rick
Active member
I haven't read this thread through completely - these things are such a complicated problem. On the whole - a healthy domestic chickens immune system is very strong indeed. There is some argument to being selective with birds that are always under the weather - but then that is a breeders very good point. We dont generally breed from family pets so dont have that duty of selection in quite the same way. When my bantam was bitten by a fox - that was a good use of antibiotics. Sometimes, with judgement, antibiotics can stop a mycoplasma glitch (usually due to stress) but it has to be the right antibiotic or it wont work. Personally I think mycoplasma is a problem for big commerce - it rips through a commercial flock and is a disaster - so that is where most of the advice in papers comes from. Mycoplasma vaccine comes by the litre for thousands of doses. I am pretty sure that no breeder I have ever bought a hen from operates at that level. It is so complicated! Generally remember that chickens should have a good life and really dont bother with pondering it deeply beyond that. It is totally OK when a caring keeper has to let them go, but, it is also fine to try the options. Run through all the obvious things; worms, reproductive problems, respiratory infections - it can be difficult to be sure with birds as it is all so wonderfully efficient but interconnected.
