Solitary chicken - need advice

[Luvachicken]

I am bit confused over the difference between mycoplasma and a cold.

I have been reading the other posts about myco and the symptoms seem similar to colds.

My girls have had colds before with snotty beaks and chesty coughs, and one had a gunky eye with the cold symptons too.

I have always taken them to the vets for treatment and have usually been prescribed Baytril which did make them better, but the vet has never said they have myco.

 

How do I know they just had a cold ?

Could they have had myco and I didn't know ?

[mollyripkim]

Not sure if it got it right but I thought myco is a virus just like us getting flu and the antibiotics are for the secondary bacterial infections that set in when they are down. Having said that it doesn't explain why some vets prescribe for the whole flock. Will be interested to know the answer too.

[Egluntyne]

Mycoplasma is a much more serious disease than a straightforward cold, with long term implications for the flock. It never really goes away. It is caused by a bacterium, Mycoplasma gallisepticum, a cold is caused by a virus! and is short lived. Myco can lurk in the flock, rearing it's ugly head at any time, and aside from the obvious symptoms such as foaming eyes, nasal discharge, loss of appetite, it can cause slow growth and stunting, reduced hatchability and hick viability among other things. This is why many vets recommend the culling of the entire flock if myco is diagnosed.

[Luvachicken]

Thanks for those replies. It makes interesting reading. I think I will look into it more so I know exactly what to look for in the future.