[Stereo]

I think we have myco in our flock. We've brought in a lot of birds from all over this year, probably foolishly it turns out. We need to confirm with the vet but have had a couple with swollen faces, bubbles in the eyes etc. hopefully getting them sorted out. So, assuming we have myco, what is the outlook? We've got about 40 hens in various pens, all 2012/2013 hatch. Laying ok and we have a nice little egg business. This year we have hatched some smashing rhode reds and welsummers with a few to getting cockerels ( already got the ws boys from a local breeder) with a view to selling hatching eggs from the best of them next year.  I also wanted to buy in some good ixworth  eggs with a view to creating a small breeding flock and raising cockerels for our own meat / selling on the pullets.

I'm guessing a lot of this is now in doubt. I know we can get rid of myco by getting rid of the birds but I've been told we are likely to get it again from wild birds/ bought in hatching eggs etc. I'm assuming that any birds we rear are likely to become infected, even if they are a long way away from our boots or whatever.

So, how common is it? Is it worth thinking we can get rid of it? Would it be wrong to let live birds leave the farm? What about selling hatching eggs? Should we not be doing that? If we did go for the nuclear option and clean everything down and start again, how likely are to end up in the same position again if we employed better screening of birds coming in. Does everyone have myco and it's just not talked about? Certainly one oft he birds who has it came from a breeder who told us they were fully vaccinated.

[Fowlman]

It's not all doom & gloom with myco. Most flocks will have it even if it's not reared it's ugly head. If it is within the flock it's usually brought on by stress so managing your birds with the least stress possible will keep any flare ups to a minimum. On the plus side over the coming years your flock will build up an immunity to it. Vaccinated birds only reduces the chances of catching it and unfortunately they are often carriers. Many people do not mix vaccinated and unvaccinated and others carry on with no problems.

[chrismahon]

I didn't think you could vaccinate against Myco Stereo? As Fowlman says, it is latent in most flocks and flares up from stress. We have what could be it in our Orpingtons. They occasionally get swollen eyelids and some eye discharge, particularly now as they are moulting. We bathe the area to keep the eyes open and a week later they are fine. None of the other breeds have any symptoms so it must be a weakness in our strain of Buff Orpingtons.


We mixed vaccinated in with unvaccinated which was a disaster. The new birds were carrying ILT and IB because they had been immunised with live viruses. Weakest virus of the groups but still hit our old flock hard as they got both simultaneously. They all survived though, after a lot of treatment and tlc.

[mojocafa]

I had this in my flock 6 months ago and had great plans like yourself.

I culled the worst infected as even though they can be treated successfully with Tylan, they will still be carriers.

All my breeds are rare breeds so I was devastated. All remaining birds were treated with Tylan.

However, 6 months on, my flock look very healthy, and the only way I will know if I have any carriers is to get some tested by vet.

I have no intentions of selling any stock at the moment, however, I guess I would need to be responsible and advice any buyers that I have had this condition within flock so it could still be underlying.

Good luck with what you decide to do
Mojo

[Fowlman]

Most of mine free range so i do have a few vaccinated commercials in with my other birds. Only birds penned are my gamefowl. As they free range and we are quite exposed out here on the marlborough downs they tend to become very hardy or don't make it, but they do live a pretty stress free life with very few fox problems as all the neighbouring farms keep fox numbers down.

[Stereo]

So what about moving birds on? Or selling hatching eggs. We've worked hard to get a good welsummer flock together for next year, hoping to sell the eggs.  Is that irresponsible? I'm starting to get the impression that there are more flocks with it than without. I've already got a few older birds that I'm thinking could go next year. There are lots of people who would re-home them around here as pets. Should I not do that? Should I just cull them?

Then where do we go?

[chrismahon]

On the basis that Myco will inevitably be in all strains I would only breed from those unvaccinated with natural immunity. In our case that would be all our birds except the Buff Orpingtons. However they may be fine next generation and I'm not sure if the swollen eyes at the moment isn't a reaction to the conifer flowers in their enclosure as otherwise they are very active and happy.


We have another issue as well in that some of ours have caught the immunisation strain of ILT and IB. They must have infected all the new hatches and arrivals although we have seen no symptoms. I spoke to someone at the Fed show who thought that IB no longer existed as anything but the mild immunisation strain. Loads of people have mixed immunised with non-immunised and transferred the virus without problem but should be declaring that when selling stock. So perhaps all ours are carriers?