Blossum

I have a jubilee Orpington hen, little Blossum. She got some sort of respiratory problem last spring. I took her to the vet and $150 later I took her home with some injectable medication. She improved but got some of the symptoms again in the fall. It is almost like she has seasonal allergies. I got some injectable 10% Baytril and gave it to her (and trying to give a chicken a shot is unbelievable. She was like Houdini. We have had quite a bit of warm weather in the last month and she started coughing and mouth breathing. So worrisome. I went to an avian website and saw where I could buy Baytril 10% to put in her water. So I did. On the 5th day of the medicine I happened to realize I had been mixing it wrong. I had been giving exactly half of the dose. So I gave one day of the full dose then just stopped because I thought it would be harmful to give her another 10 day run. I then started probiotics. She hasn't acted sick at all. Her appetite is good, but she still has some coughing and mouth breathing. Does anyone have an opinion on whether I should start another 10 day run of Baytril at the correct dose? I cannot afford another vet bill like that and by myself it is practically impossible to give her an injection. Before when I tried to give her the med she wriggled squirmed and shrieked and one shot wound up in her wing, another in her leg.

Can you back up and describe what her symptoms have been when she has been sick? Have any of the others become sick with the same thing? The most common respiratory diseases are from viruses such as infectious bronchitis and ILT. Bacterial or mycoplasma diseases are MG, MS, and coryza. Aspergillosis is a fungal disease from molds. Antibiotics will only treat symptoms of bacteria or mycoplasmas. Bacterial diseases may complicate viral or fungal diseases, so antibiotics may help there. Tylan or tetracyclines are useful for respiratory diseases, but something like baytril can wipe out almost anything. If there is airsacculitis, there can be more serious consequences, such as E.coli infection which can spread all over the body. No diseases are normally cured with antibiotics, but symptoms may be helped. Most respiratory diseases are chronic, and may come back when they are stressed during molts, cold weather,and other stressful times. They also make carriers of most in the flock whether they show symptoms or not.

Her only symptoms are occasional hacking, mouth breathing when she is running to catch up to the others and she shakes her head from time to time. She doesn't have foamy eyes and I haven't seen any discharge. The vet gave her Baytril and I believe a shot of cortisone. I assumed this was going to be a chronic issue but I don't want to give her medication that would depress her immune system more than it already is. I have medicated feed (I believe it is for chicks) I didn't start getting pet chickens until 2 years ago and I bought them online by the pictures. They said they were vaccinated for "everything" but I really don't know for sure. Do you think I should start her on medicated feed ? Or another run of Baytril at the correct dose (I have 4 other Orpingtons so they would all eat the medicated feed as they did the water with Baytril). I cannot tell for sure if any of the others have any problems. When I hear a cough they are usually all gaggled together. Everybody is eating good. Two of them had diarrhea but that has pretty much stopped now. I just wanted to ask your opinion

Baytril is kind of a super antibiotic that treats all kinds of things. It is actually banned in poultry (only in the US) since the FDA was concerned about it's overuse and the development of super bugs.and antibiotic resistance. Does the medicated feed you have contain amprollium? That is the only medicated feed I know of that is still sold, and it is used to prevent coccidiosis in chicks. So, that will not help if she has a respiratory disease, but you should toss it or use it up since chick feed does not stay fresh very long. Back to her symptoms, it is hard to tell what is going on without testing. Since she has had a strong antibiotic and a steroid already, she may just be suffering from a virus such as infectious bronchitis that will have to run it's course over a month or so. Unless she looks and sounds very ill, I would hold off on Baytril. Here is a good link to read, and read the sections of infectious bronchitis, mycoplasma gallisepticum (MG,) coryza, ILT, and aspergillosis, the most common respiratory diseases:
http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/ps044

Thank you so much for the information. She had just come out of a very hard molt so she was stressed. I will just nurse her along. So this lasts about a month? Wow. I looked at the attachment you sent and I wasn't aware chickens were so fragile

Well, it would still be good to get the testing to find out which disease is present. That way you will know what to expect, what to use in treatment, and how to deal with it. Molt is a very hard time, and that is a good time to see diseases pop up. IB is rhe most common respiratory disease, and has the least symptoms. However many chickens can get one disease, and then be complicated with secondary diseases. The link I gave is a good way to rule out diseases from the list of symptoms.

I have been giving Baytril in their water, but I mistakenly was given half the prescribed dose. I just finished five days of probiotics. I don't know if I should give another run of Baytril at the prescribed dose, or give something injectable. I do have some Tylan 50. My only problem is is I live by myself and I have a broken arm. I don't know if I could restrain her and I absolutely can't find a single soul who has "the time" to help me. I even asked at our co-op. I can't afford a vet bill because I retired=less money. Except for coughing she acts ok. She eats good, is active but I want to treat this or will it run its course. She had this last fall and I gave her injectable but it was a nightmare and I didn't have a broken arm. She had a very hard molt this winter and that may have stressed her and caused her to get sick. I don't want her to die.

I would probably not repeat the Baytril unless she gets very ill again. And only give it to her orally, and not the others. There is a good thread called "baytril sources that has dosages by Casportpony."