- Oct 17, 2013
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I started raising birds with my son earlier this year. We just moved to a 2 acre farm. We have 15 laying hens 2 rooster and 3 chicks that hatched on Thanksgiving. We also have (had, in some cases) 2 peacocks, 2 chuckers, 4 pigeons, 3 guiena fowl a pair of Lady Amherst pheasants, a pair of red golden pheasants and a female brown eared pheasant.
After a dog got into our coop and killed 4 chickens and an owl killed 1 in the same week we purchased 10 adult hens from a local breeder in Sept. It was one of those choices I wish I could go back and do over again. His home was being foreclosed on and he was moving out when we came to get the birds. The coops were dark and dirty and it wasn't until the next day that I realized I had 10 sick birds on my hands. there was everything from mites, scaly leg mites, deformed feet, and breathing issues. My gut said I should cull all of them, but this was my first experience with birds and my son really thought we could save them. (and I really didn't think I could kill them) We quarantined the birds and started the whole round of treatments, bathed the birds, treated for mites, antibiotics, and eye drops. We lost one right away and the respiratory infection spread through all of them. When winter hit I had to move them to the main coop with the rest of my birds because we can't get to our back up coop once it snows.
From research it looks like I would need to have samples sent in to narrow down exactly what strain of virus or bacteria is causing the infection. I have ordered kits to collect samples. The symptoms are decreased appetite that progresses into no food or water consumption, watery, green loose stools (one bird also had bloody diarriah). bubbly, puss swollen eyes, wheezing, and sneezing. The birds that are affected the worst become very lethargic and don't move.
When we moved the birds to the main coop the disease went through our flock like wildfire. This week we have had 2 pheasants and a peacock die. I have 2 more pheasants and our last peacock in the house in dog kennels so I can give them water and antibiotics by the hour, but I know they won't make it. I tried everything to save the last 3 birds, I know it is just a matter of time.
So far the guiena fowl, chuckers and pigeons seem immune to it. The chickens are all sick but they don't die, they get past the eye infection part and just continue to sneeze and wheeze. The antibiotics don't seem to help. I am using oxytricyclien , 2tsp to a gallon of water for 10 days and then alternating with aureomycin crumbles in their feed for 10 days.
I am exhausted, I have tried everything I can think of, where do I look for help? At this point do I contact the state ag dept? Any advice would be appreciated.
After a dog got into our coop and killed 4 chickens and an owl killed 1 in the same week we purchased 10 adult hens from a local breeder in Sept. It was one of those choices I wish I could go back and do over again. His home was being foreclosed on and he was moving out when we came to get the birds. The coops were dark and dirty and it wasn't until the next day that I realized I had 10 sick birds on my hands. there was everything from mites, scaly leg mites, deformed feet, and breathing issues. My gut said I should cull all of them, but this was my first experience with birds and my son really thought we could save them. (and I really didn't think I could kill them) We quarantined the birds and started the whole round of treatments, bathed the birds, treated for mites, antibiotics, and eye drops. We lost one right away and the respiratory infection spread through all of them. When winter hit I had to move them to the main coop with the rest of my birds because we can't get to our back up coop once it snows.
From research it looks like I would need to have samples sent in to narrow down exactly what strain of virus or bacteria is causing the infection. I have ordered kits to collect samples. The symptoms are decreased appetite that progresses into no food or water consumption, watery, green loose stools (one bird also had bloody diarriah). bubbly, puss swollen eyes, wheezing, and sneezing. The birds that are affected the worst become very lethargic and don't move.
When we moved the birds to the main coop the disease went through our flock like wildfire. This week we have had 2 pheasants and a peacock die. I have 2 more pheasants and our last peacock in the house in dog kennels so I can give them water and antibiotics by the hour, but I know they won't make it. I tried everything to save the last 3 birds, I know it is just a matter of time.
So far the guiena fowl, chuckers and pigeons seem immune to it. The chickens are all sick but they don't die, they get past the eye infection part and just continue to sneeze and wheeze. The antibiotics don't seem to help. I am using oxytricyclien , 2tsp to a gallon of water for 10 days and then alternating with aureomycin crumbles in their feed for 10 days.
I am exhausted, I have tried everything I can think of, where do I look for help? At this point do I contact the state ag dept? Any advice would be appreciated.
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