[bappleby3000]

Hi All...... Please help!!!

We have a sick flock of chickens. they have chesty coughs and are rattling a little, and also 1 has a very swollen scabby eye. The local vet prescribed Tylan for the problem which seems to be helping the coughing and rattling.  The chesty coughing seems to be dying down a little bit now, but the eye of one of the chickens is still pretty bad, but fingers crossed she'll get better, or at  least the scab that has formed on hr eye will heal.

I wanted to check something as 2 of the hens are sitting on nests with chicks about to hatch in 13 days time. I wanted to ask about the disease passing on to the chicks when they hatch.
We had planned on giving some of the chicks away to my parents as the fertile eggs for our broody hens originally came from their chickens, but we're concerned that we might pass on this disease to their flock. Is this possible or once the coughing and eyes clear up is that the problem cured, or with the chickens carry this with them. If this is the case, should the new chicks be inoculated? We had also planned to take some of the chicks to the Market, but we didn't want to be as irresponsible as the person who sold us the infected chicken at the auction in the first place, so only wanted to take them if we have the all clear from yourself.


Thanks,
Ben

[Casey76]

Hi Bappleby, unfortunately mycoplasma is passed vertically from monther to egg, and it is possible that any resulting chicks will be hatched with MG.

Once a bird is infected with Myco they have it for life, and it will flare up with symptoms (snotty noses, rattly chests) occasionally, especially in times of stress.

It is recommended that if you have myco in your flock you shouldn't breed at all