It is in the ground and very contagious. It can be spread from chicken or wild birds that fly into the coup. Symptoms usually arise around 4-6 months of age. Birds can be carriers without showing symptoms. Chickens usually loose capability of walking as the nerves are affected. This is all I know. I'm definitely no expert I'm just sharing info I received from the vet school of WSU
I have never had to deal with it myself. I know some people are very hreen and do not like to feed their birds things that are not all natiral. It is a must to give your young hords till around 4 or 5 months of age a medicated feed. Purina flock raiser has been a good feed for our 28 birds. We have pheasants and all sorts of wild fowl around with no issues. You can also feed them once a monyh diatomaceous earth. Mix like a cup into 10 pounds of feed and they will eat it. This stuff we pit on their backs in the nesting boxes and where they have made their dirt bath holes, if it contacts mites or any other big they die. This diatomaceous earth is worth looking ip on line and seeing all of the benefits it has. 100% natural and not at all harmful. Check it out. Good luck and hope your flockndoes not get that disease. Merry Christmas. Virgil B.
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