[GrannieAnnie]

I'm probably gong to get mine in November when I get my annual pension payment Foxy!  I make a list through the year of all the 'bits' I want then go out and get them when my money comes through!  also it buys the Christmas pressies and funds my annual trip to kent!

But if the turkeys go well this year,then I'll take the money back and buy something for me with it!!!! lol

These are the people I got my vaccines from last year too!

[karlooben]

if mycop stays within the birds isnt it just better to cull them to prevent futher spreading , i wont  ever be breeding from my girls but if it stays within them its a worry 

[joyfull]

Unfortunatly a lot of people ignore the fact that you shouldn't breed from birds that have had it (probably thinking that as it is no longer suffering than it's recovered) - more than likely it's another case of money before the birds welfare  .
Looby - in answer to your question you then have to think where did that bird get it from? did it catch it from one of your other birds, one of the other breeders birds, wild birds or was it born with it? Also it is very difficult to tell if it is myco or another respiritory infection. 

[Aunt Sally]

if mycop stays within the birds isnt it just better to cull them to prevent futher spreading

Serious breeders and poultry producers (people who grow birds on for selling) do cull them Looby.  It would be dangerous for them not to as birds which had been ill with myco would always need to be isolated from the "clean stock" and very strick biosecurity would have to be observed between them, which is very difficult to maintain.  It would be a ticking bomb and bound to go off at some time.  Selling or giving away such birds would then cause other peole problems and would certainly ruin a breeder/suppliers reputation. 

But people like you Looby who just keep a few hens for eggs and don't pass birds on to others or use the eggs for hatching should not worry too much about it.  You would pose no risk to other keepers if you keep recovered birds.

[kitkat]

Thats right Joyfull, and my vet has never given me a diagnosis for any of mine-only antibiotics, shes probably never dealt with it as people would mainly cull poorly birds[or sell them on]. I'm not in a position to buy any more in with moving house but if i were i think i would consider the egg dip to see if it would be viable.
     I read somewhere that Myco is in 95% of flocks-thats scary and probably true

[Aunt Sally]

Irradication of Mycoplasma is what many big breeders are trying to work towards.  As with Marek's vaccination is not necessarily the answer as productivity in recovered or vaccinated birds is not as good as in Mycoplasma free free stock, but that's only an issue with commercial breeders I'd think.

[Aunt Sally]

     I read somewhere that Myco is in 95% of flocks-thats scary and probably true

That's what my vet says too Kitkat.

[joyfull]

Some breeders wont use live vaccines on their birds (e.g. mareks) but trials have been carried out with dead vaccines for mareks and mycoplasma. I know in 1975 a trial with dead mycoplasma vaccine was carried out but don't know if (a) this was successfull and (b) if it is available.


further update - this trial in 1975 proved negative so need to see if further trials have been carried out and if they were successfull.

[kitkat]

I'm shocked trials were done in 1975, so it is an age old problem then. Even if there were a vaccine it wouldn't be viable for us little people would it?

[GrannieAnnie]

If my little flock of 5 poorly birds recover as it looks like they are doing, I'm still in 2 minds, do I cull them (but like Auntie says, have all the others got it either inside them or has it flown through to air to them?) or I could keep them in their little house and run, but keep them the other side of the garden where they will just lay me some nice eggs for eating when they are old enough.  The 2 layers who have a permanent cough are 2 of my oldest girls, nearly 3, so once they stop laying they will be gone anyway

It's awkward sometimes to know what to do for the best.  I know what Brian wants to do!

[joyfull]

Keep them Annie (or send them here  ), seems such a shame that you have treated them through this illness for them just to be culled (sounds a bit like the old war thing where bayonets had to be properly cleaned so that the enemy didn't die from blood poisoning  ). As has been pointed out the majority of birds have got it anyway - although most will not go on to develop it fully. As you have already pointed out you will not breed from them  . joyxx

[Aunt Sally]

It doesn't fly through the air Grannie.  It is spread by droplets and dies quite quickly in the environment.

Definitely keep your recovered birds away from your commercial chooks Grannie and maintain good bio-security between them !  Birds who have had mycoplasma never get rid of it.

[chickenlady]

can i just add something too! not necessarily about myco but what alot of people dont know is that if you buy good stock that have had all their vaccinations these birds, if a live vaccine has been used, are then carriers of these deseases and can infect any unvaccinated stock you have. so its just as important to check whether live vaccines have been used!

Debbie

[Aunt Sally]

Good point Debbie.  But it is an attenuated organism so not a big problem.

I've found this interesting article for you Grannie.  It's from a good source so can be trusted.

http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/PS034

[joyfull]

Thats about the same as the information I got from the U.S. National Institutes of Health and National Library of Medicines website NCBI  .