4 wk old GLW gurgling labored breathing wet cough

[chickachickayea]

(Xpost from PA Unite forum)

Okay I need help... Any advice is greatly appreciated.

My GLW chick is having labored breathing (day 2 of this). Looks like it is gasping for air and smacking it's lips (beak). Makes gurgly/snoring noises. Sneezes. Crop is full. Was over filled yesterday, so I withheld food last night & woke up to it emptied. Normal poops. Drinking/eating okay. Behaving okay, pretty spunky actually.

I gave it a tiny drop of Tylan twice today. Gave it VetRx last night & this am. ACV is in the waterer. It's in a brooder with pine shavings. Was in a barn with other chicks & chickens (in adjacent pens), until I picked them up Sunday.

Do I just keep up the regiment & wait it out, like a cold?

I read several threads with similar issues but still need help...

Hate watching this...

 

[chickachickayea]

Updating this in hopes of some advice...

It's day 4 of my little GLW chick being sick.

All in all, behavior is totally normal - active, eats/drinks/poops normal. It has sneezes/gurgly breathing and looks like it's gasping for air, which seems to gets worse when it gets worked up (like when I'm reaching in the cage to get it for it's "treatment" of oral Tylan200 and VetRx rub)

I made a video of it for anyone to check out if you can help.
It was just an hour ago (9:30pm) so it is sleepy time! Lol If your volume is up, you might be able to hear it's congestion. Around 1 minute it sneezes. I feel like this is how I am when my allergies are acting up and it's a struggle to breathe. This poor little thing...
https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B4KIgQevKhevNVRnYW1ubmlBZms

Thank you in advance

 

[Eggcessive]

Sorry about your chick--she looks cute, but pitiful in your video. Some chicks are weaker and can have poor immunity to common diseases. Since you are using the Tylan already, I would bump it up to 1/2 ml orally 3 times a day (that is within dosage limits on the high side.) if she doesn't start improving, it could be a viral or fungal illness. Mycoplasma or MG is common in flocks, and can show up around 3-4 weeks. The Tylan may help. Make sure that your brooder is not getting wet pine shavings from water spills, where mold can form, causing brooder pneumonia (aspergillosis.) Provide good air circulation over head without direct drafts. Don't overheat her, but keep her warm so she doesn't chill. Keep bedding clean and dry, and use large pine shavings to cut down on dust. Add a tiny bit of plain yogurt for probiotics daily to her feed while she is on Tylan, and afterward for a few days. Please let us know how she gets along. Heart problems or other defects or hatch problems can affect them as well. Good luck.

 

[chickachickayea]

Sorry about your chick--she looks cute, but pitiful in your video. Some chicks are weaker and can have poor immunity to common diseases. Since you are using the Tylan already, I would bump it up to 1/2 ml orally 3 times a day (that is within dosage limits on the high side.) if she doesn't start improving, it could be a viral or fungal illness. Mycoplasma or MG is common in flocks, and can show up around 3-4 weeks. The Tylan may help. Make sure that your brooder is not getting wet pine shavings from water spills, where mold can form, causing brooder pneumonia (aspergillosis.) Provide good air circulation over head without direct drafts. Don't overheat her, but keep her warm so she doesn't chill. Keep bedding clean and dry, and use large pine shavings to cut down on dust. Add a tiny bit of plain yogurt for probiotics daily to her feed while she is on Tylan, and afterward for a few days. Please let us know how she gets along. Heart problems or other defects or hatch problems can affect them as well. Good luck.

Thank you @Eggcessive for your response.

Overall it is behaving normally. Just has that sneeze/gasping. I gave it it's Tylan200 dose this morning, along with it's VetRx rub.

I have this one and 2 others from the same source - they got them from TSC so they have had their shots. The other 2 have no symptoms.

They are in my basement right now, with heat lamps setup to give them warm/hot/cool zones.

Would adding probiotics in combination with the ACV cause any issues? I thought about switching back to Nutridrench (or mixing ACV+Nutridrench - was trying to find info on this) for additional vitamins, but I don't want to overload such a tiny system.

I was also advised to use insulin needles for intramuscular injections of the Tylan200 - I'd like more information/advice on this before I even attempt to do that.

Thank you again for your help.

 

[Eggcessive]

You're welcome. The chicks that come from TSC or most feedstores are not vaccinated for anything, normally. ACV is not really needed, especially for young chicks. But I would only mix the yogurt with food. NutriDrench 1 ml daily per chick would be good to use. I would not give a young chick shots, but give the Tylan orally. Tylan is very thick, and in my experience it would be difficult to get it thru an insulin needle. Usually 20 gauge is the smallest needle you can pull it through easily. Tylan 200 is 4 times as strong as Tylan 50, so my dosage above was for Tylan 50.

 

[chickachickayea]

You're welcome. The chicks that come from TSC or most feedstores are not vaccinated for anything, normally. ACV is not really needed, especially for young chicks. But I would only mix the yogurt with food. NutriDrench 1 ml daily per chick would be good to use. I would not give a young chick shots, but give the Tylan orally. Tylan is very thick, and in my experience it would be difficult to get it thru an insulin needle. Usually 20 gauge is the smallest needle you can pull it through easily. Tylan 200 is 4 times as strong as Tylan 50, so my dosage above was for Tylan 50.

Ah, I thought TSC chicks were at least treated for Mareks? :/

I had given my first chicks yogurt & food for probiotics, so I am experienced with that.

Would you suggest giving the Nutridrench via syringe orally, or just in their water?

I bought the Tylan200 out of desperation and because the store did not have any Tylan50 until later in the week. I've been giving it about .25ml twice a day for the past 5 days, via the side of it's beak so as not to aspirate. Should I continue with this amount?

So sad to see such a tiny thing deal with this. Thankful that it is doing well otherwise.

Thank you so much again for your help.

 

[Eggcessive]

That dosage is about 50mg, and I would give up to 0.3 ml of 200 a day, but 5 days is all it is used. About feed store chicks, they sell them at the lowest cost from $2 to 3.50 per chick, and just a Mareks vaccine adds a dollar each from the hatcheries where they come from. Many people would rather not vaccinate their birds also. I have mine vaccinated at the hatchery, but do not vaccinate any chicks that I hatch. Let us know how she gets along--I think you are doing a good job.

 

[chickachickayea]

@Eggcessive

Well it's been a full week of the chick being sick. Started medicating last Tuesday, with little to no improvement. I thought it was going to die last night because it was wheezing/gasping and struggling to catch it's breath for a couple minutes. It was painful to watch. I contacted the woman I got it from, and she said a few of hers from the same pen have the same issue. She injected hers with Duramycin and said she saw improvement overnight. I'm wondering if I should do the same - I went and bought a bottle and 20g & 22g needles just in case. Thoughts on this?

I've never done injections so I would need a tutorial on how to. I read a few forums here on doing them in the breast, under the wing or behind the neck by pinching the skin.

Any advice is greatly appreciated.

 

[Eggcessive]

Tylan is supposed to be given into the meaty part of the breast muscle 1/4 inch deep. I would not give a baby chick injections anyway, but if you have to, it would be just under the skin in the back of the loose skin on the neck. Tylan is given more safely by mouth to chicks. Between Tylan and Duramycin (oxytetracyline) I would use Tylan, but they both will treat mycoplasma (MG.) If this is a virus such as infectious bronchitis, antibiotics will not affect the illness, but it usualy runs it's course over several weeks to a month.
Here is a link on giving injections:
http://www.browneggblueegg.com/Article/AfraidOfGivingInjections/AfraidOfGivingInjections.html

Here is a list of common respiratory diseases in chickens, and look mycoplasma gallisepticum (MG,) infectious bronchitis, amd aspergillosis:
http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/ps044

 

[chickachickayea]

Tylan is supposed to be given into the meaty part of the breast muscle 1/4 inch deep. I would not give a baby chick injections anyway, but if you have to, it would be just under the skin in the back of the loose skin on the neck.  Tylan is given more safely by mouth to chicks. Between Tylan and Duramycin (oxytetracyline) I would use Tylan, but they both will treat mycoplasma (MG.) If this is a virus such as infectious bronchitis, antibiotics will not affect the illness, but it usualy runs it's course over several weeks to a month.
Here is a link on giving injections: 
http://www.browneggblueegg.com/Article/AfraidOfGivingInjections/AfraidOfGivingInjections.html

Here is a list of common respiratory diseases in chickens, and look mycoplasma gallisepticum (MG,) infectious bronchitis, amd aspergillosis:
http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/ps044

Thanks again for your input. I'm just totally clueless as to what's wrong with it and what to do.

It has no discharge anywhere. Now it's looking more lethargic than usual, hardly opening its eyes. Sticking close to the heating lamp, and a wetter sounding gasp. I cleaned it's butt earlier because there was white poo stuck to the feathers under its vent. I changed the bedding, disinfected with very mild bleach and just have paper towels down now.

I don't think it's going to make it. This is heartbreaking.