Confirmed loss from TB

[Revenir_farm]

Hi all,

Writing this post with a very heavy heart. I received a necropsy report from a hen I lost 2 weeks ago. She had avian TB. I have 7 chickens in my flock that are all healthy right now, but I’ve spent 3 days learning everything about this disease/bacteria and understand the course of action is to put down the rest of my chickens.

With a small flock currently, I’ve become very attached to each and every one of these birds. I spend a lot of time in keeping their area clean and tending to them with all the best practices…it is hard to process how this happened. All of my research has been peer reviewed journal articles…it seems like there is little information out there from other backyard chicken keepers (such as blogs or even posts here - I’ve only found a couple on this website).

I understand the infection can take a very long time to present in the other chickens and that testing options are not very reliable. I am having a hard time understanding how the chicken who passed (Aretha) contracted it, as I’ve raised chickens for 2.5 years in this coop/on this land without any instances like this. It does make me question if there is *any chance at all* that my other chickens could be negative for the bacteria…I quarantined Aretha the instant she appeared sick and had her inside/separated for about a month before she passed (it was so unclear what she was dealing with, and if I had known, I wouldn’t have let her suffer for that long).

I have yet to be able to speak to my vet - they have access to the necropsy report and I have reached out to talk to them, but they haven’t been available yet. So right now, I’m navigating this solo…just me and piles of scientific articles about this disease and the bacteria itself.

Has anyone else lost a chicken to TB without the infection spreading to others in the flock? I understand this is unlikely, but I’m really trying to process this whole situation.

Respectfully, I have read everything online about this…so I really don’t need pointed to sources right now. I really want to hear from anyone who has directly gone through this themselves. Thank you.

 

[Eggcessive]

Sorry to hear about your diagnosis of avian TB. It can last in the top several inches of soil for up to 4 years, and can be spread to humans. Do you have any idea of how your chicken got it? Do you have cows, pigs, or a lot of wild birds around your coop? I haven’t dealt with TB before, but it is one disease that most recommend culling of all chickens. It is slow acting, but since it can be spread by mice and rats, and other animals exposed to the soil, and can affect humans with poor immunity (cancer, chemo, autoimmune diseases, infants.) If you could call your state vet lab, the poultry pathologist might be able to discuss the disease. They might know more about it then your regular vet.

 

[Revenir_farm]

Hi Eggcessive, thanks for your response. I am familiar with all this information but I have no idea how the bird contracted it to begin with. I have no other livestock besides 2 ducks but they are separated from the chickens and have been there for years (not newly introduced). I do plan to talk to the lab who diagnosed via the necropsy in addition to my vet.

The most curious thing to me is that my older hens (same age as the one who passed) have remained healthy. I understand my younger hens wouldn’t show signs yet, but it would make sense my other older hens would begin to show signs if there was an outbreak.

I will keep this thread updated in case it helps others who might find themselves in this situation in the future.

 

[cheepcheepnash]

Hi! Our hen was just found to have avian TB. The state didn't have advice, but referred us to some vets who can hep. Would you mind sharing how this ended up for you? We suspect our other 2 hens have it because they are thin despite eating. We are scared that we could get sick.

 

[Eggcessive]

Hi! Our hen was just found to have avian TB. The state didn't have advice, but referred us to some vets who can hep. Would you mind sharing how this ended up for you? We suspect our other 2 hens have it because they are thin despite eating. We are scared that we could get sick.

I think that most state vets would recommend culling the sick birds, since it can affect humans with compromised immunity and other animals. Here are some links to read about it along with treatments:
https://www.merckvetmanual.com/poultry/tuberculosis-in-poultry/tuberculosis-in-poultry

https://www.poultryhub.org/all-about-poultry/health-management/disease/avian-tuberculosis

https://poultrydvm.com/condition/avian-tuberculosis

 

[cheepcheepnash]

I think that most state vets would recommend culling the sick birds, since it can affect humans with compromised immunity and other animals. Here are some links to read about it along with treatments:
https://www.merckvetmanual.com/poultry/tuberculosis-in-poultry/tuberculosis-in-poultry

https://poultrydvm.com/condition/avian-tuberculosis

Thank you--that's what we were thinking too. We have two pet hens left and they are so sweet (a little silkie and salmon faverolles) but I fear they have it due their low weight. I'm scared of us getting sick from them.


I think we may try to cull them at home. The closest vet is an hour drive and I think that would stress them out. It breaks my heart to think about culling them.

 

[Eggcessive]

It is really tough making the decision to put them down. I would if they seem to be suffering. They may die on their own at some point if you wish to wait and see. I’m really sorry.

 

[cheepcheepnash]

It is really tough making the decision to put them down. I would if they seem to be suffering. They may die on their own at some point if you wish to wait and see. I’m really sorry.

Thank you so much. They don't seem to be suffering, but they are thin and I know they can hide their disease. We were able to get a phone consult with a vet tomorrow and the state extension is reaching out to a chicken vet for his opinion too. If we have to put them down, we may pay for an at home euthanasia service because I don't think we could stomach doing it ourselves and I don't want their last moments to be stressful at the vet an hour away.