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Mycoplasma again
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chez



Joined: 13 Aug 2006
Posts: 35934
Location: The Hive of the Uberbee, Quantock Hills, Somerset
PostPosted: Mon Nov 01, 10 12:11 pm    Post subject: Mycoplasma again Reply with quote
    

After a hellish few days that I haven't posted about because it was all too depressing, I have some info on mycoplasma that might be worth sharing.

I've had it in my breeding stock, as many people do, for a while. I treat with Tylan Soluble. I don't hatch eggs from birds showing symptoms and I dip all the the eggs in sterilising solution before I incubate them. However, over the last week it has appeared in various pens that it hasn't been in before, including a pen of growers. I have spent the weekend culling youngsters, with the help of Jo S and Arvo, and this morning phoning vets to try to find a solution to save the breeding stock.

Here's a summary of what I've found:

1. On Nat S's advice, I have spoken to Libby at Retford Poultry Practice, who is going to do some bloods for me to check that that is what it IS - four different samples from birds that have no overt symptoms. Cost is £15 including VAT. I am taking them to my own vet tomorrow to take the samples, as I've never done it before.

2. In the process of organising that, I have had a very informative chat with my own vet, who turns out to have an interest in poultry. She says, treat for Myco in the meantime, ALL the stock at once, with two injections of Tylosin 200, 48 hours apart. That should clear it out of the flock.

3. Bad cases with abscesses should preferably be culled. But if they are very precious, keep isolated and keep injecting every 48 hours, until they are better, then put back in to the flock.

4. New additions should be treated with the two Tylosin 200 injections and then kept in quarantine for a week to ten days so that if they ARE carriers, they don't reintroduce it. (This is advice my vet has read from Victoria Roberts, the vet who used to run the Domestic Fowl Trust).

5. It doesn't make them immune, so it can come in with the wild birds or on the wind or infected stock - but, my vet did say that 30 feet was the infection distance between pens.

6. The implication is that after this, they are completely clear - so infection via the egg is not an issue. I will double-check this, though, and report back.

7. Tylan soluble is 'not enough' to ensure that they are all clear of it, as you cannot ensure how much each bird has had.

I hope this helps other people. It's been grim, especially since it was a repeat of 18 months ago, when Judith helped me cull a lot of growers, and I blanket treated with Tylan Soluble. Obviously some were still carriers, though.

Gah.

judith



Joined: 16 Dec 2004
Posts: 22789
Location: Montgomeryshire
PostPosted: Mon Nov 01, 10 12:16 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

Thanks for posting that, Chez.
I remember the last outbreak all too well, so it must be heartbreaking to have it recur.
Hopefully you can get it knocked on the head this time and the information will be of use to someone else.

Lorrainelovesplants



Joined: 13 Oct 2006
Posts: 6521
Location: Dordogne
PostPosted: Mon Nov 01, 10 12:17 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

What brilliant info..............

Now what are typical symptoms?

chez



Joined: 13 Aug 2006
Posts: 35934
Location: The Hive of the Uberbee, Quantock Hills, Somerset
PostPosted: Mon Nov 01, 10 12:23 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

This is cut and pasted from The Poultry Guide

Contagious disease of poultry, gamebirds, pigeons, and passerine birds of all ages. Younger birds are more susceptible than older or mature birds.

At one time the most common means of MG spreading was by trans ovarian passage from infected breeders. Today, however, breach of sound management and biosecurity measures is more often the cause.

MG can spread within the poultry house by direct bird to bird contact and by exhaled respiratory droplets (indirect contact).

Clinical signs may be slight when uncomplicated. Sticky exudate from nostrils, foamy exudate in eyes, and swollen sinuses. Airsacculities with yellow exudate in air sacs. Infected birds develop respiratory rattles, sneeze and flip their heads.

Many infections display similar symptoms especially cold type symptoms. It is a mistake to presume that every bird with rattly breathing or other cold like symptoms has MG. Without a proper lab test one sometimes cannot be really certain what the infection is.

May spread slowly through a flock or maybe acute. Affected birds often are stunted and unthrifty. Infection can be acute in an individual bird, but take considerable time to spread throughout a flock. Recovered birds remain carriers.

Treatment is erythromycin, tylosin, spectinomycin and lincomycin. Tylosin consistently gives good results. Administration of most of these antibiotic is by feed, water or injection.


Should I turn it all in to an article? I have some gory photos.

chez



Joined: 13 Aug 2006
Posts: 35934
Location: The Hive of the Uberbee, Quantock Hills, Somerset
PostPosted: Mon Nov 01, 10 12:25 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

The worst thing has been contacting everyone who has bought birds that might have been infected. I'm going down to pick up Meg's (who joined ds on the back of coming to see my hens) tomorrow - they've got it .

Lorrainelovesplants



Joined: 13 Oct 2006
Posts: 6521
Location: Dordogne
PostPosted: Mon Nov 01, 10 12:34 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

touch wood......never had this....

have a bird with a rattle, but she was shagged daft by a cockerel who was too heavy and split her sides open...she's in recovery.....
He is in solitary confinement.

judith



Joined: 16 Dec 2004
Posts: 22789
Location: Montgomeryshire
PostPosted: Mon Nov 01, 10 12:41 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

Chez wrote:
Should I turn it all in to an article? I have some gory photos.


Need you ask?

chez



Joined: 13 Aug 2006
Posts: 35934
Location: The Hive of the Uberbee, Quantock Hills, Somerset
PostPosted: Mon Nov 01, 10 1:02 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

Right-ho. Consider me on the case. Bebo found me some really good links, will add them in, too.

kirstyfern



Joined: 03 Jan 2010
Posts: 1574
Location: Great Dunmow, Essex
PostPosted: Mon Nov 01, 10 11:28 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

We had a bad year for Myco in 2006, since then we still get the odd case here, usually in October.
We now cull anything with an abcess and Tylan Soluble anything with sniffles.
I was told that you could never cure it, only treat the symptoms and the surviving birds that showed signs would be carriers.
I now vaccinate my POL pullets for it and keep them seperate from my laying flock in case there are carriers.
TOUCH WOOD we havn't seen any signs in the layers this year...

Bodger



Joined: 23 May 2006
Posts: 13524

PostPosted: Tue Nov 02, 10 8:54 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

Disease can get into your flock in many ways.
It can be brought in by contact with wildbirds and while you can take some steps to limit contact, unless you give your birds a very artificial lifestyle, there's isn't anyway to 100% way prevent it.
Everytime you buy in a bird you run the risk of bringing something nasty to the rest of your flock. This can even happen when purchasing from a reputable breeder but you can magnify the risk ten fold by purchasing from an auction. Even if the bird you buy was originally healthy when it was entered into the auction, the risk of cross infection from it standing cheek by jowl with goodness knows what, is great.
Nothing is absolutely certain in this world, but my advice with regards to getting new stock would be to buy only birds that have been inoculated as chicks or better still, get your replacements as eggs. I'm aware that while innoculated birds might not manifest symptoms of a certain disease, they might well be able to pass it on to other birds.
I'm sorry to hear about your woes Chez, I realise how much your chickens mean to you.

I'm not saying that my approach is for everyone, but I kill any bird that shows any symptoms of not being well.

Mrs R



Joined: 15 Aug 2008
Posts: 7202

PostPosted: Tue Nov 02, 10 1:57 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

I'm sure Libby will tell you this, as she did me, but I'll say it again because I think it's a Very Big Point that's a bit glossed over above!

"Having mycoplasma" is no 'biggie' because it floats around everywhere, really common, so unless you can keep your birds away from other birds, wild birds and outside soil and air, they will have mycoplasma in them.

Controlling via 'biosecurity' only really works on an industrial scale, where everything is bred in sealed sheds right down the line. Incidentally, I've tried the sealed shed thing but not for very long, as it only made things worse - it's *extremely* difficult to keep everything out, yet the birds are shielded from it and can't build up natural immunity so when they do get things, they just die.

It's good to have something to treat mycoplasma with, but really all it is is a big flag saying 'you need to look at some aspect of your system' as it's only a suppressed immune system that allows it to get a foothold in the bird. If this is not addressed, you're only going to be handing your vet a regular cheque for the tylosin, and hoping nothing builds immunity to it....

Bodger



Joined: 23 May 2006
Posts: 13524

PostPosted: Tue Nov 02, 10 2:58 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

I wish you'd keep your name still.
My point, is that there's no point in inviting disaster in. While wild birds are responsible for some problems, others are caused by very close proximity to infected poultry. Buy birds in from here there and everywhere and you'll cop for it sooner rather than later.

PS. I'm in now way suggesting that this is what the original poster does.

sicknote



Joined: 26 Oct 2009
Posts: 235
Location: Cornwall
PostPosted: Tue Nov 02, 10 3:10 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

With regards to buying birds in these days your are just as much at risk from purchasing the modern hybrids. Although they undergo a 'vaccination' programme it is a live vaccine and they can easily infect other birds. I have known several people who breed rare breeds and tried to get into the POL hybrid market only to wipe out most of their rare breed stock.

In this day you would have to do well to be completely free of it I think it is more of control and vigilance. We stopped buying at auctions this year due to the various bugs and nasties!

Bodger



Joined: 23 May 2006
Posts: 13524

PostPosted: Tue Nov 02, 10 3:14 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

Thats what I said in my first post Sicknote.

sicknote



Joined: 26 Oct 2009
Posts: 235
Location: Cornwall
PostPosted: Tue Nov 02, 10 3:18 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

Sorry been a long day tackling brambles!!!

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