Respiratory problems - please help

[Anonymous]

Hi everyone, really hoping someone can help me with this one:
We were given some chickens in July and they unfortunately had coccidia and really bad mites/lice/worms... We treated all of that but then they started getting sick with respiratory problems. They were all treated with Tylan and responded very well, however, the smallest of them didn't manage to shift it, and two months on she still has it. One side of her face is very swollen and full of yellow mucus... Last week the vet lanced it and removed lots but this week it has swollen up again. I am still giving her Tylan and lots of vitamins, starchy food to build her up, and her usual chicken feed, but she doesn't seem to be getting any better. If anything I would say that this week she is slightly worse... I'm wondering if she has just had enough... Can any one offer any advice? She is such a tame chicken I couldn't bear to lose her.

 

[snifter]

Hmmm, side of her face could be her ear causing the problem. Hard to say without knowing exactly where.

I'll have a think on things and see if anything comes to mind.

 

[Anonymous]

The swelling is just in between her eye and nostrils - it is a sinus infection not her ears.. If you can think of anything it would be very much appreciated!

 

[Anonymous]

It sounds very similar to something dogs can suffer with called rhinitus (not sure of the spelling)it might be worth asking the vet if it's advisable to maybe try some different anti-biotics,or a higher dose.Something else you could try is a medication called respite,it is aimed at respiratory problems in poultry.You could also try Ainsworth's,they are a homeopathic pharmacy and very good.
They do have a website,but,it would probably be quicker to ring them.They are very helpfull over the phone, you will be able to explain all her symptoms and they will post any remedies the same day.Their phone number is 0171 935 5330.I haven't asked for homeopathic remedies for chickens before,but have had excellent results using homeopathic remedies on dogs and people.
Do hope she starts to recover soon.

 

[Anonymous]

Thanks Lydia, I've had good results with homeopathy on people but never thought of using it on chickens! Will give it a go and see what happens.

 

[Tim]

'Respiratory problems' is a very general term. It can be anything from the sniffles to full blown Bronchitus. It's usually started by Mycoplasma infection also known as IB or Infectious Bronchitus, one of the most common being caused by Mycoplasma Gallisepticum.

Some birds when treated with antibiotics such as Tylan will make a full recovery, some will die and some won't make much improvement but won't get any worse until they get stressed or another malise.

Tylan 200 injected into the breast works far better than Tylan Soluble - perhaps you could talk to your vet about this?

I try to use an Organic approach and I use fresh Garlic crushed into the water and ACV however this does take time to build up the chooks immune system. I think ACV helps cut through the mucus though.

I don't know about the swollen face I'm afraid.

 

[Anonymous]

Thanks Tim. I have been giving her the Tylan injections for a week now as the vet also said they were much more effective... Unfortunately today it started getting a lot worse, with the discharge spreading to her other eye now. The swollen face is where her sinus' are blocked from the infection. I have taken Lydia's advice and am trying some homeopathic remedies on her but I am not holding out much hope as she is really pretty porly. I am going to give it two more days and then take her back to the vet. I suspect it might be kinder to let her go

 

[Anonymous]

So sorry Gretl,it is a shame when pets(like humans)seem prone to catching anything and everything going,and are not a good doer.It does sound as if you and your vet have tried your best.

 

[Tim]

Oh dear.

If it is IB, some just don't seem to recover, yet others recover fully and are fine.

Be careful - in the future, if you introduce any new hens, if it is IB / Mycoplasma, they will catch it if their immunity is low. You hens will always be carriers.

Sometimes people buy new hens and then a few days later they fall sick and they think the breeder has sold them sick birds - this isn't always true, they have just been stressed by the move and then caught Myco from one of their existing birds.

 

[Anonymous]

I had her put down on Saturday morning It was very sad...
The vet said that the rest of my chickens would be carriers and said I should put any new chickens on a course of Tylan when we first introduce them. Have you ever done that? Do you know whether it will be safe to hatch eggs out from these chickens?

 

[Tim]

I'm sorry to hear you had to put her down gretl. It sounds like you did your best for her.

Yes, your chooks will be carriers (but don't panic many people's chooks have this, it's just a case of managing it now). Personally, I don't believe in using Antibiotics unless absolutely necessary. The idea is sound, (new chooks are stressed and they get infected by the old chooks so give them Tylan to stop them getting sick) but Tylan (an antibiotic) kills the bacteria that are causing the secondary infection, it does not stop them getting Myco in the first place. Even then, you can't keep putting them on Tylan every time they get stressed..

When bringing new chickens in, it is always a good idea to quarantine them somewhere else for a while. This protects your flock from diseases as well as giving them a chance to get used to their surroundings. If they are introduced gradually (so they can see and hear one another at least) it will be far less worrying for them.

I try to build new chickens up by feeding them well (Fresh crushed Garlic in their mash or water and ACV, vitamins and free range / greens) before introducing them gradually. If their immune systems are strong, they will cope much better and be at less risk of disease. Hopefully they will not show any signs of infection and you won't need to break out the Tylan. If you do, you know what to look for and can act earlier which is key in bringing it under control.

The first outbreak is always the worst, once they have got over that, they are likely to be pretty healthy unless they get really run down.

Myco can carry through eggs from infected birds but all of the eggs I seen hatched from birds that are infected have been fine so unless you are unlucky, you should be OK.

I hope this helps :? Tim.

 

[Anonymous]

so sorry you had that desision to make Gretl,it sounds as if you always did the best for her.she was lucky to have a caring owner.