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Mycoplasma Gallisepticum causes respiratory problems - coughing and sneezing, nasal discharge and runny 'bubbly' eyes in poultry. There are various forms of Mycoplasma, all are opportunist organisms that multiply when the bird is struck with another malaise like Infectious Bronchitis or have a stress trigger. In most instances the infection in poultry is aggravated by respiratory problems and is commonly called "Chronic Respiratory Disease" or "CRD".
The stress trigger can be small such as moving birds to different housing or adding new birds, a change in diet, mites or even a sudden change in the weather. Some birds unfortunately die, some birds are only carriers and some birds are sick and recover but repeatedly have bouts of illness (not normally as bad as the first time though). As it can be carried by wild birds, it is a problem with birds that are allowed to free range as they can come into contact with it easily.
Can you test for Myco or IB?
Yes, a blood test can be done at your vets. The blood samples are usually sent to a specialist poultry laboratory for analysis. In Ireland, it is advisible to test all new stock that you buy since it is a notifiable class A disease and the Department of Agriculture in Ireland recommend culling all birds that test positive.
The whole flock can appear to be well but if you get some new birds in or introduce some youngsters they can fall ill because the it is being carried in the flock. It normally only takes a few days for them to fall ill as it spreads from bird to bird very quickly and once you have it, it is impossible to completely get rid of it, unless you are prepared to destroy your birds and start again, sterilising housing and runs as you go and leaving them to rest for a few weeks before re-stocking with new Myco-free birds. The infectious agent survives for only a matter of days outside of the birds. Commercial operations operate an ‘all in, all out’ system to ensure they do not have problems.
Vaccination
You can vaccinate the birds when they are young (Intervet now have a Mycoplasma vaccine) but it is expensive as it is only sold in doses for 1000 birds. What’s more, once you open it, it won’t keep and chicks have to be treated at a certain age so you end up needing fresh vaccine for every hatch which makes vaccination fairly costly unless you have large quantities of birds hatch at a time. The vaccine is given to the birds by very fine spray so they can breathe it in. The sprayer is a specialist piece of equipment and it isn’t possible to simply use a greenhouse hand sprayer or similar.
Symptoms
In many instances Mycoplasma Gallisepticum infection in poultry is aggravated by respiratory colibacillosis and the complex is designated "Chronic Respiratory Disease" The most common indicators are the gooey stuck together eyes or runny eyes. Runny nasal pasages. Sneezing, coughing, wheezing and rattley breathing that can be described as “Darth Vader” breathing.
As the infection gets worse, a blue comb and wattles indicate it is severely compromising the bird’s respiratory system and the bird isn’t getting enough oxygen in to its tissues. There is a real risk of them dieing at this point quite suddenly.
Stress in birds is the biggest trigger for bouts of Myco or IB, changes in weather, home, new birds, lack of water, poor diet etc. cause stress so its best to avoid causing any unnecessary stress in your birds.
Treatment.
The most common treatment for Mycoplasma that a vet will prescribe is a broad spectrum antibiotic given for 3 to 5 days. Tylan or Baytril are the most common. It is necessary to start treating them as soon as you notice the problem to have a good chance of pulling them through. Most of the antibiotics prescribed are soluble in water but I have read of injections being more effective. Tylan 200 is apparently an injectable form. In the UK these antibiotics are only available from a Vet so you’ve got to consider the cost of a consultation as well as the medication cost. Remember it is possible to get a prescription from a vet and then buy the medication on line if you feel the vet is marking the medication up too much, but many vets are more than reasonable and will even sell a smaller quantity out of a large pot so you don't have to buy the whole pot that has a sell by date on it.
Natural Remedies
I believe in using natural remedies as well as veterinary medication. The biggest help to my flock is a strong immune system so that they can fight the disease off themselves. Garlic is particularly good for respiratory problems and cheap in comparison to antibiotics. I routinely crush garlic into my own bird’s water and find it to be very effective at boosting their immune systems. Apple Cider Vinegar or ACV is also very effective at helping birds that show non-typical disease symptoms of poor growth as well as birds suffering from respiratory diseases that produce a large amount of mucus. ACV solution helps to ‘cut through’ the mucus to allow it to be expelled easier. Mix 2% ACV with water that has 2 or 3 crushed garlic cloves per litre mixed with it. The tannin in the ACV aides the removal of any mucus or coating from the mouth, throat, or intestinal tract. This helps nutrients and drugs to be more readily absorbed. During times of illness, I offer this solution as the only drinking water source for a week, then offer the garlic water after that until the bird is fit and well. I routinely give my birds ACV for one week a month (the first week of the month so that I remember!) One word of caution though about ACV – The cheap 79p ACV in the supermarket is processed, the ACV that you need is the natural one found in horse shops or sometimes good health food shops. Expect to pay £8 or so for a litre.
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Keeping Chickens 
