Chicken gurgling

[leetfreq925]

I have my sweetest Sussex making funny noises she never used to. She kinda gurgles when she breathes. There are no other signs of illness - no runny nose no sneezing. She eats fine. Runs around. I have 5 other hens. Should I jump to quarantine and antibiotics?

 

[Eggcessive]

i was told to use tylan 200 not the 50.... what would be the differnece

Tylan 50 has 50 mg of tylosin in each ml or cc, where Tylan 200 has four times as much or 200mg per ml/cc. Many feel that tylan 200 can be damaging to the breast muscle where it is injected.

 

[cafarmgirl]

Does anyone know how to stop a chicken from gurgling without medicine? I don't wanna use any money ($$$)

My chicken Brownie has been with me for a year. At first i though she was going broody but know i am not so sure. I don't want her to be sick but i think she is.

If she is sick with a respiratory disease and is gurgling or wheezing there is a high chance of pneumonia setting in, just from all the junk in her respiratory tract. This is why birds need antibiotic's for respiratory diseases whether they are viral or bacterial, both can result in secondary bacterial infections and pneumonia. Even if a bird survives the disease it's most often these complications that kill them.

A sick bird will wheeze, rattle or gurgle every time it breaths. You may also hear sneezing and coughing, there may be runny nose or eyes as well, sometimes facial swelling.

 

[Eggcessive]

I would respectfully disagree with infectious bronchitis being the same thing as mycoplasma (MG.) one (IB) is a virus while MG is a mycoplasma, similar to bacteria. MG may respond to antibiotic while IB does not. However, many times these diseases may occur together with one being a secondary disease. So MG doesn't cause IB, but may be present at the same time. In all the common respiratory diseases, there can be secondary diseases. When a chicken is tested or necropsied, they may find mycoplasma gallisepticum and mycoplasma synoviae, or other diseases such as aspergillosis (a fungus,) IB, ILT, or coryza. Hopefully this helps, and it is always best to get testing done to know what you are treating.

 

[Eggcessive]

Mycoplasma is considered to be a bacterium, but does not have a cell wall as most bacteria do. Yes, it can respond to some antibiotics such as Tylan, oxytetracycline, erythromycin, and others. Viruses such as Infectious bronchitis or infectious laryngotracheitis, or fungi such aspergillosis, will not respond. Prettypenny has said that they think it is a virus, since it rapidly spread through the flock, and that can be common with infectious bronchitis. It can take several weeks to overcome unless secondary bacterial diseases occur, and one can expect the flock to all be carriers of IB for up to a year.

 

[Eggcessive]

Most vets could do a nasal swab for bacteria or mycoplasma. Here is a link about testing and for the poultry dept, of Saskatchewan:
http://poultryhealthtoday.com/avian-mycoplasma-diagnostics/



Department of Animal and Poultry Science

College of Agriculture and Bioresources

University of Saskatchewan
Room 6D34, Agriculture Building

51 Campus Drive
Saskatoon, Saskatchewan S7N 5A8, Canada

Tel: (306)966-4128

Fax: 306-966-4151

Email: [email protected]

 

[Eggcessive]

That does sound like the beginning of a respiratory infection. Have you had the chickens long? Some chickens can be carriers of diseases that don't show up until they are stressed. I would watch her for other signs, especially nasal drainage, eye bubbles, or swelling of the eyes or face. I had a bird recently who gurgled after I held him on his back to examine him, but he didn't do it again. Just watch. Here is some info on respiratory diseases and symptoms: http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/ps044

 

[leetfreq925]

She is a year and a half or so. She is my favorite of course so I don't think I'm going to mess around. I made her a lovely area in the garage and she is getting antibiotic in her water. I completely cleaned out the coop for the rest of the girls just in case. She is getting tetracycline for 7 days and I am keeping a very close watch on the other 5 girls back in the coop. She is out free ranging with everyone now as it's a beautiful day and I don't have to work. I hope that's ok. I couldn't stand to lock her up by herself on a day like this when everyone else got to play! She is foraging and seems to have energy. Just horrible little gurgly coughs now and again.

 

[Eggcessive]

Tetracycline can be mixed at 2 strengths (at least the Duramycin10 brand.) If she is still gurgling in 3 days you can go up to the higher dosing of 800mg which I believe is 1 TB per gallon. Tetracycline can also be given up to 14 days if she is not better. Give her some probiotics in her food or water to help replace the good bacteria in her gut. I have heard that tetracycline is bitter tasting, and one BYCer recommends using 4 oz cranberry juice to replace some of the water in mixing it. That way she will drink it better hopefully. If you don't feel that the tetracycline is working, switch to Tylan Soluble Powder or Tylan50 injectable.

 

[leetfreq925]

Thank you so much for the advise. This is the first time I have encountered this and am not sure what to do. I have put 1/8 tsp duramycin-10 in 2 cups of water in her fount in her luxurious accommodations in the basement. She seems to be drinking a little. And she definitely had some energy this afternoon. I sat with her for a while just a bit ago and every breath in sounds like it is through water. And she is coughing a bit. So I think it is a very good thing to start the antibiotics. I think I am putting enough in her water as long as she drinks it. I might try some juice. What probiotics do you recommend? And hopefully by 3 days she will be breathing clearly I should continue for at least 7 days right? Poor baby. Thank you so much for any help you can offer for her.