6mnth old laying hens & Roosters W/runny nose & sleepy/no eggs,HELP

[Bronkzilla]

Started 2 days ago, with laziness, some did not leave coop, then runny nose, and sleeping standing up, Rooster not crowing, hens not laying eggs, and moving very slow. They got wet in the rain last week and then the weather got a bit cooler than normal( went from Lows in the 70's to 50's overnight) other than that nothing much has changed from the normal routine. I have started amprol and a vitamin solution in the drinking water, I have Duramycine also, but have not switched to it but thought I should. Any suggestions would be great! Is this a cold? or what? Thanks zoo very much, Bronk. Florida

 

[PunkinPeep]

It is possible (i think) for chickens to have nasal discharge because of being chilled; however i don't think i would expect them to get that cold in the temperature drop you have described.

Chickens don't generally get colds; they get diseases, and nasal discharge is most often a sign of respiratory disease. Chickens can get over the symptoms of respiratory disease sometimes, by use of antibiotics, but they continue to carry the disease and to spread it to other birds. For this reason, i would recommend culling your flock, specifically if all of them are affected.

You can find out for sure by having blood tests done, possibly by your state vet.

I'm sorry.

 

[suzettex5]

I agree with most of what PunkinPeep says. They dont get colds, they get serious diseases.

I wouldnt destroy your whole flock though. You can try treatment first. I would suggest you try the antibiotics in the water,make it the only water source, and change the water and add the meds every day for at least 3 to 5 days. If you dont see improvement or cessation of the symptoms, you may need to step up the treatment. You can usually find liquid penicillan for farm animals and the syringes at a local feed store. The bottle should have directions as to how much to give by weight, BUT, this would be OFF-LABEL usage, and you need to be very sure you dose right. You can often call a vets office and have a vet talk to you over the phone and get some free advice. When my turkeys got an upper respiratory cold that the powdered antibiotics couldnt beat, my vet told me to do the penicillan. It did the trick.

Please remember no matter what, do NOT eat any eggs for at least 2 weeks following the LAST treament of any kind.

I wish you the best of luck and hope for a speedy recovery of your flock.

 

[Bronkzilla]

Thank you very much, will try the antibiotic in the water first, and I will separate the sick from the rest. I'll let you know how it turns out. Thanks again

 

[Chickenaddict]

First of all I wouldn't treat them with duramycin at all, that stuf altho is ued for respiratory infections doesn't work on anything and is worthless IMO. It is very important to know exactly what disease you are dealing with then determine the course of antibiotics to use. If it is a bad disease which makes them carriers for life then yes I'd have to agree with PunkinPeep and cull the flock. If it's something like Chronic Bronchitis I would treat with the correct antibiotic.

 

[Bronkzilla]

What would be the antibiotic for the bronchitis ? I know your not a vet, but what would you use or what has been used that would be effective from experience? I have separated the birds with runny nose from the flock. I'll keep an eye out to be sure I got all of them. And I'll watch the others for signs. Thanks, Bronk