Help!!!!! My Chicks are dying

[loverofhatching]

Hi,
My chicks are dying showing following symptoms

1-Lethargy
2-Head below eyes swollen
3-Thick Sticky Mucus in Beak (Flowing in some chicks and just there in some)
4-Poop Condition (i could only watch very old hen pooping)
Crystal Clear Water with dark green substance in it

I have lost 12 8 weeks old chicks, 4 18 weeks old chicks, 1 7 weeks old chick, 1 under 2 years old hen and 1 very old hen.

I have been giving them OTC in water and 1 500 mg capsule to individual birds (4 18 weeks old chicks and 1 very old hen) but to no vail.

They all free range under trees with no grass. I vaccinated them all against New Castle Disease two months ago. All chicks were home hatched under their broody mother hens and were with their mothers

Can anyone tell me what disease they are suffering from.....?

 

[Eggcessive]

It could be a combination of diseases affecting your chickens. Since you have mixed age chickens , they can get coccidiosis from the older birds, and with any respiratory disease, there will be carriers in the flock when sick birds are not removed. Oxytetracycline is one of the drugs used to fight MG/CRD, but it won't treat viruses. Coryza is one that can be treated with a combination of sulfa antibiotics (sulfadimethoxine, sulfamethazine) and drugs like OTC or Tylan (tylosin.) Denagard is another one used in MG. Diarrhea can accompany respiratory diseases, coccidiosis, and antibiotic use. Is there any way to get your sickest chicken tested to see what exactly they might have? A necropsy by a vet if possible would be the best way to test. Coccidiosis can be treated with amprollium, toltrazuril, or sulfa medicines. Sorry about your illness, and here is a good link to read about common diseases with symptoms and treatments: http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/ps044

 

[loverofhatching]

@Eggcessive
thanx a lot.

i was able to contact the vet. i told him the symptoms and he diagnosed Infectious Coryza and has given me the injections and medicines to be administered through drinking water.
i will administer the medicines shortly and hope that there is no more casuality

 

[Eggcessive]

Good to hear that you could get help and medications to treat it. Here is some more info on coryza:
http://www.extension.org/pages/68127/infectious-coryza-in-poultry#.VG-XmYvF9NI
http://www.thepoultrysite.com/diseaseinfo/82/infectious-coryza

 

[loverofhatching]

thanks a lot for help but none of them could make it.

 

[Eggcessive]

Sorry that you lost all of them. Fortunately, coryza does not remain infectious for more than several days in the environment, so you can start over with healthy chicks after cleaning and disinfecting the equipment and area.

 

[loverofhatching]

Thanx. One of my hen has been broody and tomorrow is her hatch day and some chicks have come into the world as we speak (i type). I shall brood them with their mother in a heated setup as temperatures here go down to 4 degrees at night and rise up to 16 during day.