# How many hatcheries are mycoplasma free?



## casportpony

Found one so far...

Morris' headquarters and sales office
18370 SW 232nd Street, Miami, Goulds
Florida 33170-5399, USA 
Phones: 305.247.1070 / 305.248.5589 
Fax: 305.247.0982
http://www.morrishatchery.com/

http://www.poultryimprovement.org/documents/fl.pdf
http://www.poultryimprovement.org/statesContent.cfm


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## Nm156

Morris is all commercial chickens.


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## dawg53

Generally, NPIP tests for pullorum-typhoid only. There are hatcheries that state they are pullorum-typhoid free. Also, chicks very rarily, if ever, survive a mycoplasma disease. Hatcheries shipping mycoplasma diseased birds would lose customers by the thousands, the word would get out. Then Uncle Sugar would get involved. POL birds might slip through, but I doubt it.
In Georgia, a state certified NPIP tester will draw blood from back yard flocks for mycoplasma diseases and other blood borne diseases...for a fee. I dont know how Florida tests and if they test for other diseases. I'm sure each state has their own guidelines.


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## casportpony

dawg53 said:


> Generally, NPIP tests for pullorum and typhoid only. There are hatcheries that state they are pullorum and typhoid free. Also, chicks very rarily, if ever, survive a mycoplasma disease. Hatcheries shipping mycoplasma diseased birds would lose customers by the thousands, the word would get out. Then Uncle Sugar would get involved. POL birds might slip through, but I doubt it.


Have you seen the email from Ideal?

-Kathy


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## casportpony

Here is the post:

*"Ideal Poultry is not MG clean, has never claimed to be and does not intend to be. NPIP does not require a hatchery or farm to be MG clean in the standard program, but does offer a separate MG program that we do not participate in. MG is a very common disease and is in most backyard flocks in the United States. Ideal Poultry supplies some breeders to most of the hatcheries in the United States therefore those flocks are also MG positive. None of the big hatcheries in the United States are MG clean. If our customers who are MG+ (again most of our customers are) obtained MG- flocks it would result in more problems and more sick chickens for them. Therefore Ideal Poultry having an MG clean flock would actually be a disservice to our customers.

Ideal Poultry has provided poultry to customers since 1937 and continues to be the largest provider of backyard poultry in the United States, selling over 5 million chickens annually.

If you have any further questions, please contact Mikaela Fuchs at 800-243-3257 ext. 5411.

Monroe Fuchs,
Chairman of the Board
Ideal Poultry

Teri Adcox
Vice President"*


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## casportpony

Nm156 said:


> Morris is all commercial chickens.


Thanks, I didn't know that! So are there any like McMurray that are Mycoplasma free?


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## Nm156

What is the agenda with this.This has been bounced around BYC for years.


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## casportpony

Nm156 said:


> What is the agenda with this.This has been bounced around BYC for years.


Just trying to make a listed of hatcheries that are mycoplasma negative.


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## jackiedavis

Anybody know what kind of chicken is this


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## dawg53

casportpony said:


> Just trying to make a listed of hatcheries that are mycoplasma negative.


Yes Kathy, I've seen that statement from Ideal before. I see it as a disclaimer.
Also, my current flock ARE from Ideal hatchery and have had no issues regarding MG/MS. Half the flock I had in Georgia was from Ideal, the other half Meyer hatchery. Again, no issues.


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## casportpony

dawg53 said:


> Yes Kathy, I've seen that statement from Ideal before. I see it as a disclaimer.
> Also, my current flock ARE from Ideal hatchery and have had no issues regarding MG/MS. Half the flock I had in Georgia was from Ideal, the other half Meyer hatchery. Again, no issues.


Just want to make a list for people that want to buy from mycoplasma free hatcheries.


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## nannypattyrn

Hi Jackie! Welcome to the forum! You may want to start a new thread. Folks unintentionally may not see your pictures because they're on a different subject.


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## seminole wind

Welcome Jackie! I don't think your chicken looks like a typical backyard flock bird. Others here are good about what chicken looks like what.


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## robin416

My thoughts on MG. I think it is blown way out of proportion for the problems it causes. And here is why I think that way.

If it is true that 99.9% of every chicken has been exposed to MG then it stands to reason we should see more evidence of it. Instead how many of us have flocks that have never shown any evidence of its presence? I know I never have. So, either they haven't been exposed or it only becomes an issue when the birds have some other physical issue that causes it to make itself known.


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## dawg53

I absolutely agree with you Robin. If minor MG/MS symptoms arnt noticed by the owner; when a bird becomes stressed for whatever reason, that's when symptoms become noticeable throughout a flock. Sometimes it's not MG/MS, it could easily be a fungal issue.
I would cull my birds if they had MG/MS, minor or severe symptoms.


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## robin416

I've never seen even that. Didn't matter what the stress was. The biggest stress was moving them from TN to our current location and remember all of my birds are geriatrics. They all made the move just fine. I never heard back from anyone that bought birds from me that there was a problem. So, I'm not sure stress is even enough for MG to make itself known. MS is a different animal as far as I'm concerned, that one we know stress will bring out.


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## dawg53

Right. Carrier or recovered birds infected with MG are subject to recurrence of symptoms requiring ongoing treatment with more potent antibiotics. Moving birds from one place to another would certainly bring out symptoms (stress is a factor from the move alone.)
I'm glad your birds are MG/MS free as are mine. I feel bad for folks that have to deal with these diseases.


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## robin416

I guess you're right on the MS. But if what is commonly believed is true, my birds have been exposed to MG. I supposed I could call the state and ask what it would cost to test them. Just to answer that question.


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## seminole wind

Why now? Have your chickens shown signs in the past?


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## robin416

No, never. But they keep saying that most of the poultry out there has been exposed. If I had them tested we could have two answers, they can be exposed, experience stress and not have it become a problem.

Or those that keep saying most have been exposed are full of hooey. If one bird in my flock was exposed, then they all were since I never had a closed flock.


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## seminole wind

Sounds like people exposed to cmv. Some are some aren't, but it's screened in donated blood because you don't want to give it to immune suppressed people or babies. If someone is sick, it's usually in the second round of lab work.


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## chickenqueen

I order from Murray McMurray and have my chicks vaccinated-for 2 other diseases, just in case.I've always gotten strong,healthy chicks.I figure you keep chicks out of the flock for at least a couple of months and if something is wrong it should show up by then.If there was a disease problem in hatcheries,the hatcheries would go bust.I'm sure they have inspections and standards to maintain,just like a restaurants,medical facilities,etc.,especially with the avian influenza going around.


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## robin416

If I remember right Murray McMurray had a serious health issues some years back. I'd have to do some major digging to tell you what it was but a lot of people had entire flocks get sick because of birds purchased from McMurray. Just goes to show, that will not kill off a hatchery and even though there were strict bio-security in place they ended up with an issue. 

And if memory serves, the birds got the disease from well water.


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## robin416

seminolewind said:


> Sounds like people exposed to cmv. Some are some aren't, but it's screened in donated blood because you don't want to give it to immune suppressed people or babies. If someone is sick, it's usually in the second round of lab work.


Exactly.

The message you have entered is too short. Please lengthen your message to at least 10 characters.


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## casportpony

I'm interested in doing a list because some people are told to cull their flocks and repopulate with birds, chicks or eggs from mycoplasma free farms.


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## seminole wind

OMG, it's mass hysteria!

Robin I remember the hatchery incident. I didn't know what the cause was. But how does a chicken get sick from well water with chicken bacteria in it?


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## Nm156

Too much run off over a period of time ???


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## robin416

I would have to do some really serious digging to find the cause and the organism responsible. MM tried to keep it hush hush at the time and it took digging even then to find what the story was. That incident was some years ago.


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## Nm156

I tried searching earlier but couldn't find it.


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## Nm156

Deleted for .lack of validity.


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## robin416

That email looks odd, like there is a chunk missing between "if you have questions" it jumps to AE without any reference to why they are mentioning it. 

Seeing the date I know why I couldn't remember the specifics. I just remember chicks dying all over the place and people who did not practice biosecurity ended up infecting their existing birds.


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## Nm156

You can't trust everything on the web.


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## seminole wind

............................


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## Nm156

What..........................


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## seminole wind

I found an article but it was 3 post long and not worth reading thru that much info-like 30,000 letters.


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## WeeLittleChicken

This is an interesting thread. I used to breed fancy rats years ago and there's a strain of Myco that kills them left and right. In fact the leading causes of death in the pet rat population is upper respiratory disease (usually Myco) and cancer. I have never had resp issues with any of my birds. I didn't think it was that common? 

Although I cannot speak for chickens there absolutely are triggers for Myco infections in rats. The vast majority is bad genetics. Weakened immune systems from inbreeding of the wrong individuals. That being said there are a number of outside triggers too. Bedding them on cedar seemed to be the best way to cause a flair up. Something about the oils in it compromising their lungs. Stress could be a trigger, older and weaker individuals were always more susceptible. I had a lot of problems with it when I started but after weeding out problem individuals and not breeding them this seemed to only be a problem with the rescues I took in with unknown lineage. In this sense it wasn't catchy, the healthy individuals stayed healthy, but the weak ones got it over and over and over again! 

Should I ever come to a point where I see this in the chickens it'd be one strike and you're out - of the breeding program but that's about it.


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## seminole wind

Well I have a mandatory closed flock. Everyone seems good right now.


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