When should you cull your flock?

Question

I have had some sick birdies, and a lot of them have died over winter.

This guy at work suggested that I should euthanize the entire flock, sterilize the room and wait for several months for the bacteria to die, and start over.

Is that really necessary? I mean, they probably have a parasite, but as long as they are quarantiened here, what harm are they doing?

You guys are so helpful. I failed to give a couple of details.

1. I took a dead canary to the avian vet here and he could find nothing wrong.
2. I took a couple of canaries that are showing signs of the illness (one was knocking on death's door) to a 24 hr. emergency clinic, where they were taken care of ...
3. Birdie is not dead but he is just so lethargic (see my post on "lazy canaries"). I have him isolated under a heatlamp and he seems ok, but I know that that is against the advice of some. He keeps wanting to sit directly under it, so I figure he will let me know when it isn't appealing to him anymore.
4. I am totally against the thought of culling these birds, I am not a commercial breeder. I am seeking other opinions on this matter.
5. The guy who suggested euthanizing studies wildlife management, and specializes in birds.

Answer 1

Schedule a vet check. You don't mention what kind of bird you have, but a lot of dying birds could mean a lot of things, and parasites are pretty low on the list.

Quarantined also means that they are isolated from all other wildlife. Which probably isn't true. There's a good chance that when you change their litter, clean their water dishes, or even walk in and out of their pen, you are carrying whatever disease they have out where wildlife can become infected.

Wildlife then carries the disease to other farms.

Please take a sample of your birds to a vet for a blood work up. There's a chance they will have to be euthanized, but there's just as much chance that you'll get a prescription that will keep you from losing more birds.

Hoping the best.

Answer 2

The best way to handle this, is to isolate any sick birds from the rest of the flock, whenever you notice a bird that appears to be ill. If you have birds dieing, you should freeze one as soon after it dies as possible and then have it sent for a necropsy to find out what is killing the birds. Your local vet should be able to tell you where this can be done, whether there is an avian vet near you or not. This way you can find out what the problem is and if it can be treated successfully or if it really is necessary to cull the flock. Many times it can be a contagious illness that is easily treated, but sometimes it will be something that is chronic and will affect the entire flock for their lifetime as well as any new birds brought onto the property for many months.

Answer 3

How about you take some of the sick birds to an Avian Vet and get his/her advice? It is probably something really simple to treat and just highly contagious.

You can get a diagnosis on the birds you take in and tell him how many are showing symptoms or find out how to just treat the whole flock instead of killing them all.

I would however, put them in smaller cages, sterilize the main cages and keep everything very clean. That way you can release the ones that get well faster into the main cage again, unless the vet says otherwise.

If you need an avian vet, you can look one up here. http://aav.org/vet-lookup/

Answer 4

Diagnosis is really imperative. It would be helpful if you had access to an avian vet that can diagnose one and treat the whole flock. With disease comes suffering. This issue on how to handle this is your choice. Use your good judgment as to handle this unfortunate set of circumstances. Quarantine is usually used to keep sick birds away from well birds to be nursed back to health. There are always options. You will find your answer.

Answer 5

sick birds should be isolated , feed from separate dishes , so no contamination from the sick birds.

Clean and sterilize every day.

find out whats likely wrong and treat them . If you cant afford a vet , there are often medicines from the pet store that are better than nothing .



wiping out an entire flock is an extreme last resort.