Hens with respiratory issues may have MG

[morningsidefarm]

Sorry for the long forum:
February was a horrible month for us. We lost our daughter and my hens came down with a respiratory issue. I lost 6 of them. They were coughing,sneezing,running nose and eyes and basically stop laying. It started out with a few hens and then everyone came down with it.
Researching this it sounded like CRD. My biggest problem is I bought 32 new chicks in three different orders. I had them in another area of our property where these hens do not have contact with them. We emptied the coop where the sick hens lived and moved them as well. We emptied,hosed and sprayed the coop with vinegar. We kept it emptied for a month. Part of the coop has wood floor ,part has dirt floor , which We dug a couple inches of dirt out of there as well. I have half the new chicks in there now. I did not have them vaccinated either. I have never had issues with this before . The brooder cage with 2nd batch were on the dirt floor with shavings. Yesterday I noticed a chick was not moving around much when I got her her eyes were matted shut. Took her and isolated her and put RX on her nostril,cleaned her eyes. Today I gave her some LA200. This concerns me that we have more of an issue. Thinking it might be MG.
The hens that were sick, are starting to lay after I added poultry booster to their food.

What I am looking for is what can I use that is natural instead of medication. I am hearing  oregano essential oil is good for respiratory  issue. How much and where do I use it. Will this help MG and on baby chicks as well

Love to hear you thoughts . Been reading so much about this.

[maryellen]

Mg is contagious and all birds will be carriers. You cant cure mg no matter what anyone says. It stays in the birds system and will show up during stress. Oregano oil and thyme oil can be used. A few drops in their water with fresh water and drops added every day can work. No egg withdrawal with oregano or thyme oil.
Again my condolences on the loss of your daughter.
Any birds you bring in will be affected. Some will die, some will live. The ones with a stronger immune system will live and be carriers for life. You can vaccinate new chicks before bringing them home i think but im not sure.
The best way to see what you have is to have a vet or state AG rep do blood and saliva tests to see what you have going on. Guessing wont help at all if its not mg denagard or tylan wont help.

[seminolewind]

I agree with all Maryellen says.
Very sorry about your loss.
Respiratory diseases are not my area of expertise. Dawg knows a lot and ME has lived thru a lot of this-therefore knows first hand.
My flock has other problems and all I can say that ailments generally run a course of horrible , then sort of slow down and get near normal. From what I may know, CRD can be spread by chicken or egg. The best I think you can do is give them vitamins and keep them clean, ME has stated a water treatment. It's all about maintaining health in birds you have now.

[morningsidefarm]

Went to close chickens & goats up tonight and my second batch 9f chicks are sneezing. The majority of them. So tonight I treated the with RX. I thought I cleaned the coop out thoroughly🤐. Part of the coop has dirt floor. Could this be in there. Should I take a chick to the vet. My fear I have something worse and I may lose all my birds. What is a person to do. How should I go on from here?

[maryellen]

Vet rx wont help. Please read all the prior posts on using denagard. Take a sneezing chick to the state AG or call them.to come out and test your birds. Blood tests and saliva swabs will tell you exactly what you are dealing with. Dont bring any more birds in until you find out whats going on. If the other chicks are now showing the same symptoms then whatever is in your flock is contagious... .
Your choices are to A. Euthanize the entire flock and disinfect with oxine and virkon and let everything sit for a few months.
B. Keep your birds and close your flock- no one in or out and get tested to find out what is going on.
.
There is really nothing you can do until you get a bird tested ...

[morningsidefarm]

I have to much invested in birds to euthanize them . When you say no one in no one out what do you mean? I do not sell my birds just eggs.

[maryellen]

No one in and no one out means dont bring any new birds in and dont sell any birds.
You dont need to euthanize to be tested, have your state AG come out and they will draw a little blood from the wings and swab their mouths to get tested. MG is contagious and NON CURABLE. You can treat it only if you know what you have... thats why we keep advising to get a bird tested to find out what you have. You cant treat the symptoms until you find out what disease they have