At the beginning of June the hens in the new barn got terribly sick, and when a disease hits a flock, it hits hard and fast. Within days every hen – except Prudence – had swollen eyes. Some had eyelids so puffy that they couldn’t see to eat.

A vet diagnosed Mycoplasma gallisepticum, (MG). The bacteria which causes MG is an odd creature;  it lacks a cell wall. That means that it is fragile when it is outside of the birds and can be killed with heat, sunlight, disinfectants, or simply time – after 3 days, it dies. But, inside the birds, it is virulent and can lead to severe respiratory disease. Fortunately, I caught it in time before that happened. Also, fortunately, there are drugs that work.

Thanks goodness for drugs. I’m one of those people who buy “antibiotic-free” meat, but I am so grateful that drugs are available to save my pets (and children!) So, don’t even get me started on farmers and doctors who use these sub-therapeutically, creating drug-resistant, highly dangerous, bacteria. (And really don’t get me started on people who chose to travel for their own pleasure, knowing that they could transmit drug-resistant TB!)

Anyway, a vet visit and $200 dollars later, my hens are on Tylan, an antibiotic powder mixed in their water. I also put terramycin ointment in their eyes for a few days. Now, all of the hens look 100% fine. BUT, although MG is easy to kill outside of the body, inside it remains viable for several weeks, even after all symptoms have passed. So, they will remain on the Tylan for 3 weeks, in the hopes of killing it all off. I’ll have to live with the knowledge that my hens might be carriers for the rest of their lives. I won’t take them to shows and I won’t breed them.

There are a few theories about how the MG arrived here at Little Pond Farm. Perhaps Prudence was a carrier; she’s a new hen, and the only one that wasn’t affected. Then again, she stays away from the other hens (who don’t like her at all) and so perhaps, she just didn’t get in contact with the MG (which spreads by touch, not through the air.) My husband thinks that perhaps he was the vector. About a week before the outbreak, he scrubbed out moldy bird feeders and refilled them. He tromped through the barn several times during this task. Wild house finches suffer from MG and it is a likely scenario that he brought it into the barn.

In any event, it is over (for now, at least) and it is a pleasure to go out to the barn and have cheerful, bright-eyed hens greet me.

I started this blog about a year ago, and I’ve so enjoyed hearing from Hencam viewers. You’ve shared your enthusiasm for poultry, your humor (it’s a rare person who lives with chickens that doesn’t have a humorous take on life) and your questions. I’ve been told great stories about memorable hens. I’ve heard from people from Australia, Africa, Great Britain, Spain, Argentina, Canada, and the US (sorry if I left anyone out!).

But I have to tell you, that the concern and support  – and good humor – that I’ve received since telling you about the illness to strike my hens, has not only lifted my spirits, but I’ve learned a lot, and it has helped my girls. I’ve had people send me well wishes, and links to Web sites with the information I needed, and Buffy even got a get well card! (Hilarious – it’s a hen saying, “And no matter what, don’t let them tell you that soup will help.”)

The only hen that remains puffy-eyed is Snowball, and I think she’ll be fine by tomorrow. Her understudies, the beautiful Betsy Ross and Egger, were eagerly waiting in the wings (pun intended) to take Snowball’s place in this weekend’s photo shoot. But the young girls will have to wait their turns. Snowball remains the star.

After all of the stress of this week I’m off to an early bedtime. I’ll fill you in next week on what I’ve learned about mycoplasm gallisepticum and avian conjunctivitis.

Thanks!

The drugs are working and everyone is on the mend. Buffy suffered the most and remains puffy-eyed and uncomfortable. Snowball, after a day with her eyes squeezed shut and holed up in the nesting box with her tail to the world, is looking around and is out and about. The other hens appear almost normal, and unless you are acutely observant, you wouldn’t know that they’ve been sick. Prudence never succumbed. Perhaps she was the carrier?

I’ve had sick hens before, and have had hens with respiratory ailments that died, but I’ve never had an illness sweep through the barn like this. I don’t wonder why farmers cull a bird at the first sign of disease. Also, like human medicine, the drugs are expensive – I’ve spent over $60 so far. Then, there’s the issue of transmission. These hens are saved, but will they pass this disease along to the next bird to join the flock? If I was a farmer, I wouldn’t want to wait to find out.

But I’m not a farmer;  I have these chickens for eggs, but they are also my pets. They’re treated and they get to stay.

That said, I have some questions that my vet couldn’t answer. Some readers have sent me links to academic papers, which don’t have the answers either. I need to know:

• How long can mycoplasm gallisepticum survive outside of the bird? At what point can I put the dirty shavings from this barn into the compost pile? 
• Is it true that a hen that has recovered from the symptoms will be a carrier for life? Has anyone done studies on this or is it simply a cautionary assumption? 
• Once the symptoms are over and the eyes are clear, how likely is it that I will carry the disease into my other barn? A backyard situation like mine is not set-up for biosecurity. Children visit my hens. I am in and out several times a day. I can’t change clothes when going from one barn to another! Already, one chicken was swapped from one barn to another (just days before the outbreak) to no ill effect. What is realistic to do and to expect?

It’s unlikely that there will be any studies funded on issues of health in backyard poultry flocks. So, it’d be helpful if anyone who has experienced this write to me. I want to know about your flock after the illness passed through! Thanks.

I found an avian vet! Although not very experienced with pet hens, at least she was willing to see Buffy.

Poor Buffy, both eyes are crusted with yellow mucus. She looks miserable. The vet gave her a thorough exam and, thank goodness, except for a swollen comb and sinuses, Buffy doesn’t have any symptoms of respiratory disease.

Dr. Rittle believes that Buffy has avian conjunctivitis, a disease caused by mycoplasm (a unique form of bacteria). It is found in poultry flocks, but also in wild house finches. Because I have two other hens, Ginger and Petunia, who had swollen eyes that healed with antibacterial eye ointment, this diagnosis sounds logical. I could have had blood work done to confirm this, but it would have added $50 to my vet bill that had already cost $114, and so I opted out. If, however, Buffy doesn’t respond to the medication, or another hen becomes ill with worse symptoms, I’ll be right back to see Dr. Rittle.

Conjunctivitis is spread by direct contact, so it is easier to control than an airborne illness. I have a dispenser of hand sanitizer in the barn, which I will use frequently. Buffy is isolated in a dog crate. I will be bagging and throwing out dirty shavings, not composting them. Hopefully, Buffy will be the last hen with this disease.

I don’t know where it came from. Perhaps Prudence was a carrier – a perfectly healthy looking bird can spread it. Perhaps some infected house finches had contact with my flock. You can really understand why farmers need to practice biosecurity, and the risks (though I think worth it) that free-range farmers take.

Some of my hens are sick. A commercial farmer would cull (a euphemism for kill and dispose of) these chickens. It makes sense – diseases spread quickly and devastatingly through a flock. There is usually little time between onset of the ailment and death. If the problem can be treated with drugs, then the eggs (or meat) can’t be consumed. A farmer doesn’t have much choice.

But my hens aren’t my source of economic livelihood. They are named animals with known personalities. They’re part of our family life. I’ll do what I can to keep them alive.

I’m not sure what exactly is going on. When Prudence was introduced to the flock, she was (and remains) a very healthy looking bird. But she and Petunia got into a pecking order scrap and Petunia came away with a swollen eye. I treated the wound with antibiotics leftover from an eye injury that I had. Soon, Petunia looked fine. She never went off her feed or looked ill in any other way.

Then Ginger’s eye swelled up. Was this a case of an aggressive hen going after eyes? I isolated Ginger in a dog crate and used the antibiotic. She ate and drank and, other than the eye, which is looking much better, seemed fine. Back she went in with the flock.

But, today, I noticed that Buffy was hiding under the ramp outdoors, in the pouring rain. Both of her eyes had what looked like spittle in them. She looked tired. I have isolated her, and will start antibiotics in her water if she doesn’t look better by this evening.

So, what is going on? Did Prudence really injure Petunia, or was Petunia’s swollen eye a sign of disease? What about Ginger? And why does Buffy have two puffy eyes when the other girls had only one each? If it is a respiratory bacterial infection, why are their noses and throats fine?

Anyone out there have this problem? Please email me.

PS The photo shot was postponed until next weekend. Let’s hope everyone is healthy and photogenic by then!