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  1. WannabeHomsteader

    Old(ish??) hens prone to illness?

    Thanks for all your advice and thoughts. Yes, perhaps I am just a worrying type. I suppose, more than anything, I was curious to know how other people manage their flocks when it comes to less-than-amazing health, and you addressed it. Most chicken keepers are "somewhere in the middle". I will...
  2. WannabeHomsteader

    Old(ish??) hens prone to illness?

    That's the direction I'm leaning. I do not want chickens just to have something to doctor. The more hands off, the better for me. You mentioned you have never doctored a bird - can you elaborate? Does your flock just not have many issues, or do you let them sort themselves out when they arise...
  3. WannabeHomsteader

    Old(ish??) hens prone to illness?

    Thanks for the response. I don't know if I'm doing everything right, to be honest, but I do feel like this is more complicated than it ought to be. Maybe I haven't been keeping chickens long enough to know what "complicated" or "normal" is when it comes to caring for chickens. I got 4 of them...
  4. WannabeHomsteader

    Old(ish??) hens prone to illness?

    Sorry if I was a little too vague. What kind of info would be needed? I don't honestly know whether they're miserable or not. Both peck, scratch, and go nuts for mealworms just like normal chickens. But one has had a bluish comb due to poor oxygenation (something respiratory) for a few months...
  5. WannabeHomsteader

    Old(ish??) hens prone to illness?

    I have 2 laying hens and 3 pullets. The layers are ISA browns, both a little over 2 years old and still laying every other day or so. I always feel like they're struggling with issues - poor feather growth, unresolved respiratory issues, just weird stuff I can't find causes or solutions for...
  6. WannabeHomsteader

    Scabbing - sticktight fleas?

    Hi all, I have an ISA brown laying hen, 2 yo, with scabbing on her face. Sorry I couldn't get a better photo. They seem to come and go, they'll heal and more appear, but always at least one present on the face. Sometimes on wattles and comb. This has been going on for a few weeks that I have...
  7. WannabeHomsteader

    Treatment Plan for Respiratory Illness

    I'm cleaning the coop and run out today to hopefully help reduce dust, look for mold, etc. Weather conditions here are pretty dry. I live in a hot climate, but they stay in the run, not the coop, in the heat of the day. So I think hot coop is not a problem. I wetted their feed today (they were...
  8. WannabeHomsteader

    Treatment Plan for Respiratory Illness

    Thanks for all the info. I've already treated her with Denagard once, with no change whatsoever. I would think that would do something if it were a mycoplasma issue. I'm also contemplating the possibility of of infectious bronchitis... she is still laying eggs, but about every other day (I...
  9. WannabeHomsteader

    Treatment Plan for Respiratory Illness

    Would it be more likely to be bacterial if it's been a long illness? I would think a virus would either kill them or they'd recover. This has been a slow, steady decline. I'm definitely leaning toward infection/respiratory disease rather than reproductive issues, since she is sneezing and still...
  10. WannabeHomsteader

    Treatment Plan for Respiratory Illness

    Thank you for your thoughts. Checked her crop this morning, and it was empty, so that doesn't seem to be a factor. I may give Tylosin a shot, see if that helps. Wouldn't hurt to have some on hand anyway. I'm glad you mentioned viruses being untreatable with antibiotics, I hadn't thought about...
  11. WannabeHomsteader

    Treatment Plan for Respiratory Illness

    Hi everyone, I have a 2 yo ISA brown laying hen that's wheezing/has raspy breathing, a purple tinged comb, frequent sneezing and coughing and occasional panting with exertion. No nasal discharge. Poop is normal. She still eats and drinks, pecks around, no lethargy, but very obviously struggling...
  12. WannabeHomsteader

    Causes for wheezing and sneezing

    I have been treating the wheezy hen with Denagard for 4 days now. No change at all, still wheezing with gurgly breathing sounds and a darkened comb. Occasional sneezing. I was thinking if it was a mycoplasma problem, she'd improve at least a little by now on the Denagard. She still scratches...
  13. WannabeHomsteader

    Causes for wheezing and sneezing

    After doing some more reading, I think it COULD be MG. She is not getting any better, so I'm gonna start with Denagard and see if she improves. I also have pullets that are housed right next to this sick hen, separated by hardware cloth. She's been this way for quite some time without me...
  14. WannabeHomsteader

    6 Week Bantam Pair - Breed AND Gender

    I have 2 d'uccle pullets, very similar age to yours. They look exactly like yours! My d'uccle cockerels all developed big red combs several weeks ago. Some had also started crowing. Yours are most definitely pullets.
  15. WannabeHomsteader

    2yo hen molting...forever?

    I hope you're right about the chick feed doing good things for them. I do have grit and oyster shell available - those are the small gray and white trays tied to the side door, pictured in photo 2. I did have a sand bucket for a dust bath (that is the round black bucket sitting on the outside of...
  16. WannabeHomsteader

    2yo hen molting...forever?

    My chick feed on hand is medicated with amprolium - is that fine? I do let them free range when I come out to do chores or work in the yard, usually about 1.5 hrs total every day. They eat big cicadas, grasshoppers, and pesky weeds with great enthusiasm, so whatever is ailing them thankfully...
  17. WannabeHomsteader

    Causes for wheezing and sneezing

    Thanks for all your input. If it helps, here are photos of coop/run. The setup may look small, but I believe it meets sq footage requirements for my 2 birds, and there's plenty of fresh air in the run. The extra run/coop on the side is a very recent build for my bantam pullets, and there is no...
  18. WannabeHomsteader

    Causes for wheezing and sneezing

    No actually, this summer's temps have been pretty mild. Where I live, we often reach triple digits right about now. It's been well below that lately. I'll try worming and see if they improve. I don't think she's overweight - in fact, her keel bone feels a little sharper than it ought, but not...
  19. WannabeHomsteader

    2yo hen molting...forever?

    My OTHER hen who I thought was healthy turns out to be not so healthy. She is wheezing and sneezing pretty badly, and I haven't figured out the reason yet. But I have no idea if the problems are related. You can read about her here...
  20. WannabeHomsteader

    Causes for wheezing and sneezing

    Although, I should add, I have one other hen who is mysteriously struggling to put feathers back on. No idea if that is even related to this, but I haven't found the cause for her yet. No mites (like I previously thought), and no bullying or self-picking that I've seen. You can take a look at...
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