New Bird Sick

mamalawrence

In the Brooder
Oct 28, 2016
8
0
30
I bought a new Bird, less than a week. She is molting. I found her with mucus coming out her nostrils and hanging from her beak 2 nights ago. Ive isolated her. The presvious owner claims all his birds are healthy and she was fine. Under further exaimination i have found she is skin and bones. I think she was free range feeding only so I'm guessing she didnt receive prop nutrition for molting. I have kept her hydrated and she is still alive after 2 nights but has labored breathing. Still has mucus and her eyes are crusty and can't or won't open. I've used warm wash cloth trying to keep her cleaned up. She won't eat. She is wobbly but does seem alert. She is about a year old, easter egg of some sort.

I don't know what to do for her.
 
You have already done the best thing by separating her and keeping her warm. I would say you are going to have to force feed her to get her to eat. I would go get tylan 50 injectable and start dosing at .2cc per pound of body weight. This will help clear up the respiratory infection but please know she is most likely carrying a virus that will reoccur. If you add her to your flock she will infect your others and they may or may not show symptoms.

Personally I would cull her and keep a close eye to make sure the others don't show symptoms. It does not take long for these types of things to pass from bird to bird in a coop.
 
How long could it take to show up in the others? Does this mean she can never rejoin the flock?
 
How long could it take to show up in the others? Does this mean she can never rejoin the flock?
if you add her to the flock she will infect the others if she hasn't already. You can choose to keep the birds you already have if they have been infected but you must maintain a closed flock. That means no birds sold or given away from your flock. You can add new birds but they will most likely run through the same respiratory issue when they are first added.
 
Thank you. I'm going to add some apple cider vinegar to the flock water and garlic to food. Maybe add some extra protein to their diet.

If they all have it can I still eat the eggs and the chickens?
 
You can eat the eggs and the birds as long as they haven't had antibiotics within the withdrawal time. I wouldn't physically eat the birds themselves if they were actually sick with respiratory symptoms at the time of butcher but otherwise if they are symptom free they are fine. Eggs would be unaffected at all times unless you dose them with antibiotics. Then they have withdrawals of course for any egg/meat consumption. Tylan is 8weeks withdrawal when injected.
 
I hate to say it, I love my chickens but it would be easier to butcher any sick birds. This is a nightmare.
 
I would gauge it on how they look when butchered if you went that route. I would say eat them if they aren't full of infection. I know several people who have closed flocks due to this and they said they usually only deal with it the first time the birds get it and then they don't have it reoccurring afterwards. It would be entirely up to you to decide whether you want to deal with a chance of possible future occurrence or to just butcher and start over if they were all infected.
 
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