we know the value of quarantine). This all happened one week ago and our three other girls have showed no symptoms of this sickness.

IF the antiobiotics clear this thing up, what's the next step. We'll be keeping the new ones separated for 1-2 months, to make sure all is going well. But, we're just small-time chicken people on a city lot. These are our pets too. We made a mistake in getting cheap chickens from an unknown source. But, I won't pass along birds that may be carriers of a disease (assuming it's something like coryza). And killing them isn't an option either. It's impractical but I can't kill animals that, besides having snot that smells like poop, seem really happy tearing it up in the yard.

So, what have others done in this situation? I don't want to infect my healthy chickens with healthy-seeming chickens that carry a disease around. Do I just keep two pens of chickens?

 

[nnbreeder]

If it were Coryza chances are there would have been losses as this is a nasty disease that can decimate a flock in just a couple of days. As far as being carriers it's possible but it could be something that your birds were already exposed to yet got a mild form and showed no symptoms, most birds will show titers for diseases as they grow and get immunity from disease just as we do. I would discuss this with your vet as he can probably explain it better than I can. Plus you found a vet that will treat a chicken, that is very special.

 

[SassyCatHill]

Boy does this senario sound familiar! Dh & I went to a small animal auction several months ago and the exact same thing happened. Same symptoms too. I was just sure it was Coryza. But, like you, I cannot kill my critters so I treated them for a few weeks with antibiotics and kept them isolated. Now they all seem fine and happy and none of the others got sick. What a pain in the butt it all was though!

 

[bkterry]

Okay so I, also, did the same dumb thing and bought a beautiful pair of buff brahmas for 20 bucks only to find the rooster had coryza!!! He didn't really show symptoms except for always stinking until the day he died when all of a sudden he acted fragile and couldn't hardly stand. So all of my chickens were exposed to it I guess but only about 6 of the 30 showed any kind of symptoms. I've got them on antibiotics and I can see improvements. So that's what I'm wondering also, when they show no more symptoms does that mean they are ALL still carriers or what?? Also, is it ok to keep their eggs or to use the chickens for meat even if they were exposed to coryza?

 

[BayCityBabe]

Quote:
I want to revive this discussion. It is something that I am wondering about. Do most of you close a flock after an illness or just soldier on? My flock had an illness (I don't know what) - all recovered. HOWEVER, the flock that my "adoptees" came from had a few chickens that died. This, after my flock got sick.
So, should I assume my chickens are carriers? Is this generally the case?

 

[Guinea Goonie]

I for one have decided to close my flock. I will ONLY introduce hatched eggs from the flock or ones bought. Since I have put my "bater" away, I will allow the bantams to sit and hatch out whatever the other hens are laying in thier "broddy boxes". I have been blessed that the illness that went through my flock was not a killer. I have silkie, black tail, leghorns, cochins, polish, wild game, plymouth rocks, road island reds, german spangles, guinea fowl, cinamen queens and new jersy giants. I have one barred rock and two others I do not know what they are. The bantams are so mixed and varied that i just do not know. The silkie and polish are so varied that they should make it a suprise as far as the eggs go. We really enjoy the birds and they have a wonderful home.

 

[HennyPennies2007]

Well I am glad I'm not alone... I bought 20 chickens from an auction... what a mistake. Even though I quarantined them... everybody got the snotty nose thing.

Jeez... I used Tylan 50 injectable... and the people at the feedstore surely thought I had a drug habit. But everyone seems OK. I am closing my flock for sure. I want to add some turkeys in the spring... but other than that... ZILCH! Thank God everyone survived and seems to be in one piece. I will get my turkeys from a breeder I know or hatchery. I'm done with auctions!

(unless of course I can build another coop... (*henny staring off into dreamland....*)

 

[speckledhen]

Here is another slant on this issue of culling sick birds: if you keep carrier birds rather than culling them, you risk passing disease on to everyone else's flock you come in contact with OR you will track it to the feedstore on your shoes or clothing, then someone picks it up and takes it back to their flock. Disease can be picked up at the feedstore or an auction on your shoes, clothes from the floor or from feed bags there. I know it's possible to contract disease from wild birds, however, more often it's just done by picking it up somewhere and taking it home with you. Just a thought for your consideration...

I should hope everyone closes their flock after an illness runs through, meaning you do not bring more birds in and you never sell a bird to anyone, unless they are taking it with the knowledge that they may have a carrier bird. If someone sold me a bird who appeared healthy, but who they knew was ill a month ago, I'd be very upset. (wont happen since I dont add birds from other sources anyway)