Mycoplasma - please read

[NSB]

My 2 girls have mycoplasma and have seen the VET and he initially prescribed Doxycycline

I have contacted DEFRA for information and have spoken to a vet in my local Animal Health Department and have been advised any POL chickens that use any antibiotic- 'eggs any time after that are not for human consumption'.

Did you guys know that? There is not a poultry antibiotic in the UK that can be treated for POL and human egg consumption after.

Currently my 2 pekins are pullets and I bought them from Salisbury Poultry Auction - are there any regulations with poultry at auctions? Are there regulations that birds should be vaccinated before they are brought to auction.

Ive left them at the vets with the intentions of them being euthanised, but the vet said to wait as he wanted to do some more research, even if they are treated they can be carriers. My POL seem fine at the moment and we are to observe them if we treat them as a precaution then we cannot ever eat there eggs, but I have 18 eggs in the incubator that I bought at auction as well. Are they at risk?

Answers please as Im back at the vets tomorrow. What do large breeders and commercial breeders do when they have mycoplasma.

[MaureenHall]

I certainly didn't know that!! It's a bit scarey isn't it? I've just found this:

"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."

It didn't say anything about egg withdrawal but I think I'd err on the side of caution and go with the DEFRA guidelines

[chicken slave]

most chickens used in commercial situations are vaccinated, but that does not stop them being carriers.
The auction is governed by a bird gathering/livestock license from DEFRA.
There are no rules that birds are required to have vaccination before going to auction, or at anytime.
If you bought them last weekend alot of the birds there were of low quality and some in bad condition, I stayed well away from them. If you have followed basic rules of buying new stock and barrier controlled them away from your exsisting flock there should not be a risk to your birds. If you have handled the sick birds then your hatching eggs/birds without washing and sanitising there is a risk you could of had contaminated the eggs/birds.
There are antibiotics for poultry which can treat them causing egg withdrawl whilst they are on the course, but the eggs are safe for consumption a few weeks after treatment ends.
Baytril is normally used in these cases.

[NSB]

Ive spoken to 2 vets and the government animal health department and it says certain antibiotics for poultry do need a 28 day egg withdrawal, but if the eggs for the purpose of human consumption then UK regulations state eggs should not ever be eaten, this was quoted to me by the government vet, he was looking at a webste that started with www.noah.....

[frias]

Sorry to hear about your hens. I have tried reading up on it and wild birds,especially pigeons and pheasants are carriers. Apparently pigs get it and can be treated with antibiotics and presumably they then get eaten so it's strange about not eating the eggs. When my girls got wormed with a sheep wormer the vet said best not to eat the eggs for a week. I asked him if he would eat them and he said he would but had to give that advice. Hope the eggs in the incubator are OK. What a worry.

[chicken slave]

Ive spoken to 2 vets and the government animal health department and it says certain antibiotics for poultry do need a 28 day egg withdrawal, but if the eggs for the purpose of human consumption then UK regulations state eggs should not ever be eaten, this was quoted to me by the government vet, he was looking at a webste that started with www.noah.....

I have looked at the layers code and it mentions keeping records of medication but not that the eggs are never again to be used for human consumption. I am aware that some anti-biotics (not really designed for poultry) are used and this then renders the hen unfit for laying edible eggs. I think you may need to find out the full name of the site he was looking at.

[lettucegrow!]

oh dear ! all a bit worrying, will need to do more research to get clued up.

[NSB]

Im totally confused now and have brain ache. Hope my vet wasnt on a promise tonight as hes taking some thick books home with him to read up on

[RichmondHens]

Sorry to hear about your birds. I'm with chicken slave on this - always practice barrier control/isolate and observe new birds bought in until you are sure they are healthy (2 weeks minimum). Unfortunately there is a risk with buying chickens at auction.
I hope your remaining birds have been unaffected. Fingers crossed for you.

[lizzylemon]

Hi, I found this info using a google search. It seems as though it might not be so bad after all. I read this on a site for commercial birds about DROP IN EGG PRODCUTION (YAY!) and it doesn't say anything about killing the flock at all if they have Mycoplasma, which seems to be the general consensus of other sites as well.

From reading it it looks like you need to identify the type of Mycoplasma and then the treatment to get your answer. Every Antibiotic will have it's own withdrawal period and that'll be noted in the product information leaflet somewhere.

As for DEFRA - speak to some else. You might get a different answer or least a clearer explanation which might just stop any dreadful mistakes. Keep your girls isolated at home in the meantime

Here's the guff:

2. Bacterial infection
One of the most common bacterial infections to cause egg production problems and shell quality problems in laying flocks is Mycoplasma, both Mycoplasma gallisepticum (MG) and Mycoplasma synoviae (MS). Mycoplasma infection can cause drops in production and sometimes loss of shell colour. Usually uncomplicated Mycoplasma infection in adult layers does not cause clinical signs in the birds but in some cases, particularly where Mycoplasma infection is present with other infections or stresses, increased mortality may also be seen in the flock.

Birds can be vaccinated in rear to give some protection against Mycoplasma gallisepticum (MG) challenge. If problems are seen with Mycoplasma in lay, antibiotic treatment can be given, for example, with Tiamulin (Denagard), Tylosin (Tylan) or Tetracyclines (Aureomycin Soluble)via drinking water. These three antibiotics currently have a nil egg withdrawal period in the UK.

The web address I looked at is: BFREPA : Egg production problems British Free Range Egg Producers Association and it's just a really interesting read which offers practical advice - always good.

[kirsty b]

I had a bird die from mycoplasma last year and my vet advised me to treat the rest of the flock as they would probably all have contracted it though none of the others were showing symptoms. He prescribed Baytril, which I gave in their water and eggs had to be thrown away for the duration of treatment which I think was 5 days and for a further 10 days after that. I have been eating the eggs since and am fine.

[chicken slave]

Just thinking NSB have you reported it to the auction house so they can inform the seller incase they were unaware, and also so that the auction house knows incase of an outbreak.

[Hilary B]

When a withdrawal period is specified it applies to eggs FOR SALE. If you only want them for yourself you can make your own mind up. The main reason for withdrawal periods on anti-biotics is that antibiotic residues in things we eat can lead to anti-biotic resistant infections. If the withdrawal period is 'life of the animal' that usually means they haven't tested it to see how long it takes for the anti-biotic to leave the system.

There are anti-biotics which can be used for mastitis in cattle, but are only ever used for beef suckler cows, because if used on a milking cow, the withdrawal period is the whole of the current lactation.

For most purposes 28 days will be OK, and if they were my chooks, I would keep them, and use the eggs at home.

[NSB]

Thank you all for your support. do have complete brain overload. We have come to the decision that we willkeep the pekins in a seperate pen and they have been started on Baytril at the vets, hopefully we will get them back today. We will monitor and observe the POL for any symptoms and the new hatchings when they are ready to go out will be in seperate pen.

Our friends and family currently have the POL of eggs,so we will hold back on the precaution treatment and just look for symptoms.

I am going to ring the auction house today and give them what for nicely.

Thanks again.

[di]

Out of interest,is the vet saying that you should not eat the eggs because of the antibiotics or because the hen still remains a carrier of the disease after treatment?
If it is just the antibiotics,I would agree with Hilary,that it may just be a case of the manufacturer of them hasn't performed trials to prove when the eggs are OK to eat and therefore it's easier/safer for them to err on the side of caution.??
It's similar for pregnant/breastfeeding mums...most medication says not to use,simply because the companies don't want to fund the proper trials to find out for sure,so to save their backs they simply say "Don't use".
Hope your poorly girls soon recover & that it doesn't affect the rest of the flock!