Whole flock infected

[ND]

Most of the time, with any of the antibiotics, you're basically treating secondary infections. The eye goop and/or any nasal discharge is often the result of a secondary bacterial infection brought on by the 'main' virus that weakened their symptoms. With mild(er) strains of MG, it's fairly common for symptoms like the eye goop, watery nostrils, or sneezing (and facial swelling if it's due to the congested respiratory issues) to go *poof* relatively quickly with treatment. Continue to treat with what you were using for the full duration OR if you find that it's not quite kicking it *all* the way as treatment goes on, you may have to switch to something that's found to be a bit more effective on CRD type illnesses. If you stop the meds too soon just because they seem to be on the mend, you set them up for a rebound infection with the potential to allow the secondary bacterial infection gain some resistance to the antibiotics.

One of the "tests" for most antibiotic treatments is that you should see significant improvement by the 3rd day of treatment. If you've treated with something for 3 full days and see NO significant improvement, it's time to evaluate the active ingredient in the medication... what you're treating may not be sensitive to that antibiotic. So, it's GOOD and exactly what you're looking for when you see a good turn around on the 2nd or 3rd day. What often happens with MG is there can be lingering symptoms (not always, though) after treatment with the milder antibiotics like you're using. If you find they "stall out" in improvement by the end, reconsider treating with a more targeted med.

Some MG infected birds show very few symptoms at all during the acute stages... it's the secondary infections when(if) they set in due to the additional weakness in their immune system that can really kick some birds' little tail feathers! Like you've seen, really great improvement happens really quickly if you're using a med that targets the secondary infection they have developed.

Unfortunately, it doesn't mean anything in terms of them being infected with MG (or whatever it may be) and becoming contagious carriers. You're just seeing the antibiotics work like they should, within the 3 days that you SHOULD see significant improvement.

 

[FrenchToast]

What is the dose for Tylan 50 injections??

Also I have a package of AGRIMYCIN-343 Oxytetracycline Hydrochloride Soluble Powder, It states on the package that it controls MG.

So any info on this drug?

Thanks and good luck with your flock

 

[ND]

Tylan 50 is 3/4-cc for large fowl and 1/4-1/2cc for bantam or small pullets. It can be given as injectable or orally, but it's more efficient injected.

I haven't used the other asked about, but have tried Aureomycin, which states it controls MG. I didn't find it very effective honestly. It helped... it helped with the wet nares and most of the eye matting, but didn't completely eliminate remaining sneezing. Tylan 50 worked for most of that. However, I have found that the Denagard treatment 'fixed' those that had any remaining sneezing. At this point, I'm a fan of Denagard for treating CRD illnesses, even over Baytril. It's been the best by far. I continue to use it as a monthly 'preventative' at a lesser dose than the treatment dose for 5-7 days each month. I don't toss eggs using when using it. It is a bit pricey (IMO) as an initial purchase, but the bottle will last me close to a year if I continue to use it as a monthly preventative too. Per dose cost is pretty darn cheap if you break it down.

 

[Noelg]

K
well i have been on the phone all morning trying to find a barnyard vet that can sample one of the girls, NO LUCK
i have called the national NPIP hotline and gotten the phone number for a Mr G House that can supposedly put me in touch with a local vet capable of the testing....
Ive called and called and all i get is a busy signal.

Im out in the boonies, i should be able to find a vet that can do this! I want to know what this is before i proceed with anything, i have a silkie here that is supposed to go to a friend, but she will never be able to go if its MG.... her flock so far is disease free.
I "think" i know where this has come from, BUT when i think about it,same girlfriend has chicks/pullets from same place and she has nothing !

ARGHHH! this is so frustrating!
we have wild turkeys running round,and that darn hawk was in the run last week. Is it possible they caught something from them?

I just cant figure out the infection path at all. and that annoys me!

 

[JoAnn_WI_4-H_Mom]

If I get a rooster from a national show, I should cage it with a healthy hen and watch the hen for signs of disease? 21 Days?

 

[Noelg]

K these are my worst 2 girls at the moment, wadda think? is this secondary infection that i should treat with Tylan or other antibiotic? or Im i off base in saying MG and its something else?

No joint inflammation, they are eating drinking and hanging with the other girls, just a bit droopy and "off" a bit in their regular activity.

Noelg

 

[ND]

Wild birds can be a mode of transmission, but it's a smaller risk than introducing a live bird to your flock. I'd still place bets on it being the newest additions. Did your flock start showing symptoms within the 6-21 days after exposure to the new birds? (or cross contamination carried by you)


Good luck finding a vet that treats chickens. Apparently some states are good about having state vets with the Dept of Ag that'll test or necropsy....but mine, for instance, not so much. Finding ANY vet that'll even SEE a chicken is near impossible... if I do, they really don't know anything about them at all...but are just a source to get prescription meds.

Chickens are just a 'disposable' livestock around here... no one generally treats, especially with vets, they let nature take it's course or cull and replace. Financially speaking, given the low cost nature of chicken as livestock, that's the way to go rather than spend money on treating a sick flock that often times costs FAR more than the just replacing the flock entirely. People would rather cull/process in these parts over spending many times what the chicken costs to replace.



As far as what it IS exactly... well, that's impossible to know without testing. It falls within the CRD label... CRD covers MANY different illnesses that show similar symptoms. It's all lumped as CRD because the expense of testing usually isn't worth it...the outcome is still the same-- an infected bird that'll be a carrier of whatever disease it is. It looks MG like, but again, several of the chronic respiratory illnesses can appear very similar... most have the same treatment... IMO, what it is EXACTLY doesn't change your outcome at all.

I'd treat with Tylan 50...or I'd actually use the Denagard myself. If not Denagard, Tylan 50.



JoAnn-- if you buy a live bird from anywhere, it's best to strictly quarantine it for at least several weeks. The stress of moving it can make underlying carrier diseases 'flare up' and show symptoms again. If after some time, it still seems healthy... *I* would put a sacrificial bird in with it for about a month. It's not FOOLPROOF, but if your sacrificial bird shows symptoms within that quarantine period, you've got an infected carrier on your hands that should NOT be introduced to your flock. Many of the illnesses only have a few days as an incubation period...but MG is one that can be up to 21 days or so. I'd go LONGER than the 21 days... only 21 days assumes your sacrificial bird immediately got infected on day one... that may not be the case at all. I'd do at least 30 days. Use STRICT bio-security between your flock and the quarantined birds. NEVER handle the quarantine birds then handle your established flock... don't walk from the quarantine birds to your other flock. Don't intermingle food bags, or feeders/waterers. The best way to handle it is ALWAYS tend to your healthy flock FIRST entirely, then tend to the quarantine birds...then do NOT go anywhere near the healthy flock without changing clothing, perhaps even showering. I'd use different shoes-- kept separated from each other in storage-- for both pens. Viruses can live from a few hours to several weeks outside of the host... your shoes could track it to the healthy pen even if it was a day before you last wore them in the quarantine pen. STRICT bio-security... it's tougher than you think if you are quarantining birds of unknown health. It's easy to cross contaminate before you even know it. This is why people who practice very good bio-security never bring live birds onto their property....EVER. (some make exceptions to day old chicks from reputable hatcheries or tested breeders that incubate eggs and never let the hatched chicks near other older birds) The best bio-security is an ALL IN, ALL OUT practice... never having mixed age groups. That's not the way most backyard flocks work, though...

AND-- JoAnn... here's something to think about. If you buy a bird at a show... it could have been healthy when arriving at the show, but contracted something AT the show, or been cross-contaminated by who knows who at the show. SO, NOW you've got a bird that was healthy... newly exposed...and may not show symptoms or be infection for up to 21 days or so itself! This could delay your sacrificial bird becoming ill beyond the 21 day incubation period. It could get kinda messy without a well thought out bio-security and quarantine schedule...

You cannot be too careful about introducing a live, older bird to your flock. It's best to just NOT.

 

[Smoky73]

go to the feed store and pick up a bottle of Tylan-200 or LA-200. I would give the bird an injection of 1cc each day rotating sites, in the muscle not sub Q. Our state vets said that Tylan is the best thing, but just about everyone's flock has either had or been exposed to one of the Mycoplasmas at one time or another, so do not feel you have to cull everything. The ones that do not get better will die and the vets say that once they have had it, they can still get it later on, but, it will not be as severe.
I give LA-200 for my goats, so I dose 1/2 cc for bantams in the muscle each day. I also give Tylan powder in the water at the rate of 4 tsp per gallon for 4 days and then 2 tsp per gallon for 6 days.

 

[Noelg]

OK
i just talked to the State of Michigan Vet for NPIP.....
The testing goes to MSU and i can get the results via email. after going over the recent history of the flock, he said it could be MG or 5 other somethings.(all CRD related) or simple bacterial something that is totally curable
i can send a swab in of the eyes and of the throat and find out what they have for about 50 bucks plus overnight shipping.
The regular culture test will tell me what it is for sure and the specific antibiotic that will work for that bacteria if in fact thats what it is.
The myco culture will tell me obviously what strain of that i would be dealing with.
He also did tell me that sometimes with the weather changes, the birds immunity does take a dip and it could be a simple bacterial infection that would not make my birds carriers for life.
Since my chicks and the new 5 monthers where in the same building as each other, for the 3 weeks of quarintine, i'm assuming i would have seen symtoms in my chicks or vice versa before they went out to the coop with my 8 month old layers. One of the younger groups would have been the culprit if it was MG.
Either that or my layers have been infected from the hatchery and it just showed its ugly head.

Either way im gonna find out what the heck it is before i plan my action.

This has for sure been a big learning curve for me, no matter the outcome, i will never buy anything other then day olds or hatching eggs again.

if anyone in michigan needs the specific website or phone numbers for their flock please PM me!

noelg

 

[ND]

Sounds like you have a good plan. Hopefully you find out good news. Crossing my fingers for ya!