Sneezing hen

[Areolyn]

Hi, recently I had to cull a hen who had been sneezing and chronically got worse, going from little sneezes and heavy breathing to coughing and wry neck. I had been using Tylan in her water but she seemed to be far too gone. I just noticed one of my leghorn hens sneezing a bit today, and immediately did quarantine. Is this ok? I put Tylan in her water and gave grower/layer mix to her, and she drinks and eats fine. She lays everyday too, but doesn't breathe heavy like my last hen. She's 8 months old and not obese or too skinny. Her poops are fine, look like normal chicken poops and not bright green or mucusy.

*edit*

Any help would be awesomely appreciated!

 

[Areolyn]

bump?

 

[votegoode]

It sounds like a respiratory virus definitely, did you throw away the last hens body? If not you could send it in for a necropsy they usually cost about $35.00 (at least where I live). That would tell you exactly why she died. Have anymore besides the second one got sick? And what state do you live in? I would definitely keep that one quarantined, you made the right call in doing so. My advice is if you don't have the body from the last one get a veterinarian to look at the one you currently have. If this is something like avian influenza you want to catch it quick. As for using Tylosin (Tylan) most illnesses that effect the respiratory tract are virus's not bacteria so antibiotics don't work against them. I doubt it would hurt though. Again, getting a veterinarians opinion would be ideal. I hope this information is helpful. Please feel free to send me a private message I would love to help more.


Thanks for you consideration.

Sincerely Colton Bennett
Summit County Utah 4-H Poultry club manager & teen leader.
10+ years of raising ducks, chickens, guineas, turkeys, and geese in 20+ breeds & 40+ varieties.
6+ years participant in the 4-H poultry program.
Putnam County Indiana 4-H Poultry club historian 2012.

 

[Eggcessive]

Did your first sick hen have a bad odor around her head? Do you have the Tylan Soluble Powder for the water or are you using Tylan 50 or 200? You could have a respiratory disease going through the flock, such as infectious bronchitis, mycoplasma (MG,) or coryza. Wry neck is fairly significant, mostly seen in severe diseases such as coryza, ILT, or fowl cholera and others. Did you notice any facial or eye swelling? Sometimes a milder respiratory disease such as IB or a mild strain of MG can become quite severe if there are secondary infections or air sacculitis occurs. Most respiratory diseases will make carriers of the flock, even those who are not symptomatic. Here is a good link to read about common respiratory disease with symptoms for you to compare: http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/ps044

 

[Areolyn]

It sounds like a respiratory virus definitely, did you throw away the last hens body? If not you could send it in for a necropsy they usually cost about $35.00 (at least where I live). That would tell you exactly why she died. Have anymore besides the second one got sick? And what state do you live in? I would definitely keep that one quarantined, you made the right call in doing so. My advice is if you don't have the body from the last one get a veterinarian to look at the one you currently have. If this is something like avian influenza you want to catch it quick. As for using Tylosin (Tylan) most illnesses that effect the respiratory tract are virus's not bacteria so antibiotics don't work against them. I doubt it would hurt though. Again, getting a veterinarians opinion would be ideal. I hope this information is helpful. Please feel free to send me a private message I would love to help more.


Thanks for you consideration.

Sincerely Colton Bennett
Summit County Utah 4-H Poultry club manager & teen leader.
10+ years of raising ducks, chickens, guineas, turkeys, and geese in 20+ breeds & 40+ varieties.
6+ years participant in the 4-H poultry program.
Putnam County Indiana 4-H Poultry club historian 2012.

Unfortunately, I have no vet that will work on my birds or do a necropsy, I live in central Texas with about an hour away from any major city. I have tried the Wildlife Society at school because they're always wanting us to bring in birds for necropsies, but they wouldn't do it because it was a domestic bird and not wild. :/

Did your first sick hen have a bad odor around her head? Do you have the Tylan Soluble Powder for the water or are you using Tylan 50 or 200? You could have a respiratory disease going through the flock, such as infectious bronchitis, mycoplasma (MG,) or coryza. Wry neck is fairly significant, mostly seen in severe diseases such as coryza, ILT, or fowl cholera and others. Did you notice any facial or eye swelling? Sometimes a milder respiratory disease such as IB or a mild strain of MG can become quite severe if there are secondary infections or air sacculitis occurs. Most respiratory diseases will make carriers of the flock, even those who are not symptomatic. Here is a good link to read about common respiratory disease with symptoms for you to compare: http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/ps044

At first she had no crustiness, but after a day she developing a bad smelling crusty nostril and a pale comb, but normal wattles. She had no facial swelling what so ever, and no foamy eyes. Her legs were normal color, and her poop was green but it wasn't diarrhea and had a urine cap on it. I'm thinking it was green due to the illness, or the feed I give them because my feed is somewhat green. The day I culled her was when wry neck set in. I somewhat thought of coccidiosis, because I had lost a smaller bird to that back in August and it developed wry neck just before death. I treated all of them with Corid though to make sure I had got them off of the cocci.I have researched a bunch, and found Newcastle Disease, mycoplasma, and maybe bronchitis.

 

[Areolyn]

Forgot to say I'm using the Tylan Soluble, I put it in the water and put a bit in wet feed. She eats it fine, but I don't think she likes the taste of the water.

 

[Eggcessive]

Wry neck is a neurological symptom of brain inflammation, and I have seen it in a dying bird, almost like a seizure just before death. Luckily exotic Newcastles isn't found in the US at this time, but may be in certain parts of the world. The bad smell could mean coryza. A necropsy by your state vet could easily be obtained if you lose another if you are in the US. It would be best to either get one tested by blood or nasal swab, or to get a necropsy. In california necropsy is free. Here are some links for testing labs and state vets, and you can call about fees:
http://www.aphis.usda.gov/animal_health/nahln/downloads/all_nahln_lab_list.pdf
http://www.usaha.org/Portals/6/StateAnimalHealthOfficials.pdf

 

[Areolyn]

Wry neck is a neurological symptom of brain inflammation, and I have seen it in a dying bird, almost like a seizure just before death. Luckily exotic Newcastles isn't found in the US at this time, but may be in certain parts of the world. The bad smell could mean coryza. A necropsy by your state vet could easily be obtained if you lose another if you are in the US. It would be best to either get one tested by blood or nasal swab, or to get a necropsy. In california necropsy is free. Here are some links for testing labs and state vets, and you can call about fees:
http://www.aphis.usda.gov/animal_health/nahln/downloads/all_nahln_lab_list.pdf
http://www.usaha.org/Portals/6/StateAnimalHealthOfficials.pdf

Thank you for the info, I am sooo glad this isn't Newcastle. Do I mail the samples in, or do I have to go to the actual lab itself?

 

[Eggcessive]

You should call them and ask. Most blood or nasal samples would probably need to be collected by a local vet, unless you could locate a nearby lab or an NPIP agent who could do it. Sometimes the state vet can send someone out, but this varies greatly state by state.

 

[votegoode]

Yes, "Eggcessive" is right you need to call the lab to find out what to do (here in Utah your vet has to collect it). And although Exotic Newcastle Disease has been eradicated in the USA from domestic flocks since 2003, it does still occur in wild bird populations every once in a while. Wild birds can bring it in to domestic flocks. Since you live out in a rural area in Texas this could be a possibility. Have you noticed any wild birds dead lately?
I hope this information is helpful. Please feel free to send me a private message I would love to help more.


Thanks for you consideration.

Sincerely Colton Bennett
Summit County Utah 4-H Poultry club manager & teen leader.
10+ years of raising ducks, chickens, guineas, turkeys, and geese in 20+ breeds & 40+ varieties.
6+ years participant in the 4-H poultry program.
Putnam County Indiana 4-H Poultry club historian 2012.